The American Revolution (Essay Sample)

The American Revolution
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The American Revolution
Introduction
The American Revolution started after the French and Indian war. This war was triggered by the British government’s attempts to effect unfavorable policies on American colonies. The main cause of the war was the disagreement over the way Britain wanted to treat the colonies versus the way the colonies wanted to be treated. Americans felt that they deserved all rights enjoyed by the British. On the other hand, the British believed that the colonies existed to be used in a way that suited the Crown and the British parliament. This conflict and many others were the genesis of the revolution. The road to revolution was built slowly with time, eventually leading to victory for the colonists. The discussion will be on the major conflicts leading to the American Revolution.
Conflicts
The French and Indian war
The French and Indian war took place between 1754 and 1763 between the French and the British. Although the French were defeated, the British were left with a very huge debt, something that made them demand more revenues from the colonies. The colonies became less dependent on Britain for protection after the French were defeated (Wright 45). The war gave Britain a huge territory in North America. However, the disputes of subsequent frontier policies and the payment of war expenses led to discontent in colonies, eventually igniting the American Revolution.
The stamp Act
This was imposed by the British parliament in 1765. It was specifically meant for British American colonies, requiring all printed materials to be made on stamped paper produced in London. The tax was paid in British currency. The tax became very unpopular resulting in protest and demonstrations led by colonial merchants and landowners. British merchants and manufacturers were also opposed to the tax as their exports to the colonies were threatened. The protests and demonstrations played a huge role in defining grievances and organization of colonials’ resistance. This served as the impetus to the American Revolution (Middlekauff 27).
Boston massacre
The Boston massacre occurred in 1770 following tensions in American colonies caused by the presence of royal troops enforcing heavy taxation imposed by the Townsend act (Middlekauff 35). in March 1770, a group of colonists tormented British soldiers, something that led to escalation of hostilities. Consequently, clashes erupted resulting in the deaths of five people and several injuries.
Townsend Act
The Townsend act was enacted in 1767 by the British parliament to assert its authority over her colonies. The act intended to make Governors and officials independent from colonial legislative authority. The Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Townsend sponsored the act. The act met widespread opposition as colonists saw it as a threat to their right to govern themselves. Consequently, it caused devastating effects on the relationship between colonists and the British government. Meanwhile, colonists continued with the argument that there should be no tax without representation while agitating for more political independent (Middlekauff 46).
Tea Act
This act was enacted to help failing British India Company by giving it a monopoly to trade tea in America. Colonists protested by dumping a load of company tea from a ship into the sea (Boston tea party in September 1773). The British government reacted with harsh measures to scuffle the resistance to its rule. As a result, a war erupted after two years.
Sugar Act
The Sugar act was passed in 1764 increasing duties on imported sugar from the West Indies. The British did this because they needed more revenue to provide more security to their colonies (Wright 105).The act also intended to force colonists to sell their goods to the British and not to other countries. The act made the colonists very upset because they could not sell their goods as much as they wanted. Consequently, some leaders opted to boycott buying British goods. They managed to influence other people who came together to unanimously opposed the sugar act.
Currency Act
In 1764, the British parliament argued that colonial currency had caused devaluation that affected British trade. American assemblies were banned from issuing paper and credit bills. This was achieved through the passing of the currency act after the end of the French and Indian war. The British government intended t...