Blog #122 – What was the most important cause of the American Revolution?
Historians have been debating this idea – the primary cause of the American Revolution – pretty much ever since it occurred over 200 years ago. Your job: read over the three main causes argued over by historians, and in your own words, explain which one is the most convincing.
Economic: In examining the economic causes, historians have pointed to the damaging effects of the new emphasis that the British put on organizing their empire along mercantilist philosophies – meaning that the colonies exist only for the enrichment of the mother country and not for themselves. Because of salutary neglect, the American colonies had been used to running things on their own – defying the Navigation Acts, printing their own money, paying very few taxes (26 to 1) – for almost 150 years. These Navigation Acts and other laws prevented American colonists from competing with British goods on the same playing field – American goods were taxed at a higher rate than British goods (don’t forget the Hat Act of 1700). After King George’s War in 1748, and especially after the French and Indian War (1754-1763), the British began to flex their economic muscle to squeeze more money from the colonists through things like the Sugar Act and the Townsend Acts. One of the things that was growing by 1770 was intra-colonial trade which accounted for almost 20% of the goods shipped out of New York (these things shipped to other American colonies included rum, manufactured products, refined sugar, and food). Britain appeared to want to limit this trade as well, b/c it didn’t enrich the home country.
– Post French and Indian War acts like the Sugar, Stamp, Townsend, and Tea acts all appared to limit o
r cut out colonial businessmen. For instance, the Sugar Act raised prices on refined sugar which was used in the production of rum, 60% of which went to the colonies or West Indies. Under the Townsend Acts, the new Board of Commons in Boston virtually put an end to smuggling, so struggling merchants organized a boycott movement in 1768. Merchants from Philadelphia and New York joined the non-importation movement in addition to some southern colonies.
– Also, we mentioned that the colonists were cash-strapped / poor because they paid for English goods with gold and silver, so that states resorted to printing their own paper money. In fact, many merchants and upper class folks were in debt to English merchants, and with the Parliament taxing or limiting colonists’ work, they had a difficult time paying their debts.
Social / Cultural: For social reasons, while the economy grew rapidly, not everyone was sharing in its bounty. In the 1770s, the top 20% of the population owned about two thirds of the colonies’ wealth, while the bottom 20% owned only 1%. Indentured servants made up part of that bottom 20% and were more often landless workers either finding jobs as tenant farmers or factory workers in the cities. These workers were not happy with the state of things and had hoped to get better farm land from the eastern, more populous side of their colony but were shut out. So they had to move west into the frontier to find arable (farming) land. Since there was little land available, many of these would-be farmers moved to the cities looking for work. In Boston, these unemployed workers vented their grievances at town hall meetings and were able by sheer numbers to out vote the “Gentlemen, Merchants, Substantial Traders and all the better part of the Inhabitants” (Zinn 60). Historian Howard Zinn stated that men like James Otis and Sam Adams used this lower-class resentment to fuel a revolutionary fire against the British and upper class politicians beginning in the early 1760s. In other cities, working class men demanded open meetings and roll-call votes to find out how their representatives were voting to make sure that their demands were being met. There was a full-blown class warfare, it seems, between those who were associated with the British (usually upper class) and the middle and working classes (pro-colonies). The British soldiers located in Boston may have inadvertantly sparked the Boston Massacre b/c they were competing with unemployed colonists for jobs (apparently the British military pay wasn’t great and there was lots of spare time). But, the passions of the poor and middle class were apparently greater than the wealthy colonists like Adams and Otis who tried to control them, because marches and protests would often get violent and potentially bloody. Men like Adams and Otis who tried to utilize the poor’s anger against the pro-British rich only seemed to pour gasoline on smoldering embers. 
– Even in the countryside, rebellions were popping up led by the poor against the wealthy. The Paxton Boys of western Pennsylvania marched on the capitol in 1763, Philadelphia, to air their grievances, were prepared to torch the city, and did not leave until they were calmed down by Ben Franklin himself. In 1771, North Carolina’s Regulators were white farmers and tenant farmers who had organized against “wealthy and corrupt officials” and wanted to “democratize local government in their counties” (Zinn 63). The Regulators hated the existing tax system and blamed the rich for its structure. This turned into a full pitched battle in May 1771 when the state militia defeated several thousand Regulators, after which six Regulators were hanged for treason.
– Though this may seem like an economic argument between the haves and the have-nots, it really focused on the lack of opportunity that new immigrants sought and natural-born colonists had sought since they’d been born here. The massive gap between the rich and poor may have contributed to this, but so did the lack of political representation for the poor.
Political: The biggest argument here revolves around “no taxation without representation”. In much of the colonists’ writings from this time period, that the colonists felt that Parliament’s taxation was unconstitutional b/c the colonists had no representation in Parliament. Also, in the Stamp Act document (and subsequent pamphlets and speeches), the Stamp Act Congress reasserted their own rights as Englishmen even though they didn’t live within Great Britain – the right to trial by jury, right to representative democracy, and other such liberties and rights. The taxes themselves were not very great (and by comparison to the British people themselves), but many, including Samuel Adams, felt that these taxes were but a slippery slope on which more burdensome laws would pour down upon the colonists. 
– The Quebec Act, in 1774, was seen as another slippery slope law. Though Parliament was well-intentioned with this law, it preserved the French Canadians their right to practice their religion and other rights that they had been accustomed to. However, the right to trial by jury was not one of those rights, and the American colonists saw the Quebec Act as fencing them in with Catholics, and felt that their right to a trial was in jeopardy.
– Enlightenment ideas, like those of John Locke’s natural rights and social compact, began to filter over to the colonies. A new attitude towards government emerged, one that any government was formed by the people who were ruled by it, and that the government got its power from those same people. John Locke’s idea about an abusive government that can be removed from power by the people was one that was adopted by Thomas Jefferson and others. Also, Locke’s idea on natural rights was well-received by the colonists and was enshrined in the Declaration of Independence.
The American Revolution was mostly inspired by the British’s internal politics, the laws passed in an effort to stall the affect of staggering war debt, and the actions of political movements like the Sons and Daughters of Liberty.
The British government had gone through a lot of change since they overthrew the more continental European absolute monarchy, and ushered in a new era of constitutional monarchy. After the revolution was done, they fought a series of three minor wars with the French and then fought the World War before the World Wars that was the Seven Years War, and came out on top. After the war was over, Britain had to make a choice. There were two major points of view on what Britain should colonize next. People like Benjamin Franklin thought that owning land for land’s sake would work out better, while other people thought that land was only useful for economic benefit. The British had to choose Guadeloupe, the French’s most profitable part of the Sugar Islands, or the entirety of French Canada. Considering which country has had English as a primary language for a while, it’s easy to see which side of British politics won that particular fight. Getting back on track, these somewhat internal squabbles, and the fact that at least four different Prime Ministers tried to tax the Americans, is an important factor to the Revolution.
Another political factor in the Revolution was all the taxes and laws passed in the time period between 1763 and 1774. In that time span, Britain passed 13 different laws to regulate the colonies, if you count all the Townshend duties as one law. Even if around 1/4 of the acts got repealed later on down the road, all that money sunk into some of the most random things can stack up to a lot. On top of all of this, the Sons of Liberty and other groups provoked outrage among the regular citizens of the colonies.
Finally, political groups such as the Sons and Daughters of Liberty have very deep ties to politics. Events such as the Boston Tea Party and blowing the Boston Massacre way out of proportion can be attributed to these country-spanning groups. They were also very influential in their communities, as evidenced by how well all those boycotts turned out. They also popularized the “No Taxation Without Representation” mantra, and revived “Join or Die” because copyright doesn’t exist. There might have been some Sons of Liberty involvement in the crowd in Boston on March 5, 1770, provoking the British soldiers to firing on the crowd.
Taking all of these things into consideration, the American Revolution, which could be somewhat economically motivated was absolutely a political revolt.
The primary cause of the American Revolution was economical. The British would punish the Colonies by placing taxes and enforcing laws. Not only would they place taxes on colonies but also their people. Following the Seven Years’ War, Britain was in huge debt and had to make the money back. Britain needed to fix their economical failure and this was their only way to do so. The British realized how wealthy the colonists were compared to the British citizens so they decided to place harsh taxes. The colonists did not respond well and the American Revolution started to spark.
One of the first Acts after the French and Indian War, the Sugar Act, was an economical cause that was a tax placed on sugar. This Act was not directly on the colonists. The British placed this tax on sugar knowing that it is a highly used product by the colonists to make molasses for rum. This Act indirectly taxed the colonies and was an unfair Act.
Also the Townshend Acts occurred following the Sugar Acts. The Townshend Acts put an end to smuggling. Once this happened, merchants in the colonies started to struggle. So they organized a boycott movement in 1768. Merchants from Philadelphia and New York joined the non-importation movement. This was an important movement to stop imports to keep the merchants from the colonies in business.
Lastly, the merchants in the colonies became poor because they paid for English goods with gold and silver, while the colonies stuck with making their paper money which was not good in Britain. There was no good exchange rate with paper money with gold and silver. Which resulted in many merchants from the colonies in major debt. It was difficult for them to get out of that debt because the Parliament taxed and limited colonists to work, so it was hard to make their money back from their debt. The colonists were set up for failure which caused them to revolt.
Some people may argue that the American Revolution was a political revolt due to the colonists needing representation in the parliament. Although, the colonists would not worry about representation if it was not for the colonists being brutally taxed by the British. Which is why it was mainly an economic cause and started as an economic issue.
I believe that the most important cause of the American Revolution was economic. One of the most important reasons behind my opinion is all the taxes and acts made after the Seven Years War. After the Seven Years War, Great Britain was deep in war debt and in desperate need for money. So the government decided to “take the easy way out” and taxed the colonists. Great Britain believed that acts like the Sugar, Stamp, Townsend, and Tea acts were all good ways to get the money they needed. Because of all of these decisions, as soon as the people in the colonies got the news about all of the taxes Great Britain put on them, they got mad at the government. The angered colonists, in my opinion slightly overreacted to Great Britain’s decision. In the big picture, many of the taxes and acts didn’t really change a lot about the colonist’s economy and some even had good intentions.
Although the people living in Britain were getting taxed much more than the colonists, they were still very mad. The colonists believed the taxes were to establish more power and thought it was “taxation without representation”
Regardless, the colonists decided to rebel, boycott and make their own goods when they could. For example, one of the most famous protests was the Boston Tea Party. Colonists didn’t agree with the Tea Act and believed it to be “taxation without representation”. They decided to sneak onto ships full of tea coming from Great Britain and threw the cargo overboard.
Although they could have easily remained calm and saw that not a lot would truly change in their economy, colonists still reacted negatively, which could be validated by the following reasons. As stated in the text, due to salutary neglect, the colonists had been used to running themselves and not having this many taxes. For example, they refused to comply with the Navigation Acts, they printed their own money, but most importantly, they paid very few taxes for almost 150 years.
Of course, there are reasons to back up the claims of the most important causes of the revolution being social/cultural or political, but the main reason, and also most obviously backed up is that the main cause was economic.
The primary cause of the Revolutionary War was the political side of the war. While the economic and social causes definitely contributed, they did not have the greatest impact on the war. Taxation without representation is known to be a very common phrase during the Colonial time, but it also had a huge impact on the Colonists decision to break free from Britain. Great Britain enforced many different tax laws such as the Stamp Act, Sugar Act, Townshend Acts, Tea Act, etc. But, not only was England taking the colonists money, they were doing so without the consent of the colonists or someone to represent and speak up for them. This is one of the reasons that the political causes weren’t as influential as the economic causes, it wasn’t the fact that Great Britain was taking their money, (although that had an effect also) it was the fact that they did it over and over again each time without consulting the colonists. By doing this the British were limiting the colonists’ freedom and turning them against the crown. Taxation without representation gave the colonists the push they needed to begin fighting back against the British.
Another reason the political causes of the Revolutionary War were more significant than the others were the ideas that John Locke created. He said things like people have the power to remove an abusive government, and that we were all born with natural rights. These ideas instilled a lot of confidence and self-worth in the colonists and appeared in the Revolution. The colonists could relate to John Locke’s ideas, they believed that Great Britain was abusing their power and Locke helped them to believe that they could do something about it. Without this reassurance and boost of confidence the colonists might not have fought back and been so determined to win their independence. John Locke’s theory of natural rights also made the colonists realize how much control Britain had over them. Hearing they had rights to life, liberty, and property encouraged the colonists to fight for these rights, (especially their freedom). Even after the Revolution John Locke’s ideas were still relevant, some of them like our natural rights were added to the Declaration of Independence to ensure that they would never be violated again.
During the Revolutionary War, the political causes such as taxation without representation and ideas from John Locke drove the colonists to fight for change and fight for their freedom.
The primary cause of the American Revolution was economic. The Sugar, Stamp, and Townshend Acts, the Currency Act and the Navigation Acts helped contribute to the colonist’s need for a revolt. These laws were an example of Great Britain using mercantilism or maxing their profits off the colonists. Great Britain saw the opportunity of the American colonies for money and power.
Next, the Nativagion Acts required colonists to trade only with English ships and to trade only from a list of approved goods. Navigation Acts were made to regulate, monopolize, and tax American trade. It was also made to pass all goods traded with other countries through English ports to be taxed. The navigation acts also helped prevent the making of a market in the colonies that the British could not supply regularly. The navigation acts caused resentment in the colonies and helped contribute to the anger of the colonists toward the British.
Parliament passed the Sugar Act of 1764. It was a tax by the British for the purpose of making money. Sugar was widely used to make rum (the American colonists loved their alcoholic drinks) and also made colonists angry. Next, In 1766 Charles Townshend assumed the position of Chancellor of the Exchequer. He strongly believed in the taxation of the colonists in which he created the Townshend Acts. The Townshend Acts were a series of laws passed by the British government on the American colonies in 1767. They place taxes on things like paper, paint, lead, glass, and tea. The colonists responded to thee Townshend acts with boycotts. The Tea Act gave the East Idina Tea Company a monopoly on tea sales to the colonies. Britan did this to try to lift the company out of its debt. It was because of the Tea Act that the Colonists participated in the Bosten Tea Party. The Bosten tea party was a protest by the Sons of Liberty. They dressed as Mohawk Indians and boarded three ships. They threw over 92,000 pounds of tea from the East India Tea Company into the Bosten Harbor. This was a major event that helped lead to the revolution.
The American Revolution was an economic revolt because of the mercantilist acts the British had opposed on them which helped sparked their anger toward the British.
American Revolution
After the Seven Years War, England suffered a great debt. In order for them to pay that debt back, they looked at the citizens to help pay for it. Americans looked the other way and chose not to help with that. British parliament imposed different acts that they believed American colonists would appreciate. Businessmen were affected by these acts. The sugar act not only raised the prices of sugar but, in the midst of it all, the parliament was trying to stop the smugglers from coming in. When they raised the prices of sugar, this slowed the production of rum, that limited the markets in which the colonies could sell to. This act strung along problems and the Currency Act began. The Currency Act would not allow the usage of paper money, they could only use gold and silver.
There are still political factors to the American Revolution. Colonists did not want to pay the tax because they weren’t being represented in Parliament. This is where the saying “No Taxation without Representation” came into play. Some of the Acts that were put into place were said to help the Americans. The Prime Minister of Britain, Lord North felt that the Americans would appreciate the new law because it would reduce the price of tea. Still, I don’t think that is a major factor in the cause of the revolution. I think the Americans had more freedom in the British.
The social factors of the revolution made the lower classes want to revolt. The people of the lower class were farmers or soon to be farmers. In order for them to farm, they of course need land. The higher class people owned two thirds of the colonies, which didn’t leave much for the lower class. The lower class people either worked as landless farmers or they’d find factory jobs in the city. It seems like this may look like a social situation between the upper and lower class, I think this is more so ties into the fact that without the proper amount of land or the proper job, these lower class workers couldn’t make enough money, somewhat like the colonists during the Sugar Act.
The primary cause of the American Revolution was economic. The main purpose of the American Colonies were to be taxed and used for getting raw materials for Great Britain. During the beginning of the colonies, the colonists were mostly running the colonies by themselves. Also the North American colonies were being taxed extremely less than the normal British citizen. Meaning that the colonists were not used to being taxed. There were a plethora of different acts that taxed the colonists. The Navigation Acts, didn’t allow competition between American goods and British goods. The American goods were being taxed at a higher rate than the Britich goods. That was before the French and Indian War, when Great Britain didn’t need as much money. After the French and Indian war, is when things really began to kick off. First Great Britain imposed the Sugar Act. The Sugar Act, it was an act that put a big tax on sugar and molasses. This irritated the colonists a lot, because they used molasses to brew rum. Now it is much more difficult to make American rum. In the 1770s the inter colonial trading market was booming with business, but being the greedy country that Great Britain was, they were wanted that growth to benefit Great Britain more than the American colonies. The Townshend Acts were another act that imposed a tax on paper, paint, lead, glass, and tea. The most well known act was the Tea Act of 1773. That act really made the colonists mad. The colonists liked tea, but they wanted a variety of tea, like dutch tea. The colonists couldn’t get different types of tea, but they could get taxed Britich tea. They were not very happy about only buying heavily taxed British Tea. It seemed the British like to tax tea. I almost forgot, the Quartering Act. The Quartering Act allowed Britich soldiers to be housed in colonists homes. The colonists also had to provide food. The colonists didn’t like this act because they were giving away food to the British soldiers with any compensation. All of these different acts made the colonists mad, first it started with boycotting British goods, then it lead to rioting, and then the American colonists had enough. They wanted to do it the colonists way, no more taxes being forced down upon them. They had a revolution, declared war on Great Britain, and fought to stop all the taxation. All in all, the American Revolution was fought because of all the taxation imposed on the American Colonies.
The American Revolution was the result of social unrest in the lower classes of America turning them against the upper crust of American society. While the American economy grew rapidly throughout the time period in which this unrest developed, the majority of that growth was channeled towards the upper 20% of America. This cashflow entirely avoided the lower 20% comprised of recent immigrants from Ireland and other such nations, those who simultaneously needed that growth the most, and those who were least accustomed to the status quo. As an example of this, the Paxton Boys were a Scots-Irish rebellion which threatened to torch an entire city should they not receive the supplies they needed. As an addition to this, the general attitude of even the middle classes was one which quickly flared up after such inciting incidents as the propagandized Boston Massacre.
Many others, however, believe that this Revolution started as a political movement, when, in fact, politics had very little to do with it. While it is claimed that the abusive acts of Britain were the cause of the American Revolution, the fact remains that most of Britain’s proclamations were entirely reasonable. The only reason which many of them, such as the Stamp Act, incited such furor, is the relative lack of voice which the lower classes had. These lower classes were only truly listened to in riots and protests, so when the Stamp Act began, it was the prospect of helplessness and an inability to escape the Act which prompted the riots. Clearly, while politics prompted some segment of the American Revolution, the social circumstances of the times were greatly entwined with the political causes of the Revolution.
Lastly, while economic reasons are tied in some ways to the social inequality of the times, they were not nearly as important in creating the Revolution as they first appear. Many historians point at such things as debt to the British, a forced currency of gold and silver, and restrictive tax laws as a reason for building resentment against Britain. However, the fact remains that many early colonists prospered in America, and perhaps the only reason which the next generation of immigrants failed is the oppression of those who had grown to occupy the upper classes of America. While the Sugar Act was impressive, it mainly influenced those wealthy enough to invest in merchant ships. This would not affect the lower classes, yet those classes still continued to degenerate. Clearly, it was more social oppression than economic depression which caused the British resentment building up to the American Revolution.
The primary cause for The American Revolution was social and cultural reasons. The American Revolution was an outcome of the poor against the wealthy, and how the lower class and middle class felt they were treated compared to the upper class and how they were treated. The lower twenty percent of the population in the colonies were mostly workers who couldn’t afford land or there was none available to buy. The top twenty percent of the population owned land and two thirds of the colonies wealth. When the lower class had trouble finding land to buy in the West they moved to cities, like Boston, to find work. This sparked tension between the lower and upper class after the lower class started to state their outrage. The upper class was highly associated with the British, which angered the middle class and lower class who were both pro colonies. Rebellions, marches, and protests were all led by the poor against the wealthy and the British. The protests showed the lower classes feelings about the wealthy and how they were angry at the British. Due to how easy lives were for the rich, the lower classes came to despise them and the British for taking away so much land and trying to take their jobs. When the British tried to compete for jobs in Boston that the lower classes wanted, it accidentally set up the Boston Massacre. Social and cultural reasons are the main cause of The American Revolution because the lower classes anger towards the upper class and the British, started creating the tension that would eventually lead to the war. Economic reasons are not the main cause of the revolution because, while the taxes did play an important part in starting the war, when the taxes are looked at from different social standings instead of the entire colonies, why people responded in the way they did can make more sense. The primary cause is not political, because while important “taxation without representation” would not cause enough tension between the British and the colonies to start a war or ideas of war.
Looking through all the probable causes of the American Revolution, the one that had the most effect is the economic causes that were put on the colonists. After Great Britain took the victory of the Seven Years’ War the problems were no longer about trying to win a war but trying to pay back the debt they were deeply in from the war. The colonists who did fight and contribute to the war felt as if they had helped their mother country win, but that was unlike the people in Great Britain. They felt as if they fought to protect the colonies and the colonists barely did anything to help in the war. They felt as if they needed to be the ones to help pay the debt.
From basically being neglected by the mother country the only times when Great Britain paid attention was when in the need for their money. They American Colonies were basically a big piggy bank meant for the mother country. For example to help pay for war debt Great Britain made many acts to put on their beloved colonies. The Sugar Act for instance caused a raise in the prices of sugar which many of the colonists used for the creation of rum. The Stamp Act was also a serious tax that was made for almost everyone. The Stamp Act caused the colonies to be taxed for printed paper, documents, ship’s papers, licenses, and even playing cards. Even though the tax on these things were small, colonists started getting the hint that they were being taken advantage of.
From all these causes I stick to believe that economic causes had more of an effect to cause the American Revolution although many of the other probable causes do have a point. For instance the political reasons that could have caused the war like “no taxation without representation.” Which was one of the main points the colonists had since they felt that the taxation was allowed since they had no representation from parliament. Although this gives a good point in the political side, it’s the economic causes that caused this. There were also enlightenment ideas that people felt caused the American Revolution. For instance John Locke’s ideas of social compact and natural rights which many colonists began to hear of. Soon colonists felt as if the government was made by the people and given power by the people. Although this did have an affect on the colonists, I don’t feel that it made such an impact to cause a war. Ideas do get spread and people do act on it, but the economic pressure colonists we put under probably gave them a reason to want a change in government to fix the corrupt system.
I believe that the political argument is the most convincing because it talked about how the people felt in the colonies. The people felt that taxation without representation was unjust because they were getting taxed for no reason. The Stamp Act was the first direct tax on the colonies. The colonies did not take to the tax kindly. The Sons of Liberty started in New York and went to the houses of the stamp collectors and stole all of the stamps and ransacked the entire house. The Tea Act did not fare any better it was worse. The Sons of Liberty in Boston Massachusetts boarded three British ships full of tea dressed as Indians. The Sons of Liberty proceeded to then dump all of the tea that is roughly one million dollars in today’s money into the Boston harbor. The British were furious and then made the Coercive or The Intolerable Acts. This was the most frustrating thing that the British had put the colonies threw yet. The British made Boston pay all the money back and until that happened they shut down Boston Harbor. The British Government took away the Massachusetts legislature and put a new quartering act into place. The biggest act was the Administration of Justice act which had any British official that had committed a crime in the colonies was tried in Britain by a sympathetic British judge. The rest of the colonies saw what would happen to them if they did the same. The other colonies helped Boston by sending resources like food, clothes, and paper because Boston’s only supply of that was from the harbor. The reason that the political argument is so much more important than the economical was that the economy was based on trade and taxes so if you had a bad political standpoint with the place you are trading with you won’t get what you need meaning the economy is based on the political argument. The social argument was less of an argument because the better your political agreement is the better your social agreement is. The political reasons were the matches that set the whole fire ablaze.
Jack K.
The American Revolution was largely based on economics, but overall politics had been the main issue that the colonists desperately wanted to change during the revolution. Before the Seven Years War, the colonists were able to create their society they wanted it to be ruled. Although they were under the authority of the British empire, the colonists heavily influenced the way of life. With the power the colonists had, British authority had lost its supremacy. British officials were paid off and had no desire in showing any dominance over the colonies. Colonies had even created their own colonial assemblies to produce their own taxes and they were all voted on. after the taxes During the Seven Years’ War, the British came to notice the lack of respect the eastern colonies had for the British. The colonies barely aided financially in the war. After the war, the British were dealt with a large debt due to the resources used. The only efficient way to collect money was to place taxes on their people. Including the colonies, who hadn’t felt the tiniest bit of discipline from the British government. When taxes were placed, the colonists were perplexed. The colonists did what they wanted with their money, but now they had to help the mother country and it was being forced out of their own wallets. Though the British were getting the heaviest of the taxes, the colonists felt as though the British were targeting them unfairly. Unfair not because of prices but because the imposed taxes had not been voted on and the colonies had no choice but to comply. “Taxation Without Representation” had made a large impact due to the fact that the colonies were used to having an opinion that was always heard. The reminder that the British had power over them were harder to ignore when they realized the British weren’t going to ask the colonies for permission. The prompt economic change made the American colonies feel politically threatened.
The economic differences from before the war to after had played a part in the progress of the American Revolution, but were not the engine the colonists were using. It was the fuel. Each tax had created a barrier and the colonists took them as an insult, as if mocking the colonists of their lack of power. The only way to show their anger at unwanted laws were to boycott economically because the British had the advantage of blocking all their economic trade. The Stamp Act, for example, had been seen by the colonists as a way of saying the British had the power to create a tax on anything and the colonists couldn’t show their opinion because their weren’t colonial representatives in the Parliament.
The social aspect hadn’t really influenced the American Revolution because it shows the division between the wealthy and the poor, but the American revolution only succeeded because every colonist unified to take power back from the British government. Without a shared or similar view of the British, the colonies never would have had independence. Much of the American Revolution art was created of biased views to impact others who were not already on the colonists side.
The primary cause of the American Revolution was various political reasons. The first major fallout between the colonists and British took place in 1763, after the Seven Years’ War. When the French ceded what they had east of the Mississippi to the British, the Britsh created the Proclamation of 1963, which stated that colonists could not settle west of the Appalatians. The British claimed the line was drawn up to prevent conflict between the colonists and the unsettled natives, but it was really a way for the British to control trade with the natives. Though colonists did lose out on economic benefits of untapped resources to the west, the proclamation angered colonists the most because of the British’s sudden involvement in colonial affairs. Taxation without representation was probably the most renowned political grievances the colonists had with the British. Colonists issue with taxation without representation was that it was unconstitutional to tax the colonies if they weren’t represented in the parliament. Many argue that taxation without representation is mostly economic, but it’s actually more political. The taxes that the colonists paid were actually relatively light, compared to the British. Some of the taxes were repealed, like the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts. The Tea Act even lowered the price of tea, so there wasn’t really that much economic strain on the colonists. For how little the colonists were impacted by the taxes, the revolution wasn’t primarily economic. In 1774, the colonists feared for their rights because of the passing of the Quebec Act. Though it didn’t directly affect the colonies, the Quebec Act allowed French Canadians under Britsh rule to keep all of their previous rights, but it didn’t guarantee trial by jury. Colonists believed that their right to trial was in jeopardy because the parliament could pass a law to take it away. Also, at the time period, enlightenment ideals were becoming more popular in the colonies. Colonists started to think that government should be run by the people. John Locke who believed the government’s job is to protect its citizens natural rights had his ideas get put into the Declaration of Independence. His “life, liberty, and property” became “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” which Thomas Jefferson wrote.
The American Revolution was a political and economical revolt because of their aspiration for their own control over taxation. This fueled the colonists hatred for Britain and their want to join and fight them.
The American Revolution was economical because of the colonists resistance to the British’s relentless taxation. The Stamp Act, initially enforced by Prime Minister Grenville, was the perfect action by the British government to antagonize and unite the colonists to revolt against the British. Taxes like the Stamp Act, the Sugar Act, and the Townshend Acts angered the colonists. The Townshend Acts stopped smugglers with French goods, so that sent many colonists and merchants in jail. The Sugar Act angered the colonists because it put a tax on all of their sugar and molasses. They treasured their molasses because that was they used to make their rum, and the colonists loved to drink. The initial idea of a tax on goods didn’t spike any anger from the colonists because they believed it was for rebuilding themselves after the Seven Years’ War. But soon they realized it was just the British trying to raise money and was no longer to maintain a stable economy. The British used the Seven Years’ War as an excuse to show off their strength towards the colonists to get more money out of them, since they realized they have taxed their citizens in Britain way more.
The colonists soon formed groups that aggressively boycotted the taxes, including the Sons of Liberty and the Daughters of Liberty. They would violently attack tax collectors by tarring and feathering them. The colonists initially thought that the taxation wouldn’t harm them, especially since their taxation compared to British citizens was one to twenty six, they knew it would open the door to more taxation, and how much worse were those taxes going to get?
The Revolution was economical because of the colonists’ resistance against the unnecessary taxation from the British that were for raising money instead of maintaining a unified and safe nation. Their fear of future and worse taxation on the colonists spiked their desire to revolt against the British ruling, which led to the American Revolution.
The American Revolution was one of the most catastrophic wars, resulting in thousands of deaths on both sides. Some people say this was caused by political nature, others say it was a socially based war, but it is easy to see how the American Revolution was an economic battle. The protest “no taxation without representation” can be looked at two ways. First, it can be seen in a political manner, hence the representation part. But more importantly, the second can be seen as an economic matter. The taxation without representation protest was based off of, well, taxation, which is an economic subject. Many Americans believed that their colonies were there just for the enrichment of the motherland, Britain. Originally, Americans were used to running their own things, paying little taxes, etc. After the Seven Years War, Britain fell into a deep war debt. So, they began taxing all of their colonies. However, when Britain realized that Americans were paying less taxes than their own people, they began to tax America more harshly. Many new acts limited what they could do, and began taxing Americans on stamps and paper products. The Stamp Act along with many other acts made it so that the Americans had to pay numerous taxes and that they had limited ability to do what they wanted to do. They became poor after Britain switched to gold-silver, which is rare as is. This is where the saying “no taxation without representation” sprouted from. This economic protest is one of the founding bases for the Revolution.
Some people say that the American Revolution was more socially or politically based. They remark that many poor Americans set rich Britain houses on fire, making the war more socially responsible. The Paxton Boys and planned to torch Philadelphia because of social problems. Many British soldiers had the right to stay in Americans’ houses without their permission, hence by the Quartering Acts, another social outcry. Also, Americans had no say over acts for their country, resulting in no representation. Americans had only virtual representation, while they wanted actual representation. While these are great catalysts for the Revolution, the economic burdens of the American people greatly outnumber these catalysts.
The American revolution was fought over economic reasons. Starting with the fact that the colonies, in Britain eyes, existed solely for the enrichment of the mother country and not for themselves. say that Britain was using the colonies to pay off their war debt.After the seven years war, The Quartering Act was passed required colonists to house British soldiers. British parliament thought it was only fair that the colonists pay for the housing of their soldiers. After all they were there to protect the colonists after the war. Most soldiers choose to stay in houses they could receive adequate food in, usually middle and upper class homes were they would be given a place to sleep. Housing a soldier or soldiers was expensive you had to provide shelter, food,and beer. Many colonists were greatly opposed to being forced to house troops after the war. On top of the quartering act was the stamp act. The Stamp Act was a tax on all paper goods and commercial documents. This affected nearly every colonist, but people such as lawyers and publishers felt it the most. It was also the first direct tax. Boycotts against the Stamp Act succeed and within several months. The Stamp Act was repealed in 1766. However that same day in march the declaratory act was passed. It stated that Parliament could impose whatever taxes they wanted and their was basically nothing the colonist could do about it.
The Townsend Acts In 1767 saw a new tax on British imports. Items taxed included glass, and tea. The colonists were again angered, merchants lost their jobs due to the tax. Colonists were not happy. Finally, the Tea Act sought to force all Americans to buy British tea. All the acts took cash out of the colonists wallet and went to Britain. The country was Most political issues were about taxation and unfair prices, which are economic reasons for the revolutionary war. Almost everything revolt has to do with economics, this is not an exception. Some people believe the revolution was more a result of political ideology. Saying It was a revolt based on philosophical ideology that was built over time into a movement. Furthermore they may argue how, economic pressures and political may have influenced the timing of the American Revolution but did not, by themselves cause it. This statement is false if the influence of economic tension then it caused it.
In the time after the 7 year war the British had lost a lot of money, and needed funding from the colonies. So great Britain released harsh taxation laws and a series of acts that economically destroyed the people of the colonies. Great Britain taxed the colonies alcohol there paper and there tea leading up the Boston Tea Party of 1773.the people of the colonies saw America as a way to be free and practice how you feel is right but the same government that the colonist strived to get away from were keeping them not free financially and soon were not able to live the way they wanted because of the harsh laws and acts imposed by the British.
Great Britain prior to the American revolution used the Americas as cash grab, by using there rescores taking advantage of the slave trade and imposing unfair taxation laws on the colonies. But another reason the people of the colonies did not like the britsh is that they were able to use their own forms of currency which back then was paper money. Now so that the British could make more money off the colonies the used gold and silver forms of currency that are used in other countries such as France and Spain. The colonies were taxed for drinks they loved to drink the most popular were alcoholic drinks like bourbon and beer. Tea witch the tea act of 1773 taxed the colonies for tea as well
The cause of the American revolution is economic and many of the arguments derive from economic issues. The 2 other arguments are political and social. The reason both of these arguments are invalid is because the colonist wanted to have representation so that they can be fairly taxed and fairly treated. Also the social argument revolves around a small population of people and it doesn’t affect only workers who were mad at the farming crisis would care and want change. at the time the economic crisis is the only thing large spread enough to cause something as big as the American revolution. Hence the American revolution was started to begin financial freedom for themselves.
The American Revolution was the product of the unfair laws given to the colonists by Britain. The Seven Years’ War left Britain with tremendous war debt, which resulted in the British taxing the colonists. Britain’s unfair operation concerning trade and the increase in taxes placed on the colonists caused the Revolution to be an economic revolt. Every dollar the American colonies were taxed England was taxed 26 dollars more, regardless of this, the colonists were not used to the increase in taxes and deemed this to be unfair because this law was passed by the parliament in England and not by their own colonial government. The sugar act of 1764 taxed sugar and molasses, the purpose of this act was to help pay for the British troops in North America. By imposing the Stamp Act of 1765, which was the first tax placed upon the colonists the British Parliament taxed every piece of paper printed.This lead to the colonists refusing to buy British goods many boycotts, triggering the firsts steps towards the revolution. This was not the only problem, many merchants were in debt to other English merchants which made it hard for them to pay their taxes.
Historians argued that the main cause of the revolution due to the divided culture, meaning the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor. This reason is not the main cause of the revolution because during the quartering act of 1765, the soldiers preferred to stay with the richer colonists rather than the poor colonists because the richer colonists had nicer houses, even though this may have contributed to the start of the revolution, I am convinced that the main cause of the revolution was due to the taxes placed on the colonists.
Other historians argued that the cause of the revolutionary was more of political revolt due due to the way the colonists were feeling in the colonies.Taxation with no representation played a big part in why some of the acts occurred, but even though this contributed to the start of the revolution I don’t think this was the cause of the revolution.
I personally think the American Revolution was fueled by economic and political reasons, but if I was asked to choose between the two, I wouldn’t choose. My reasoning is that they are closely intertwined, when Britain made an economic change, it tweaked the political realm and vice versa.
Britain figured out they had to start taking control of the North American colonies politically and financially. Before, Americans did not follow any orders the British leaders gave them. But now that Britain was in debt from the war, they decided to use the colonies to get the money they needed to pay off debts. They decided to control them even more after the French and indian war, they saw the conditions of the colonies and had more land to take care of. That meant more indian people to make peace, war, or trade with.
Britain decided to limit Their north American colonies from westward expansion to preserve their trade with native americans. This blew up in the political realm. Americans did not like this and saw this as an over use of their powers.
After the British empire and the american colonies ended the seven years war, Britain was in great debt, the people of England did not want to be taxed anymore, they figured that if the colonies only paid a dollar to the 26 dollars they paid they could withstand a little more taxation.
This however came off as offensive and and an overuse of Britain’s imperial powers, to the americans that saw themselves as British citizens. The British parliament saw these acts and saw that they were not unfair.
The british parliament raised taxes on refined sugar, thus raising prices on the beloved rum and other sugar products. This was the Sugar Act. Britain raised taxes on refined sugar and taxes on molasses. This created a decline in the rum industry. Americans were not as mad at this act but it still rubbed some the wrong way and set Americans on the path to revolt .
However the Townshend act did lead to corruption. The Townshend act enforced laws on smuggling. How this became corrupt was when the British leaders found out they got money every time they caught or ‘caught’ a smuggler they began to find even more ‘smugglers’. This made merchants and common people mad.
The American Revolution was primarily political. I find the political argument most compelling because of “no taxation without representation” slogan, as well as the Quebec Act of 1774. The colonies had been running effectively on their own for 150 years, and had been content with being subjects of England. I believe if the English had been controlling the colonies with a stronger grip from the beginning there would be less resistance when the various acts that led to the revolution were passed. Great Britain had a large war debt to pay off, and for a while, the act they passed did well. The colonists were not opposed to the sugar act because it was not a direct tax on them, and really was targeted more at merchants importing sugar from the caribbean. This did not last forever, later the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts were used to pay British officials and were directly on the American colonies. Subjects throughout the colonies were becoming more and more displeased with the mother country because they felt targeted by the taxes. Many poorer citizens of the colonies could not afford to constantly have their legal documents stamped, and thus were put at even more of a disadvantage than wealthier colonists who owned most of the land. Despite the tighter squeeze that Great Britain was putting on the colonies, they still had some freedoms, such as the right to trial. However, this essential right was in danger. When the Quebec Act was passed, colonists uneasily eyed their northern counterparts restricted rights, and felt their own right to trial might be in danger. The change of heart from the British going from relaxed to strict encouraged uprisings such as the Boston Tea Party which was a violent response to the Tea Act, again, which the colonies had no say in. In addition to this, The Boston Massacre was used as propaganda to rile up colonists from North to South and further develop a stewing resentment against the British, despite the colonists harassment of British garrison troops. It caused people throughout the colonies to be increasingly insistent upon either having better representation to stop future events like this, or break away from the oppressive country who was “murdering” their citizens in the streets. When you take all these events into account it is clear that the American Revolution was primarily due to political causes.
The main reasons for the american revolution were economical. When the British reorganised they made it almost impossible for intercolonial trade. Not only that but they stopped the usage of paper money in the colonies. The colonists mainly used paper money. This lead to colonists having little money in an economic depression. The British motherland also started to tax them. Although the taxes didn’t last long, it still left a mark on the colonists. Britain also forced the colonists to quarter British troops. This made it so the colonists had to pay for all of the troops needs. This means they had to pay for two to three extra people in their home. Many upper class and merchants were in debt to british merchants. They often couldn’t pay them back due to taxes and limitation of work. The sugar act made the cost of rum go up and most of it didn’t even stay in the colonies. The navigation act and others meant it was near impossible for colonists to compete with Britain. Also colonial goods were taxed more than British goods. With Britain limiting inter colonial trade it got rid of almost twenty percent of goods shipped out of New York. Other reasons for the war go back to the colonial economy. For example, the whole “no taxation without representation” saying wouldn’t have happened if Britain didn’t try to find ways to control the colonies economy. The poor revolting against the wealthy was a result of the economic pressures put on the colonies by Britain. The end result may have been social but it all started with the colonies poor economics. Smuggling was a large part of colonial trading. When Britain cracked down on it the colonial traders lost a lot of money. Not to mention how British appointed colonial leaders could accuse you of smuggling and you would lose everything from that shipment. The american people started losing money and they hated it Leading to the political and social factors. It all goes back to the fact that Britain in trying to control the colonies hurt their economy.
After the seven years war Britain was in debt. To pay for the war, Parliament started imposing taxes on the american colonists. Some of the acts imposed by Parliament included the stamp acts, the townshend acts and the tea acts. The more acts that were passed the more frustrated the American colonies became. Because of the economy Americans wanted to free themselves from Britain. Because of the oppressive nature of acts like the Townshend Acts, the tea acts, and the stamp act, the American Revolution was an economic revolt. The Stamp Act taxed colonists for any type of papers, legal documents, newspapers and other publications. This outraged the colonist because they were now being forced to pay a new tax on top of what they were already paying. To protest the Stamp Act, Patrick Henry wrote a set of resolves that was adopted by the Virginia House of Burgesses.. The Stamp Act resolves took strides towards separation from Britain and was only the first of many. The Townshend Acts, passed in 1767, was comprised of four different acts, one of the most notable ones being the Revenue Act. The Revenue Act imposed a new tax on all imported British goods such as glass, lead, paper, and tea. Colonist began to riot in the streets because of these acts, which eventually would lead to the Boston Massacre. The Tea Act can be considered the tipping point for colonists. The Tea Act was created to help get the East India Trading company out of debt by giving them a monopoly over tea in the colonies. The East India Trading company was also able to directly sell tea to the colonist cutting out colonial merchants. Because the East India Trading Company had a monopoly on tea, colonist became outraged, leading to a boycott on tea and even some more aggressive actions. These acts would start to affect merchants which indirectly affected all of the colonists. Many people rose to fight these acts. Those who opposed the stamp act took legal action to oppose it, The Townshend Acts caused riots and the Tea Act was what finally burst the bubble, leading to the American revolution.
The main cause of the American Revolution was political. Colonists were upset that the parliament, which they had no representation in, was taxing them unconstitutionally. They were also upset over the fact that British troops were being permanently stationed in America. During the Seven Years’ War, there were British Troops in America, and they represented protection for the colonists. So what changed? After the war, the political landscape in Great Britain was changing. The Parliament realized that the American Colonists paid no taxes compared to British Subjects actually living in Britain. Since The war was fought to protect the colonies from the French and Native Americans, they felt it was only fair if the colonists paid taxes to pay off a portion of the war debt. Over the next ten years, various tax acts under the Greenville Program would be passed with the intention that the colonies would pay taxes.
The other two causes, economic and social / cultural, are not as important. However, the economics occurring at the time, played a part in the politics at the time. For example the famous quote, “No Taxation Without Representation”, came as a result of Parliament taxing the colonies because they didn’t have representation in parliament. I think that the British were reasonable in wanting to taxing the colonies, but they went about it the wrong way. Instead of working with the colonies, the parliament was arrogant when it came to its authority over the colonies. This would lead to the colonists boycotting the taxed products such as tea, paper and lead. Economics might have been the reason behind Great Britain’s policies toward the colonies, but in the end it was the politics that led to the American Revolution.
The cultural aspect of the Revolution was centered around the idea that British people settled in the Americas to gain money and religious freedom. However during the time leading up to the Revolution, they considered themselves British citizens. So when Britain began taxing them, they felt that it was unconstitutional under the British Constitution because they didn’t have any representation in parliament. This ties back to politics, because the economic aspect of the taxes fuels the political anger that led to the American Revolution.
he American Revolution started out of the British government’s need for money because of the Seven Years’ War. As a result, the British taxed the Colonies and the Colonies were upset that they had no say in whether they were taxed or not. There was disputed territory in the Ohio Valley between the French and the British. The British declared war on the French and thus was a costly venture that put the British in a lot of debt. After the Seven Years’ War, the British became a lot more present and controlling of the Colonies. In order to pay off the war they taxed the Colonists. They imposed such acts as The Sugar Act, which is a tax on sugar and molasses, and it was also a lot stricter on smuggling. Because of the increased strictness on smuggling, when a British customs agent would find a smuggler, they would take their ship and sell all the products and the customs agent who found the ship would get ⅓ of the profits from the ship. This, combined with the fact that the agents were left unchecked, lead to a lot of false claims of smuggling. The Currency Act was an act that forced the Colonists to use gold and silver, which inflamed an economic crisis. When they changed to gold and silver, the Colonists paper money was not worth anything. The Quartering Act was the act that said that the Colonists had to feed and house the British troops. Part of the problem with this is that the British did not want to pay the Colonists for the food that they were giving to the British army. The British imposed the Stamp Act which was a tax on all paper products. This was the first tax that was imposed solely to raise money and not regulate commerce. This made the Colonists worried that the British would not stop imposing taxes on them and there was nothing they could do about it. The Tea Act was imposed in 1773 by the British. The act made it so that the East India Trading Company had a monopoly on American tea imports. This was bad for the Colonies because they preferred Dutch tea. All of this was very bad. The primary reason for the start of the American Revolution was the economic pressures that British put on the Colonists. These pressures highlighted that there was a philosophical difference between the British and the Colonies; the Colonies believed that they had the right to make their own decisions.
Jacob P.
I believe the most important cause of the American Revolution is economics. In the beginning,
before and when mercantilist views or ways really started to dominate, salutary neglect allowed
Americans to really drift off their own, and this is evident as it’s explained in the blog. Americans
drifting off actually began to prosper which awakened the British, resulting them into pressing
the colonists with a handful of acts that really did numbers on the economy (Stamp Act, Sugar
Act, Townshend Acts etc.). Examples of how these acts affected the colonies that were
mentioned in the blog were businessmen being cut off, raised the prices on refined sugar (which
was used in major productions and to be sent to other regions), and gave a harder time for
people to pay off war debt. Only that, but for example, the Stamp Act really hit as the colonists
basically ran on paper; paper money, legal documents, newspapers, etc. were all really
important.
I think that the effects that these acts had made economics the most important cause of the
Revolution, because if this never happened, colonists wouldn’t have been angry; I believe that
this was the true start of a drive towards revolution. Not only that, but it also drives more when
the reasons behind the acts were because of the English selfishness, and how the acts were
used for the English benefits; it used in efforts to pay the debt English war debt which could
deepen the anger.
The other two reasons for the American Revolution are also important, but I feel that economics
were most important, because I feel as though the problems with economy resulted in the
problems of the social and political sections. For example, the poor and lower-class people:
although they were poor from the start or born into lower-class, the taxes made things even
worse for them. In the political region, if it weren’t for the start of the taxes and the economy
becoming damaged, then I feel like the problems found within the British government would
have never been pointed out and looked into. The taxing led to the whole thing with “no taxation
without representation” which would’ve led to the insight on representation between nations and
further insights on government.
Maya T.
I am convinced that the biggest contributions to the american revolution were political. One of the key ideas that formed the american revolution was “taxation without representation” how parliament played into this statemeant angered colonists greatly. The colonists were being taxed because of acts that were being passed onto them, and they had absolutely no say in it. The french and indian war was fought to protect the colonists and british parliament they were not paying taxes, so the parliament felt they had done enough for the colonists to start feeding them. Acts such as the Stamp Act and the tea act, both angered colonists greatly. For example, the tea act led to the boston tea party which was a raid done by the sons of liberty where they poured crates of british tea overboard into the harbor and that led to parliament punishing the colonists with the intolerable acts, which only led to more anger and definitely contributed to the forming of the american revolution.