Lexington. These gunshots were the opening shots of the famous American Revolution. England
had been situated in the Americas for over a hundred and fifty years and had maintained a
dominant establishment. So why was there a revolution? There were multiple causes of the
American Revolution; however, a primary reason for the revolution was for economic self-
interest.
Leading up to the American Revolution, there were plenty of occasions were England
provoked the Colonies. The beginning of economic despair for the colonies, started with the
Navigation Acts. These acts restricted colonial trade and secured all profit mostly for England
itself. …show more content…
This act required the halt of all circulating paper money and the issuing of new
money. One of the most upsetting acts to the colonies was the Stamp Act. This act put a tax on
all legal documents, and the colonists viewed this as a direct attempt to raise revenue without
colonial consent. The colonists pushed for independence, because England was not allowing
colonial economies to flourish. The colonists felt the acts to be “taxation without representation.”
The Prohibitory Act was appointed to make the colonies incapable of operating, by shutting
down all ports, and bringing an end to trade with all countries. These act left the colonist angry
and sparked ideas of a revolution.
Although the Revolution may have rooted in economic self interest, there were other
aspects as well. Militarily, the colonist first dealt with the Mutiny Act of 1765, which required all
colonists to assist in provisioning and maintaining the army. The colonist had to provide quarters
and supplies for British troops. Apart from military aspects, the Age of Enlightenment brought
about ideas of freedom. Along with England’s halfhearted governing from across the ocean,