Revolution: Causes And Effects Of The American Revolution

The American Revolution was an upheaval that took place between 1765 and 1783. The thirteen colonies wanted to be separated from the British Empire, but the King was not to keen on this idea. There were many causes for this: French and Indian War, Stamp Act, Townshend Act, and more. These things brought about effects: Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, Bill of Rights, and eventually, FREEDOM!

The French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Year War in Europe, was fought because both the French and British had tried to claim the Ohio River Valley. Despite its European name, the war lasted nine years, not seven. The Ohio River Valley was a point of interest because it would be a good place to trade, especially fur products.
Most of the conflicts for this territory were fought along the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. The British won this battle and the French had lost all territory east of the Mississippi River. Britain then taxed the colonies to regain the money they had lost. This tax, the final result of the French and Indian War, led to the Stamp Act.

The 1765 Stamp Act, passed on March 22nd, required Americans to buy tax stamps for any document; this included newspapers, legal documents, marriage licenses, and more. Then on the 24th, Parliament passed the Quartering Act. This Act required Americans to provide housing and provisions for the British Soldiers. The colonists didn’t like this so they rebelled and terrorized the British tax collectors. The French and Indian War was extremely expensive. So expensive that it nearly bankrupted Parliament when it was trying to pay for fighting the overseas war. They passed the Sugar Act in 1764 which put a tax on things like sugar, molasses, textiles, coffee, and indigo. This tax was enforced and the accused smugglers were prosecuted. The colonists were enraged by the Sugar Act. No taxation without representation. The colonists thought they should not be taxed unless they had elected representatives in Parliament.

Next, was the Townshend Act of 1767. They had removed the Stamp Act but were still short on money from the French and Indian War. The Townshend Act allowed Parliament to put taxes on popular goods: glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. Tensions were rising. More British soldiers were sent into Boston to prevent an uprising, though many soldiers were pulled from America. The burden of the soldiers left in America were put on the colonies and they had to accommodate the soldiers. Massachusetts General Court opposed Britain by boycotting British goods. The Royals in America were angered by this and order the Massachusetts General Court to be dissolved. The governor of Massachusetts, Francis Bernard, sent a secret message to Parliament, telling them to send troops to Boston from Halifax. In 1768, two regiments of an infantry, 600 soldiers in total, was sent to Boston to help restore order. Colonial militia groups began to unite and an uprising seemed likely. Nothing happened for a while, though the colonists continued to boycott the British goods and the soldiers continued to patrol the streets.

The tension in Boston grew worse by the day.
Skirmishes increased in frequency, as did belligerence and rumors of attack by soldiers. On March 5, 1770, a patriot began harassing a redcoat by the name of John Goldfinch. Another redcoat, Hugh White, joined Goldfinch to defend him. Hugh White became agitated and struck out, hitting the patriot in the face with his musket. The patriot cried out in pain and attracted a mob of fifty or so people. Goldfinch retreated to a nearby house and pointed his musket towards the crowd. The mob got violent, throwing chunks of ice at White and shouting “Kill him!” Other mobs were forming on the streets of Boston, attack other redcoats with the chunks of ice. The redcoat officers around the areas order their soldiers to return to the barracks and several soldiers had to be subdued by officers to prevent them from firing into the crowds. The mob around White only grew though, until he was surrounded by over 400 angry citizens. Reinforcements came to help and they tried to get away from the crowd, but their path was blocked by the mob of patriots. When asked to disperse, the mob only responded with more insults and ice chunks. The mob challenged the soldiers, daring them to fire. The mob continued to grow more and more violent, lashing out at the soldiers weapons with clubs. Despite trying to avoid bloodshed, the patriots were getting out of hand. Then, some in the crowd threw a club at a soldier and knocked him to the ground. He rose, and fired
into the crowd. The shots triggered the mob and they lunged at the soldiers. Chaotic battle ensued. The soldiers shot into the crowd to avoid being beaten and eventually the mob dispersed. When it did, several patriot bodies, dead and wounded, lay on the ground. Later the soldiers who had been attacked were arrested and accused of murder! But since they had only shot in self-defense, they were almost all acquitted. In addition, the Townshend Act was repealed, as was all taxes except for the one on tea. The push for independence seemed to fizzle.

The peace did not last long.
Sons of Liberty still did not want Parliament to have power over them and the tax on tea only became more and more irritating. In 1773, Parliament authorized the Tea Act, which granted the East India company a monopoly over American tea trade. This decreased the price of tea, but it made America realize that parliament was regulating American trade and had the power to interfere in American business at any time. Public protests of the Tea Act quickly spread through the colonies. Several ships carrying tea returned to England without unloading because they feared revolt. On December 16, 1773, the Sons of Liberty, led by Samuel Adams, showed how they felt about the Tea Act. They boarded a ship, dressed as Indians, and dumped all of the tea into the water. This is known as the Boston Tea Party. Of course, Britain could not have this. They passed laws to punish the Americans: The Coercive Acts, The Administration of Justice Act, Massachusetts Government Act, Quartering Act, and the Quebec Act. The Coercive Acts closed the harbor to all until the tea they had dumped was paid for. The Administration Act required transfer of all royal officials charged as criminals in America to courts in Great Britain. The Massachusetts Government Act ended self-rule in the colonies and made all elected officers in America subject to British appointment. The Quartering Act was simply a new version of the old quartering act. Lastly, The Quebec Act extended the Canadian
border into the Ohio River Valley and eliminated lands that had been claimed by Massachusetts, Virginia, and Connecticut. These acts were called the Intolerable Acts and resulted in the Formation of the Continental Congress. The Continental Congress was formed to draw consensus within each colony for action against the growing threat of British attack.

The colonies were tired of Britain and they wanted to be their own. The Declaration of Independence was just what they needed. This document explained why the colonies had decided to split from Great Britain. The war had already begun and major battles had already taken place. The colonies had already cut most of their ties to England, and they had established their own congress. On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee said that the United States should be free of England for good. The Congress agreed and they began the formal declaration of independence.

At the Battle of Yorktown, General Cornwallis had to surrender eight thousand troops. The war was essentially over. Because of how long it took for messages to reach everywhere, though, skirmishes continued through most of 1783 and 1783. In Great Britain, the war was a burden. The war was formally over in 1783 and the new nation was recognized by the signing of the Treaty of Paris.