War for Independence
Waging War for Independence (1764 – 1783)
Stephanie Maharaj
History 1301
Antrece Baggett
October 12, 2012
The thirteen colonies moved from peaceful resistance to outright war against the British government’s “reform” programs of new taxes and regulations during the period of (1764-1783). These new programs had a significant impact on the people of the colonies, and caused a great uproar. Protests broke out, and eventually the American Revolution came into the picture. I will explain some of the reasons colonists rebelled against the new reform programs, the roles African Americans played during the American Revolution, how the patriots achieved the unity needed to wage the War for Independence, and the impact the American Revolution had on the Native Americans. First, I will start with the opposition the colonists had when it came to the Sugar, Currency, and Stamp Acts. Unlike the Molasses Act which benefited the people of the colonies, the new acts imposed on them were just a burden and quite unfair. The Sugar Act came about during the time that George Grenville was appointed as first minister. His responsibility was to solve the debt crisis they were facing. Since the British at home were highly taxed, Grenville’s solution was to tax the Americans since he felt they benefited from the war. Needless to say, the Sugar Act was primarily to raise revenue rather than regulate trade. The Sugar Act eliminated the sugar trade between the Continental colonies and the French and Spanish. This angered the colonists along with the newly added Currency Act which forbade the colonies from issuing paper money, thus creating a shortage of currency. Next came the Stamp Act which provoked an even greater storm of protest. The law departed entirely from the confines of mercantilist policy. Parliament just wanted to raise internal revenue so that they could use that money to pay troops in the colonies. The colonists were extremely infuriated because for them this meant
Stephanie Maharaj
History 1301
Antrece Baggett
October 12, 2012
The thirteen colonies moved from peaceful resistance to outright war against the British government’s “reform” programs of new taxes and regulations during the period of (1764-1783). These new programs had a significant impact on the people of the colonies, and caused a great uproar. Protests broke out, and eventually the American Revolution came into the picture. I will explain some of the reasons colonists rebelled against the new reform programs, the roles African Americans played during the American Revolution, how the patriots achieved the unity needed to wage the War for Independence, and the impact the American Revolution had on the Native Americans. First, I will start with the opposition the colonists had when it came to the Sugar, Currency, and Stamp Acts. Unlike the Molasses Act which benefited the people of the colonies, the new acts imposed on them were just a burden and quite unfair. The Sugar Act came about during the time that George Grenville was appointed as first minister. His responsibility was to solve the debt crisis they were facing. Since the British at home were highly taxed, Grenville’s solution was to tax the Americans since he felt they benefited from the war. Needless to say, the Sugar Act was primarily to raise revenue rather than regulate trade. The Sugar Act eliminated the sugar trade between the Continental colonies and the French and Spanish. This angered the colonists along with the newly added Currency Act which forbade the colonies from issuing paper money, thus creating a shortage of currency. Next came the Stamp Act which provoked an even greater storm of protest. The law departed entirely from the confines of mercantilist policy. Parliament just wanted to raise internal revenue so that they could use that money to pay troops in the colonies. The colonists were extremely infuriated because for them this meant
Cited: Edward Ayers, Lewis Gould, David Oshinsky, and Jean Soderlund. “American Passages 4th Edition : A History of the United States. No. 4 (2009): 1-170