Because the American Revolution was the catalyst for the United States’ founding, it is important to understand its causes. The colonists wanted to be free and the British held the land. The French and Indian War and various acts to pay debt were some of the events that led to the revolution. The French and Indian War was a key factor in the American Revolution’s beginning. “French-English relations have been at the throats of each other ever since North America was settled permanently.” Fowler 2 says that violence was born out of both the competition for trade and uncertain borders as well as a large population of frontiersmen who were wildly insatiable. Due to their fighting for territory, the British were unable to make peace with the French. The French-Indian War was not a successful one for the British. General Edward Braddock was the British army’s commander-in chief. He refused to work with potential Indian allies. Colonial leaders also failed to cooperate. Braddock died on July 13, 1755, after he failed in his attempt to capture Fort Duquesne. The war became a deadlock for the next few years. In 1757, the British won the war. William Pitt was later to lead the British army against the French. Montcalm, the French leader, believed that France was growing, not contracting. In 1758, the French in Canada had a political problem. The Old World observers in France saw North America as an unwelcome distraction from European battlefields. William Pitt, naturally, saw the reverse” (Borneman 98) Although the French had won the war before William Pitt became the British leader, they did not do well after he took over the British forces. Pitt sent thousands to fight alongside the colonial troops. The British captured parts of Canada occupied French by the British, while the French did not win the war. French allies were not able to be revived and they surrendered to Canada on September 8, 201760. The British were still winning the war but Spain joined the fray as an ally in 1762. The French had sugar islands in Caribbean but they fell under British control. The British seized Havana in 1762, which was one of the pivotal moments. On October 5, 1762, the British captured Manila. This was the turning point that made Britain a global power. The Treaty of Paris, dated February 10, 1763, brought an end to the war. The French took back their West Indian sugar Islands, the most valuable colonial possessions. However, the French lost their entire North American empire. The British gained all lands east from the Mississippi River, and Spain was granted claims to Trans-Mississippi West. After the British had taken Florida, Cuban and Philippine lands were returned to Spain. France and Spain were in financial collapse and the British took over the new world. Americans were proud to have been a part the British empire. It was considered the world’s greatest empire. The French and Indian War had a major outcome. England’s national debt soared because of wartime expenses. British officials wanted to find a way for colonists to pay the war-related debt. British Parliament passed first such act, the Sugar Act. According to America’s Homepage. Historic Documents. United States, the Sugar Act was “an act to granting certain duties within the British colonies, plantations in America.” The act was to tax many goods including wine and sugar. Britain also reduced the tax rate on molasses, which was previously six-cents per gallon. The British were extremely greedy and wanted more money to secure their colonies. So they reduced taxes to encourage trade to Great Britain instead of France. Because the British had the responsibility of fighting against colonists and Indians, it was very costly to secure the colonies. People were unhappy with the Sugar Act, which led to it being a failure. British traders would make it impossible for colonies to trade goods. If they tried to purchase important goods such as wine and sugar, they would lose their money. In an effort to end the law, colonial leaders initiated a boycott against British goods. The Sugar Act was eventually repealed in 1766. The Revenue Act of 201766 replaced it with a one-penny per gallon tax on imported molasses. The Stamp Act was another controversial act. This law required people to obtain legal stamps on papers and documents like licenses, newspapers, and playing cards. Because people had previously owned these papers and other documents for free, colonists believed this was unfair. But, the British wanted to repay the debt, so they used the method. This was the British’s plan to pay off the French-Indian War debt. However, it didn’t work. “[The colonists] created taxes without consent for the purposes of revenue. Their rights to common-law trials were abridged. The authority of one prerogative Court (admiralty), was enlarged and the establishment (ecclesiastical), hinted towards” (Morgan, 74). The British Acts were continued by the colonists, which led to the creation of the Stamp Act Congress. The Stamp Act Congress was established by nine colonies in October 1765. They sent delegates. They met to protest British Parliament’s taxing the colonies. The Americans put an end to British imports and pressured the British. It was easier to repeal than to enforce the law, according to the British government. British trade suffered from the law. They didn’t care about colonists’ rights. The Declaratory Act was also passed at the same time as the Revenue Act. This gave the Parliament the power to decide what actions were best for the empire. The colonists believed that the Declaratory Bill would solve all their problems. However, the British gained control over what they considered to be good for the empire. The British Parliament passed the Quartering Act in 1765. It indirectly affected colonists. According to Library of Congress, the Quartering Act which required the colonies provide barracks for British troops, further angered the American colonists. It was intended to reward the British soldiers for their efforts in protecting colonists from French soldiers. The law was not intended to be used by the colonists because they didn’t consider the French a threat. British felt that the colonists weren’t treated fairly by their soldiers in the colonies. This act would have ensured that they got proper care including food and drinks. The colonists did not receive anything in return. They felt it unfair, as the soldiers were not people the colonists had ever met personally. The soldiers would just be random men who came to people’s houses and let the colonists care for them. This created an uproar due to the unfairness of the law. In some places, like New York City, it was opposed. It didn’t turn out as the British expected, so it was repealed in 1767. British Parliament approved the Townshend Revenue Acts in 1767. Because all of the goods were made in England, they included paper, tea, nails, and glass. Another boycott was imposed on the British goods after it introduced taxes on smuggling. Charles Townshend was the law’s name. He really wanted to ensure that taxes were collected. So he established new customs boards throughout the colonies, as well as new vice-admiralty court in major ports like Boston, Charleston, Philadelphia, to handle cases of tax evasion. This law’s revenue is intended to support the salaries of Congress judges, governors and other officials. The Quartering Act was intended to punish New York for not complying with it. They didn’t supply supplies to British troops stopping at houses. Except for the tea tax, all Townshend Acts were finally repealed on March 1770. This is also the event that brought about the Boston Tea Party of 1773. Boston Massacre was another event that occurred before the Boston Tea Party. British troops opened fire at American civilians living in Boston on March 5, 2017 after American colonists had taunted British soldiers who were guarding Customs House. The Americans used snowballs to attack the British guards. Thomas Preston instructed his men that they fix the bayonets in order to protect the building. Private Montgomery was wounded and a gun was shot at him. The rest believed that Preston ordered his troops fire. Five colonists died and six were injured. This led to Captain Preston’s trial and the arrest of his British soldiers. John Adams Jr. was a supporter of the soldiers. He believed they should be given fair trials in the justice systems. Samuel Adams stated that the “event was no riot, but an inevitable consequence of armed troops keeping order in the community that preferred to the police themselves” (Allison). The Tea Act was passed in 1773. This led to the Boston Tea Party. The East India Company gained the right to distribute tea across America, without paying British duties. It reduced the retail price and was viewed by Americans as a payment for Townshend duties. It wasn’t approved by the Americans. This led to resistance measures including the Boston Tea Party, December 16, 1773. The Sons of Liberty protested British tax policies during the Boston Tea Party. Officials refused to send tea back to Britain. The colonists decimated 342 tea boxes by throwing them in the Boston Harbor. To prevent them from having to pay, they did this. They “put on disguises and boarded British ships to destroy the 342 tea chests” (Furstinger 51). Great Britain was furious at the loss of tea and tried to hold colonists responsible. This event resulted in what was known as the Intolerable Acts. The British Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts, also known by the Coercive Acts, in spring 1774. There were five acts: the Boston Port Act. The Boston Tea Party’s response was the Boston Port Act. The Boston Harbor port was closed until the colonists paid East India for all the tea destroyed. Not only those responsible for the destruction of tea were held responsible, but also the entire Bostonian population. The Massachusetts Government Act made Massachusetts government more British-controlled. It also made it possible for towns to hold only one meeting per year. Also, the governor’s office and sheriffs were appointed by the governor and king instead of being elected. If the accused royal official didn’t believe he was being fair tried in Massachusetts, the Administration of Justice Act allowed him to transfer his trial to another colony or Great Britain. The act was not necessary for the fair trial of British soldiers, which most colonists believed. The Quartering Act (1774) allowed soldiers to be quartered anywhere, not just in people’s homes. It was not limited to Massachusetts, but it applied to all US colonies. Quebec Act established Canada’s permanent government to replace the temporary. It allowed French Canadians religious freedom and restored French civil rights. Although it did not relate to Boston events, it was considered one the Intolerable acts of the colonies. However, it helped launch the American Revolution. Twelve colonies responded in kind to the Intolerable Acts during the First Continental Congress held in Philadelphia in September-October 1774. They demanded a boycott against British goods. However, the colonies agreed not to meet again if Great Britain policy were not changed. Although they voted against imports from Great Britain, the delegates delayed voting on whether Great Britain should be allowed to export goods to Great Britain. The colonists hoped this would change Great Britain’s policies. Also, the delegates were able to get the Congress to approve the Suffolk Resolves. This would make the Coercive Acts unconstitutional. The delegates opposed the dissolution and retention of colonies’ colonial assemblies. The Congress defended colonial rights to “life and liberty” and stated that the powers of colonial legislatures were limited to making laws and passing taxes. It was subject to royal assent. The Congress was required to “invent its own purpose [because] it is a new organization” (Burnett 21). Finally, the British troops marched to Lexington & Concord. This marked the beginning of America’s Revolution. General Thomas Gage and British troops marched to Concord to seize weapons, arrest Samuel Adams, and John Hancock. Gage assembled 700 soldiers, and was ready for the march to [Lexington] or Concord. Gage didn’t want colonists to be armed against soldiers. Adams and Hancock escaped Lexington. At dawn, the British arrived in Lexington and discovered 70 militiamen en formation on the village green. Because of their outnumbered 10-1, the Americans did not plan to fight. British troops set fire to the remaining supplies found at Concord. Shots were also fired. The news spread quickly throughout the colonies. The American Revolution was initiated by the tax imposed on colonies in order to pay for French, Indian War. Although the British won the French and Indian War and forced colonists into paying taxes under the Sugar Act, which increased the tax on molasses, they were unable to stop them from winning the American Revolution. The boycott of British goods led to its failure. Other acts such as The Stamp and Quartering Act were created after the Sugar Act failed. They taxed all paper and forced troops into their homes to quarter them. These laws caused anger among colonists so they also failed. The Townshend Acts, Tea Act, as well as the Boston Tea Party, were all created to tax tea. Unfortunately, these laws caused anger among colonists, which resulted in the destruction or tea. The Boston Tea party responded by establishing the Intolerable Acts. They made it difficult for people to cover the tax on the tea-destroyed tea. The First Continental Congress was created by the colonists to put an end to the Intolerable Acts. Finally, the British began the war marching to Lexington, Concord and trying to arrest Samuel Adams or John Hancock. Because of their overwhelming numbers, the Americans had no plans to fight. The British opened fire on the colonists, which was followed by their response.
The American Revolution.
