Summary:
Harsh rules, acts, and actions on Great Britain's part led the American colonists to feel violated and angered. Continued enforcement of freedom-tightening regulations against the colonists led to boycotts and various rebellions against the king and Parliament. The growth of the colonies' political and economic strength, along with the Britain's unwillingness to respond to the boycotts, made the Revolutionary War inevitable.
Due to harsh rules, law acts and actions on Britain's part, the American
colonists felt violated and angered. The king kept enforcing more regulations on the
colonists, tightening their freedom. This soon turned into boycotts and different
rebellions against the king. When the king refused to cooperate or respond, war was all
that was left.
From the beginning of British settlement in America, the colonists had largely
governed and taxed themselves. Following 1763, the relationship of the British and the
American colonists weakened. The year 1763 marked the end of the seven-year war
between England and France. This war was fought in many places around the world as
France an England battled for control of valuable colonies.
Britain emerged victoriously from the war but in serious debt. The English
Parliament believed the colonists should help to pay for the costs of the
war.(Document1)The Parliament in London began to pass special tax laws for the
colonists. These taxes were designed to reduce the English debt and to help pay for the
British soldiers stationed in America. For example, the Stamp Act, a tax on all legal
documents and newspapers, was passed along with the Townshend Act. The
Townshend Act placed duties on tea, paper, glass, and printers' colors. The Act
resulted in an economic boycott followed by violence in which four Bostonians were
killed in March 1770 by British soldiers. The reaction to the "Boston Massacre"
caused Parliament to repeal the duties except those on tea. (Document 3) However,
though this act was repealed, new ones were enforced. With the new ones passed, the
government not only used the tax money to repay the debt but to keep for themselves
as well. (Document 2)
Economic grievances resulted from the acts. The acts injured the colonies,
especially the navigation acts. The committees set up by Britain were designed to raise
revenues for defense of the empire and stop smuggling which had become highly
profitable to American merchants. They also required all duty payments in species,
gold or silver currency. Since the colonies imported far more than they exported, and
were required to pay for the import of manufactured goods in species, the new duties
exacerbated an already serious problem. In 1764 Parliament prohibited the issuing of
colonial paper money. That same year the Sugar Act was passed which decreased the
customs duty but increased the efficiency of the collection on which items as sugar,
wine, coffee, silk, and molasses.
A fundamental theoretical disagreement over the power of Parliament led to
war. Parliament maintained that all the colonies were subject to its decisions and laws.
It declared that it can make laws in all cases just to keep Britain and their colonies
together. This was forcing the colonists to accept all that was said and not have a
chance to protest since they had no representation in Parliament. ( Document 5) Once
such example of such actions was the set up of committees to search whatever they
wanted if they suspected unlawful behavior. (Document 4) Therefore, the colonies said
that the king alone had the authority and could get money only by asking for it from
the colonies themselves. As the colonies grew in political and economic strength they
became more and more opposed to regulation from England.
The American colonists were through with tyranny. Therefore on July 4, 1776,
they adopted the Declaration of Independence. In it, they rejected the idea of a king as
well as any other form of oppression and unjust rule. (Document 7)
Many different actions on the part of England as a whole causes the colonists to
feel angered and ready to separate from the mother country. Though different
measures could have been taken, Britain's refusal cooperation led to the only thing
left-war.
This is the complete article, containing 623 words
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