What Factors Contributed To The American Revolution

The American Revolution as we know it did not have to happen. History is multifaceted, and the revolution is no exception to that rule, but while there is little doubt at some point a revolution would have occurred, why did we end up with the revolution we got? A broad host of factors contributed to our revolution, but ultimately it was the economic conditions of the time period, the political traditions of the soon to be American people, and the proto-foreign relations of the colonies that painted the picture that would become the American Revolution. The policies enacted by the British against the colonies after the French and Indian War infringed upon their strong independent spirit; while the colonists pulled one way, the British pulled the other, eventually backfiring and paving the way to revolution. The seeds of the revolution were sown in the French and Indian War, a conflict which turned the geopolitical landscape of North America on its head. The two great powers of France and Britain duked it out for world dominance for nine years, and by the end of the conflict France had been relegated to its sugar fields in the Caribbean. Where there had once been a formidable enemy which threatened the very existence of the colonies before, there was now simply a void, land free for the taking. However the British did

The squabbling between the Natives and the colonists continued, and was simply tacked onto the already massive debt accumulated by the British Empire after the end of the Seven Years War. Victory has a price tag, and British did not have the money to pay. With nowhere else to turn, Britain looked to its North American colonies to uphold their end of the deal. To Parliament, this decision fit into the system of mercantilism which defined the relationship between Britain and her colonies. Crippling debt or not, wealth was a resource to be extracted like any other, and the purpose of these colonies was first and foremost to enrich their mother