Causes of the American
Revolution
French & Indian War 1754-1763
Following the British victory in the French
and Indian War a series of problems
arose that eventually led to the American
Revolution. The biggest contributor was
the large amount of debt that was
accumulated during the war. Many
people in England felt that the colonies
should help repay this debt through new
taxes.
The Tea Act 1773
The Tea Act was passed for two reasons (1) to
help the struggling British East India Company
and (2) to convince the colonists to pay the tax
on tea created by the Townshend Act.
Parliament hoped to accomplish it's first goal by
giving the East India Company a monopoly on
the tea Industry. This meant the East Indian
company would control all aspects of the
British tea trade. Parliament planned to
accomplish it's second goal by eliminating the
tax charged to shipments leaving England.
This would lower taxes for America and
hopefully convince the colonists to pay the tax
on tea without complaint.
The Boston Tea Party 1773
The Tea Act went over poorly in the colonies. The fact
that the East India Company now had a monopoly on the
tea industry meant that many American merchants would
lose money. Sam Adams and John Hancock, both
merchants, used their wealth and influence to convince
others to protest the act. This was easy to do because
many Americans already mistrusted Parliament plus
there was an important principle involved. If the colonists
agreed to the Tea Act it would prove that they were
indeed under the control of Parliament. When the first
shipment of tea from the East India Company was
docked in Boston Harbor the Sons of Liberty boarded the
ship and dumped the tea overboard. Most people in
Boston condemned the actions of Sons of Liberty.
Boycotting goods is one thing but the destruction of
property was not acceptable to most Bostonians.
Proclamation Line of 1763
After the French and Indian war the
colonies began to argue over who
would control the Ohio Valley. In order
to prevent these disputes from turning
into a civil war the British decided to
make the Ohio Valley off limits until a
final decision could be made. Until then
an imaginary line was drawn along the
Appalachian Mountains known as the
Proclamation Line. No colony could
claim land west of this line.
Sugar Act 1764
The first of a series of taxes
placed on the colonies to
help repay the debt
accumulated during the
French and Indian War.
Although many colonists
were unhappy about the tax
most agreed to pay it.
The Boston Massacre 1770
Following repeated boycotts and protests by the Sons of Liberty British
soldiers were sent to Boston to preserve order. Most people in Boston
did not hesitate to show their dislike for the soldiers. The night of the
Boston Massacre an angry crowd began throwing snowballs and rocks at
a group of soldiers guarding the customs house. This quickly escalated
to violence when one of the protesters reached for a British musket. The
musket went off prompting the other uneasy soldiers to fire. Five men
were killed during the incident and six were wounded. The incident was
widely publicized by the Sons of Liberty using propaganda to draw
support for independence. The soldiers were forced to stand trial and
surprisingly a well known patriot, John Adams, defended them to ensure
a fair trial. Following the Boston Massacre all British soldiers were
removed from Boston in the hope of preventing further violence.
Coercive (Intolerable) Acts 1774
Despite the negative reaction by
most colonists to the Boston Tea
Party Parliament passed a new
set of laws which punished all the
citizens of Boston. The acts were
meant to force Massachusetts to
pay for the damaged tea and
restore order in the city. The
Boston Harbor was closed and
soldiers once again returned to
Boston. Everyone in Boston was
being punished for the actions of
a few. These acts were so
unpopular that they were
nicknamed the "Intolerable Acts."
The Stamp Act 1765
Following the success of the
Sugar Act a new tax was
imposed on all printed materials
known as the Stamp Act. The
Stamp Act was incredibly
unpopular and many colonist
began to boycott all printed
materials. Due to the widespread
protest Great Britain eventually
repealed the Stamp Act.
The Son's of Liberty 1765
A group of patriots that band
together to protest the Stamp Act.
This group was founded by a
Boston revolutionary named Sam
Adams. They believed Great
Britain did not have the right to
tax them because the colonies
didn't have a representative in
parliament. No Taxation without
representation!
The Townshend Act 1767
Following the repeal of the Stamp
Act a new Prime Minister was
chosen named Charles Townshend.
Townshend decided to tax the
colonies indirectly by raising taxes
on imports. These taxes would be
collected from shippers and paid by
consumers in the form of higher
prices. In protest the Sons of Liberty
led a boycott against all British
made goods.
Declaration Act 1765
Following the repeal of the Stamp
Act the British didn't want to seem
weak. As a result they made a
statement of power claiming that
parliament represented all English
citizens and had the power to
make any law that it wanted. This
statement was viewed as a
challenge by some Americans
who were determined to prove the
statement incorrect.
First Continental Congress 1774
Once again Parliament misread the
situation. The Prime Minster at the time
Lord North believed the competitive
colonies would take advantage of the
sanctions leveed against Boston. He
couldn't have been more wrong. The other
colonies denounced the "Intolerable Acts"
and for the first time a meeting was held
in Philadelphia with representatives from
every colony except Georgia. The
"Continental Congress" as it came to be
known took a firm stance against the
attempts by the British to tax the colonies.
They were not ready for Independence yet
but they sent a stern warning to
Parliament demanding change. They
vowed to meet again in one year if their
demands had not been met.
Lexington & Concord 1775
In Boston, British General Gage was keeping firm order but outside
the city groups of men calling themselves patriots began to form
local militias. The men were called minute men vowing to be ready
to fight in a minute's notice. The men began to gather supplies and
drill in preparation for a fight. Parliament believed a simple show of
force would bring the colonies back in line. General Gage sent 700
soldiers to seize a supply of weapons gather in Concord, a small
town outside Boston, on their way they could also arrest Patriot
leaders Sam Adams and John Hancock. Paul Revere and William
Dawes rode ahead of the British to warn the citizens of Lexington.
Revere and Dawes reached Lexington in time to warn Adams and
Hancock but were captured by a British Patrol. A third rider named
Samuel Prescott, who had joined them in Lexington, rode on to warn
the citizens of Concord. When the redcoats reached Lexington they
clashed with a group of minute men and the first shots of the war
were fired. The British marched on to Concord were they were met
by fierce resistance and forced to retreat. On their retreat the
redcoats were harassed by colonial snipers hidden along the
roadside. This clash marks the start of the American Revolution.