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.
Build Up To The American Revolution
The American Revolution was an outcome of laws that the British had given the colonists that they did not believe were fair. After the Seven Years’ War Britain was is huge war debt, which led to taxing the colonists. Which was taxation without representation for the colonists. This is why the American revolution was caused by an economic revolt. Britain wanted a way to get out of their economic depression that was easy for them. So, they put a taxation on both the colonists and the British. The colonists believed that they had taxes that were too high and that they had laws that were unreasonable, even though the colonists had it better compared to England. For every dollar the Americans paid taxes, British paid twenty-six dollars. These afters angered the colonists and caused them to strike back against the British government, and start the American Revolution.
Many people think that the revolution was caused by a political revolt. The colonists were being unreasonable believing that the British government was being too harsh even though they were in control of what the colonists did. It was the colonists fault for not listening to the government. The government was more lenient with the colonists, and more strict with the British. The government wasn’t doing anything wrong with the colonists, besides trying to give them some kind of government and control. The American Revolution was not caused by politics because the colonists were over-reacting the new laws, but the revolution was caused by the economy rather than politics.
There are other historians believe that the American Revolution was caused by the culture. Here are the reasons that the revolution was caused by the economy rather than the culture. The culture was very divided. The rich were very rich, and the poor were very poor. But, this was not the cause of the revolution because the new laws and taxes affect the rich more than they did for the poor. For example, the soldiers wanted to stay in nicer homes, so all the wealthy people had soldiers in their homes rather than the poor. For this reason this is why the American Revolution was not caused by a cultural revolt.
The American Revolution was an outcome of multiple taxes and laws being applied to the Colonists by the British. There were other aspects of the Revolution, such as political details, but the economical features outweigh those of politics. Britain was in an extremely large debt after the Seven Years’ War, so they began to tax the colonists. Britain believed that, seeing as they were taxing both their British and Colonial citizens, there would be no conflict and that it would make getting out of their economic depression easier. However, the colonists were extremely upset with the British government for taxing them, as they were simply not used to it. The colonists simply believed that their being taxed was cruel and unair, despite the fact that British citizens were taxed much more than the colonists ever were. The colonists then began to overreact and oppose the taxes by most means possible, making the situation delicate and difficult for the British to deal with.
Other people believe that the revolution was caused by politics. However, the British government treated the colonists fairly and would often think of what was best for them. The government also allowed the colonists more freedom than they did with their mainland citizens. It was the colonists who would ignore simple things that they were told, believing that they had no freedom or control anymore. There was also the fact that the government would often retract laws if the colonists got too upset over them. That shows that the colonists often had the upper hand. Therefore, the American revolution was not caused by politics, but by the colonists over-reacting to the economic factors.
There are still other people who believe that it was more of a social revolution rather than an economic revolution. The social classes consisted of the rich colonists and poorer colonists. However, that did not jump-start the revolution seeing as the taxes that were put into action affected more of the rich citizens than the poor. For example, the Quartering Act of 1765 allowed soldiers to stay in the homes of the Colonists. They preferred the wealthier houses of upper class colonists, leaving the poor colonists alone for the most part. For that reason, the American Revolution was not a social revolt, but an economic revolt.
The primary causes of the American Revolutionary War were political with economic reasons being secondary. “Taxation Without Representation,” a common quote represents the anger of American colonists against the British due to the lack of representation of the colonies in Parliament. American colonists felt that they had little control over their own homes and places of business compared to the British control over the colonists. On top of the little control, taxes were being raised through various acts such as the Tea Act, Stamp Act, and several others. These economic taxes on many goods were a cause of the American Revolutionary War, but these economic reasons only increased the political tensions. The American Revolution was not based on economic reasons, but the anger that they enticed politically. It appeared that Parliament and the King were willing to tax every small task that a colonist would do, such as create a document, all the way to taxing crucial imports necessary for the economies of the colonies to function properly. One of these imports, molasses, was taxes under the Sugar Act which made rum production more expensive and therefore affecting the rum industry substantially. While these impacts were mostly economic, they had a deeper meaning, a political one. These countless acts showed the colonists the willingness of the British government to impose taxes on them with no acceptable direct benefits to the colonists. Thomas Jefferson, for example, was certainly not poor, yet he supported the revolution greatly. Such support would have been for political reasons.
The Enlightenment ideas of John Locke and others also proved not to be consistent with the governance of the colonists. Locke’s perspective on government was that it should work for its citizens and not the other way around. Many Americans such as Thomas Jefferson agreed with these ideas, causing a political disconnect between the colonists and the British government. One of these disconnects was based on how the Governor was given power by the King to rule over the colonists rather than a fair democratic election occurring to elect the governor.
Through the profit sharing that was occuring with the customs agents and the Governor, it supported a guilty until proven innocent legal system. With customs agents being given some proceeds from successful prosecutions, it created an environment where customs agents have great benefit from accusing innocent people for their own benefits. These false accusations would likely have resulted in the merchants losing their ships along with its cargo. For most merchants, this meant that the government would be taking their entire livelihood away for a crime they may not have commited. While economic reasons were certainly a cause of the Revolutionary War, their political impacts were much greater.
The economic issues were simply illuminating the pathway for political uprising, further sparking the American Revolutionary War.
Following the Seven Years War, England faced a great debt and staggering taxes against its citizens. Americans did not have to pay as many taxes as their British counterparts, so Britain imposed various policies on the American colonies. Many historians believe that these acts contributed the most to the start of the American Revolution. The understanding here is that Americans disliked the acts because they had to give money to Britain. My understanding differs from these historians, however, because I believe that it wasn’t the money that the Americans were upset about, but rather that they were being taxed without representation in Parliament. In addition, many of these acts didn’t dramatically harm the American economy. Other acts even helped American consumers. The Tea Act of 1773 reduced the price of British tea to lower than the price of American tea. Prime Minister Lord North believed that this act would make the colonists happy, but instead they boycotted against the tea The events following the imposition of the Tea Act led to one of the greatest political protests of the time, the Boston Tea Party.
Another reason that the American Revolution was caused by political factors rather than economic or cultural was the Continental Congress. Less than a year before the Revolution officially began, in 1774 a special meeting took place in the Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg, and declared that the Intolerable Acts were a threat to colonial liberties. Following the meeting, the first Continental Congress was formed. The Congress met to discuss oppressive acts put forth by Britain, which hindered their rights. They also talked about economic issues, but these were the direct result of the policies that were in place.
Some historians believe that the American Revolution was the result of social inequities among the colonists, like the rich and poor. I disagree with this theory because some acts hurt the higher up more than the poor. The Quartering Act disproportionality affected the middle and upper classes, because they had more resources to give to soldiers. Some colonists rioted and trashed tax collectors homes, but I believe that those riots had more to do with the wealthy person being affiliated with England rather than them being in the upper class.
The American Revolution was primarily an outcome of the changing worldwide political landscape, and was fueled by oppressive laws and taxes, such as the Stamp Act.
After the French and Indian War, Britain had accrued a massive war debt, which caused them to pass taxes on both their citizens, and the colonists. These taxes, such as the Stamp Act, were direct taxes on the colonies, whereas previous ones had been indirect, usually tariffs. This was problematic to the colonists for several reasons. For one, it set a precedent of direct management of the colonies through taxes and laws passed not through the colonial assemblies, but through the British Parliament. Secondly, these direct taxes were passed by the British Parliament, in which the colonists had no representation. This directly conflicted with Enlightenment ideas such as the Social Contract, which states, among other things, that government is put in power by the people, and should represent their interests. With Parliament having no colonial representatives, this became an issue. The rallying cry “No taxation without representation” truly shows just how politically motivated the Revolution really was.
Fiery orators such as Samuel Adams also show how the Revolution was politically motivated. At first glance, Samuel Adams might be seen as a wealthy colonist angry with the relatively minor taxes being imposed on the colonists. However, Samuel Adams wasn’t actually angry about the taxes themselves at all. He was concerned with the taxes not because they were taxes, but because they established a precedent of direct rule over the colonies, and felt that they were a slippery slope that would lead to more troubling laws being forced upon the colonists. By all accounts, Samuel Adams was one of the most important figures in and leading up to the American Revolution, so his primarily political motivations truly do show what the Revolution was all about, politics.
With all of these things considered, it is safe to say that the American Revolution, while being somewhat motivated through economic reasons was, by and large, a revolution of politics.
The American Revolution was primarily an outcome of the changing worldwide political landscape, and was fueled by oppressive laws and taxes, such as the Stamp Act.
After the French and Indian War, Britain had accrued a massive war debt, which caused them to pass taxes on both their citizens, and the colonists. These taxes, such as the Stamp Act, were direct taxes on the colonies, whereas previous ones had been indirect, usually tariffs. This was problematic to the colonists for several reasons. For one, it set a precedent of direct management of the colonies through taxes and laws passed not through the colonial assemblies, but through the British Parliament. Secondly, these direct taxes were passed by the British Parliament, in which the colonists had no representation. This directly conflicted with Enlightenment ideas such as the Social Contract, which states, among other things, that government is put in power by the people, and should represent their interests. With Parliament having no colonial representatives, this became an issue. The rallying cry “No taxation without representation” truly shows just how politically motivated the Revolution really was.
Fiery orators such as Samuel Adams also show how the Revolution was politically motivated. At first glance, Samuel Adams might be seen as a wealthy colonist angry with the relatively minor taxes being imposed on the colonists. However, Samuel Adams wasn’t actually angry about the taxes themselves at all. He was concerned with the taxes not because they were taxes, but because they established a precedent of direct rule over the colonies, and felt that they were a slippery slope that would lead to more troubling laws being forced upon the colonists. His stubborn resistance to the Coercive, or Intolerable Acts shows the political reasoning behind his actions. By all accounts, Samuel Adams was one of the most important figures in and leading up to the American Revolution, so his primarily political motivations truly do show what the Revolution was all about, politics.
With all of these things considered, it is safe to say that the American Revolution, while being somewhat motivated through economic reasons was, by and large, a revolution of politics.
The primary cause of the American Revolution was political. This was a time where views of how politics should work were changing drastically. There were two strong points within the political argument. They were policies imposed on the colonies made by Great Britain and changing political philosophies. Both points would not only create unrest within the colonies but unrest in the relationship between the colonies and Great Britain. This strain would be enough to cause a revolution against an oppressive government.
The biggest policy reasons for political motivations are the stamp act and other tax policies, and the Quebec acts. People thought these policies represented dangers to their rights and in the future, Britain wouldn’t just be making threatening policies, but literally stripping the colonists’ rights away. The tax policies represented a threat to the colonists’ voice in government. This was taxation without representation, they believed it was unfair to be taxed without being able to weigh in on the argument. This alone was a massive spark that could have contributed the majority the strain to Britain’s and the colonies relationship. The Quebec Act, even though it didn’t directly affect the colonists, was perceived as a threat to the colonists’ right to trial by jury. They thought since trial by jury isn’t part of the Quebec acts the colonies could be next in line to lose that right.
The second main aspect of political motivation was political philosophy in which enlightenment ideas made it to the colonies and strained their relationship with the British. People like John Locke put out ideas like people had natural rights and that the government should be formed by the people. Since Britain didn’t abide by these ideas when they spread throughout the colonies it created unrest. John Locke specifically said that people inherently had a right to life, liberty, and property. These rights were even factored into the declaration of independence, where it says that people have unalienable rights including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Politics was an especially big motivation compared to social and cultural because, even if social and cultural issues hurt the stability of the colonies, it was more of an internal effect than one that would spark a revolution against Britain.
The primary cause of the Revolutionary War was economics. Following the Seven Years War the British were faced with immense war debt. To pay it back and save money, they forced taxes on things on tea and stamps and would require upper middle class and high class colonists to house soldiers. The colonists were faced with these taxes and acts and raised protests, which resulted in events like The Boston Tea Party. Each tax was met with backlash from the colonists, as they thought them to be unfair (“No Taxation Without Representation”), even though they had it better than the British citizens living in England. When the colonists would fight back, both sides would become angry and tensions would rise. High tensions due to high taxes are what sparked the Revolutionary War, which makes it clear that it was caused by economics.
Politics is the second largest cause of the Revolutionary War. The reason it is not the primary cause is because the government only angered the colonists because of lack of representation and the heinous taxes, which could also be classified as an economic reason. Colonists began to see the government in a different light after enlightenment ideas began making their way into America. Colonists began to believe that they also held a place within their government, but that was difficult as their government was across an ocean. This change in mindset alone wasn’t enough to spark an entire revolution, although it did help the colonists to see how they were being deprived.
Lastly, social and cultural reasons were the least responsible in causing the Revolutionary War. After the Seven Years War, there was a large class divide between the upper class and the lower class. The land ownership was uneven and most of it belonged to the upper class. The lower class, made up of indentured servants, found it difficult to find work and often listed their grievances during town meetings and were ignored. This led to the resentment of the upper class by the lower class, there were small uprisings but none notable enough to be the main reason for the Revolutionary War.
The most important cause of the revolution was politics. The famous quote, “taxation without representation” was a phrase used to express the colonists’ gripe with the British’s taxing. The Americans were against the idea of visual representation, and believed that because they had no representative, they could not be taxed by parliament.
After being independent for so long, Americans had developed their own sense of ideologies. Unfortunately, after the Frecnh Indian war the Britsh racked up an enormous debt. Due to this, the British began to tax the colonies, believing they had to help pay. There were many taxes that the colonists opposed that caused outrage. Some of the most violating taxes were Stamp Act, Townshend Act, and Quartering Act. Even when some taxes that were beneficial to the Americans, there was still a lot of backfire. For example, the Tea Act put a monopoly on the Britain East India Co. for tea, and it removed the middleman from the process of importing tea. Since the tea was imported straight to the consumers, the price was cheaper than buying from merchants. The British believed the colonists would be pleased with the better prices, but instead, Americans found it to be infringing on their right of choice. A lot of the anger came from the idea of “taxation without representation.”
Eventually, enlightenment ideas began to circle around the colonies. One significant leader of the enlightenment period was John Locke. John Locke introduced the natural rights that everyone has. These rights were the right to life, liberty, and property. Soon enough, these ideas were reciprocated by the colonies. They began to question their government, some claiming the British to be an abusive tyrant. Thus, the political ideas that developed were what started to lead to the revolution.
Other historians argue that economics or culture were the main aspects in the revolution, however that is wrong. Economics was merely a side effect, because the colonists, although mad at some of the taxes, were mostly mad about the politics behind the laws rather than what was being taxed. Culture also was not the main cause, because although there was a bit of cultural difference, majority of the colonists leading up to the revolution were proud of their British identity. Similarly, British traditions were heavily prevalent in the colonies, inspired by their British pasts. Thus, the main cause of the revolution was not economic, nor was it cultural, but it was caused by politics.
What was the most important cause of the american revolution? I think that american revolution it was economic. Some of the acts that were posted to the frech and indain war, had been placed to tax the amecrian colonists. Like the sugar act, this act was put in place to up the tax on refined sugar. The townshend act was actively put in place to cut out colonial business down. The townshend act kinda backfired due to most of the merchants from the colonies had been boycotting. Though boston had put an end to the smuggling. Even some of the merchants from philadelphia and New York came to help with this movement of this unfair act. The sugar act hadn’t really been a problem for them due to them using the sugar for the rum that they would make.
The stamp act though did a big have a big effect on the economy and was removed because of how much backlash it caused the britsh. The stamp act had been added because it was used a lot for the making of rum that had been big in trading. These are just some of the things that the britsh did that started to make the colonist release that they don’t want to be apart of this any more as it was destroying their economic businesses. So the economic standpoint had a very big impression on the start to the american revolution. Just because the king at the time had wanted more money from the american colonists. Putting higher taxes on amrican good rather than the britch ones to get more profit. During this time the trade between the colonies had been growing and the britsh had wanted to put a limit the rate it was growing, because it wasing giving any profit to the mainland but just to the colonies. Then having to pay the britsh with gold and silver due to the cash money not having any value overseas or any use in the other colonies.
Started to make the colonists broke and in debt to the english and poor. With the taxes put on top of that it was extremely hard for the colonists to pay it back.
I think the most important cause of the American Revolution was economics. Lots of people say that the Revolution was based on politics and patriot beliefs, but those thoughts wouldn’t have started to form had the British not heavily taxed the colonies to the point of America declaring independence. The economic aspect of the revolution affected the political and patriotic aspect because when the Stamp Act was passed in 1765, a special congress was formed to protest the Stamp Act. Economics also had a big role in starting the Revolution in forms of western land boundaries set by the British due to the Proclamation of 1763. The Proclamation of 1763 was a major economic blow to the colonies. Colonists were not allowed to settle west of the Appalachian Mountains because of feared conflicts with Native Americans, which we all know that the British were only trying to strengthen trade relationships with them. The British restriction of westward settlement beyond the Appalachians hurt the Colonies because they couldn’t create any more income from farming because they had the opportunity taken from them. Another reason why the American Revolution was caused by economics was the taxes the Colonies received after the Seven Years’ War, In order to pay off their war debt, the British heavily taxed the Colonies on almost all goods that were produced there, including tea, molasses, sugar, and paper. Another reason why the American Revolution was based on economics is because before the British started heavily taxing them, the American Colonies were (and still are) producing tons and tons of valuable goods, which made them very wealthy. When the war ended, the British had been hit with a massive war debt which was equal to about £70,000,000 in today’s money. Since Britain was unable to pay off this overwhelming debt by themselves, they saw the American Colonies as a prime opportunity to gain money for the debt that they, the British, needed to pay off. Another reason why the American Revolution was an economic revolt is that the taxes really didn’t affect the poor that much. Everything that was ordered by the British was mostly paid for by the rich, since the poor didn’t have any money to begin with. All of these reasons suggest that the American Revolution was based on economics.
The primary cause of the American Revolution was political. It was political because the colonists were tired of taxation without representation. The British wanted a way to make money as they were in serious debt from the Seven Years War. A plan to make some money back was to put some new taxes on the colonists. The British put multiple acts such as the Sugar, Stamp, Townshend, and Tea Acts. These acts taxed the colonists without their say for the first time. This was enraging to the colonists because they thought that only the colonial assembly could pass and levy taxes. Now that the king and parliament could pass whatever they want with no say from the colonies, they could, in theory, do whatever they want. This was scary to the colonists because their whole idea of their government had been spun on its head. This caused the colonists to start to rebel because their political views were being attacked, and they did not want to change the way their government worked. These rebellions helped unite the colonists and lead directly to the American Revolution.
The American Revolution has also been said to be caused by economic reasons, but it was not the primary reason. Although the colonists were angry by the new acts imposed on them, the economic side of them did not make the colonists mad. The taxes did not hurt most colonists economically. The majority of colonists could pay the extra tax with no problem. To support this, there were many many taxes in the past, such as the Hat Act which did not cause any rebellion. This is because they were not mad that they had to pay more taxes as long as they could represent themselves.
Some historians believe that the cause of the American Revolution was caused by social/cultural reasons, but it’s not. The main reason that they think that is because the colonists wanted to expand because the population was growing rapidly, and there was not enough farmland for everyone. The British did not let them expand in fear of further conflicts starting with natives and losing trade with the natives. However, this was not the reason. Most colonists adapted to their situations and carried on as things were. Even Though a rebellion broke out, it was against another colony, not against Britain. This shows that social reasons did not cause it because the colonists did not directly protest or rebel against the British because of this.
The Revolutionary War has been a big influence in American history, especially considering the fact that it was the war that freed us from Great Britain and made us become our own country. We know so much about this fight, but at the same time, we also debate a lot over what the cause of it was. Most historians fight over whether or not the cause of the war was political, economical, or social. The most important cause of the war, however, is economical because of all the taxes America received after living for one hundred and fifty years in salutary neglect.
To start, the era of salutary neglect ended for the Americans. They had been used to running themselves with their own form of currency (paper money) and paying little to no taxes. However, after King George’s War, Great Britain tried to recover their war debt by imposing different taxes on the colonists-for example, there was the Sugar Act, which raised prices on all sugar products; there was the Tea Act, which made colonists not be able to choose the tea they wanted to buy because they were trying to prevent the East India Company from losing sales; and the Townshend Act, which put and end to smuggling, but made merchants try to organize a boycott movement for the act. This can prove that the war had an economic cause because it shows all the taxes were colonists were forced to pay were to bring Great Britain out of debt.
Those who believe that the war’s cause was either political or social also make sense as well. Colonists had been fighting to get more farmland to gain more money, but they were being shut out of open land (social reasoning) and the taxes Great Britain was imposing on the colonies were seeming to be unconstitutional because there were no colonist representatives in Parliament (political reasoning). Though these reasons are important, the war being mostly economic would make more sense considering that most of the problems colonists had with their mother country had to do with the fact that they were being taxed like crazy.
Although there were for sure some political and economic struggles contributing to the Colonist’s up rise I don’t think they were as significant as the social conflicts because they didn’t anger the Colonists enough to trigger a revolt against the British. The economic conflict brought heavy taxes on the Colonists and caused hardship for their businesses, however a difficult business environment alone didn’t provoke the Colonists enough from them to act out against the British. In addition to this, the political arguments evolved around one main issue, “taxation without representation”, meaning the Colonists had the pay taxes but had no political voice. Although this was a great issue between Britain and the Colonists, the Americans didn’t react to it as greatly as they did to their social disputes. I believe the primary cause of the Revolutionary War was social and cultural conflict.
I believe the Revolutionary War was set off by social and cultural causes due to the revolts which occurred, the bitterness of the lower classes and the feeling of misrepresentation. Landless workers and farmers were in search of land but were shut out by the East and therefore had to move west. Due to the limited availability of land many had to become city workers, and then shared their grievances among fellow citizens at the town meetings. They weren’t pleased with how things were and hoped to improve conditions by moving east but since they were shut out and the land in the West wasn’t unlimited they were even more displeased. The British resentment of the middle and lower class was used to an advantage by Samuel Adams and James Otis who used it as fuel to start a revolutionary act against the British and upper-class politicians. To add to this, the American people felt misrepresented by their representatives because they felt their demands weren’t being met. For example, in some cities the Colonists demanded open meetings and roll-calls to ensure that the voting done by their representatives was fair. In addition to this the British soldiers in Boston began competing with the unemployed Colonists for job positions which set off rage among the Colonists. The poor and middle class were very passionate especially during their marches and protests which often resulted in bloodshed and violence. Even more passionately, the Paxton Boys marched on the capital in preparation to torch the city. A battle broke out in 1771 due to the Regulators hating the tax system and as a result 6 Regulators were hung for treason. The Colonists were feeling a restriction of their independence and their land but also a feeling of overbearing power from the British. For these reasons, I think the social and cultural conflicts between the British and the Colonists were the primary cause of the Revolutionary War.
The American Revolution is a political revolt for several reasons. Most importantly the colonists were being taxed with no representation. Colonists felt like the taxes they were receiving were unfair because they had no representation in parliament. They felt as if these taxes would lead to even more harsh and unfair laws. Another reason was the influence of Enlightenment thinkers such as John Locke who spread ideas of natural rights to the colonists. The Colonists started to realize that their government should be power to the people. This means that they would vote and elect leaders, and have systems in place to stop one person from becoming too powerful (like King George).
Some argue that the war was an economic revolt. They say that Britain was using the colonies to pay off their war debt. But leading up to this revolt the colonists still felt proud to be British, so they wouldn’t want Britain to be in debt. The problem was that one way of getting money from the colonists was taxes, and that takes us right back to the colonists not having a say in Parliament and being unfairly taxed. So although there are economics involved, they are only a factor that lead to the real reason for the revolt.
Although the social side of the revolt does pose a compelling argument, it is also just a fraction of the many factors that lead to the political revolt. In the end this is just the poor not having political representation. They were silenced by more powerful, and more wealthy people. They wanted land to farm on but because of lack of land and money (because of heavy taxes) they couldn’t get it.
In the end the most reasonable argument is for a political revolt. The colonists biggest problems rooted with taxes (boycotts, Boston tea party, etc.) and these problems ultimately lead Britain to show its true colors and put in place the coercive (intolerable) acts, which were one of the lasts straws for the colonists. So although the social and economic aspects are valid, they really just fall under the umbrella of the political revolt, and all problems related to those aspects seem to stem from the lack of representation in parliament.
The revolt occurred mostly because of the violations by Brittan of the colonist’s political rights to live and be free. For example, the colonists believed that the British were interfering with their political right to self-govern. The imposing of taxes without representation and the interference with self-government were political factors that led to the American Revolution. The taxes and trade restrictions placed on the colonists by Britain to raise revenue and pay the debt outraged the colonists and led them to revolt. With each act, tax, and restriction, they felt that their political rights to make and keep their own money were being violated. One of the taxes that the colonists greatly opposed, and which caused a huge amount of economic strain was the Sugar Act of 1764. This act lowered tax rates on molasses, stepped up the enforcement of the tax and expanded the tax to include all sugar products and wine. The tax led to revolt because the tax caused the colonists the loss of business and great economic stress. Additionally, the Townshend Act which imposed tariffs on imported goods also greatly upset the colonists. These acts made the West Indies the only export, caused the prices of American products to diminish and left the colonies with no trade partner. As a result, the colonists suffered a recession and blamed the British and the unfair taxes they imposed. The Tea Act was the tipping point that was passed to help the East India tea company by giving them a major trade advantage. The Act caused a huge loss to American importers. The taxes were imposed without consent from the colonies and they did not have representation in Parliament which further angered them. The colonies plunge into recession after Brittan’s unfair laws regarding trade and taxes were major causes that led the colonies to revolt.
Additionally, The colonists felt that their rights to no longer be ruled, protected and supported by Brittan were being violated. Emerging ideologies and philosophies helped justify a revolt. First of all, many colonial leaders like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson embraced the Enlightenment philosophy which suggested that to better society, one should rely on reason. It also insisted that natural rights were a national ideology. The ideas set the stage for the colonists to strive for a democratic government that protected freedom and liberty. After winning the Seven Years War and gaining confidence with successful boycotts and protests of Britain’s taxes, the colonists were empowered by unity and strength and demanding liberties became an important focus and goal. The ideas of John Locke helped define a new concept of government. Locke believed that the government should protect the natural rights of people including life, liberty, and property. Further, he presented the idea of governmental checks and balances and insisted that the revolution was not only a right but an obligation. The colonists were empowered, united, and passionate about their philosophies. They wanted a self-regulated government that didn’t rely on one tyrant and they were willing to fight for these rights. The revolution resulted in part because of these political viewpoints and the colonist’s new mindset propelled them forward in revolt.
While economic and social issues were a part of the revolt the main cause was political. The economic strains definitely played a role in the discontent of the colonists. For example, the colonists were used to run ning things on their own and paying very little taxes. When Britain started to demand more control and taxes, the colonists might have been ok with it had they been given the political right to representation before the taxes were opposed. Their political rights of not being able to have a say were more important than the economic reasons. Additionally, social and cultural issues like the class wars and the fact that immigrants were upset with the lack of opportunity had some effect on the revolt but again the political issues trumped the social ones.
Even though political and social reasons helped, the main reason for the revolution was economical. Even the political and social reasons have to do with the economy of the time.
After the Seven Years War, Britain put many taxes on their Amarican colonies. One of them was the Townshend Duties. The Townshend Duties put a tax on imports of paper, lead, glass, paint, and tea. In response the the new taxes the colonists started a boycott movement. The colonists refused to import British causing the British to lose half their sales in America.
Even though the Quartering Act was not actually a tax on the American colonies, the colonists viewed it as one. The Quartering Act forced colonists to provide for the British soldiers in the colonies. Normally the government would provide of the soldiers which made the colonists think that Britain was indirectly taxing them, and they did not like being taxed by Britain.
One of the best cases supporting an economic revolt is the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act put a tax on paper, legal documents, and news papers. The act did not even have to come into effect for a riot to start. After the act was announced a group called the Sons of Liberty began ransacking stamp collectors homes and burned them to the ground.
Taxes were not the only economic thing the colonists got upset over. One thing they were quite upset about was the Tea Act. The Tea Act gave the East India Company a monopoly on British tea imports in the American colonies. British parliament created the act so the company would not go bankrupt because many of the parliament members held shares with the company. The colonists of course were not happy. The act took away their right to choose but the colonists felt that they had a right to buy whatever they wanted.
The second biggest reason for the revolution was political; Both the Tea Act, No taxation without representation can fit under both categories, but there are more economic reasons than political ones and the reaction to the economic reasons are generally more intense.
The most important catalyst for the Revolutionary was economic. After the Seven Years’ War, Britain was financially depleted, and it needed a new source of income. Since it didn’t have a lot of raw materials itself, it looked to its colonies to make up the difference. Britain began imposing taxes and fees on the American colonists. For example, the Stamp Act of 1763, the Sugar Act of 1764, and the Tea Act of 1773 are all examples of British activities that caused economic hardships on the American settlers. This caused widespread dissatisfaction with the economy amongst the colonists. In the Stamp Act of 1763, Britain imposed taxes on any legal documents, including newspapers. They imposed taxes on stuff like birth certificates, land grants, and all newspapers. This really made a dent in the economy because everyone bought newspapers and they were such a vital source in spreading news to unite the colonists against the British. In the Sugar Act of 1764, Britain imposed taxes on all shipments of sugar, and enforced new laws on the smuggling of sugar and molasses. This made one of the biggest dents in the economy because the one thing sugar was used to make that everyone loved was rum. Rum was a profitable industry back in the colonies, and since it was an important source of income, it was now more expensive to make because of the taxes on sugar. Lastly, there was the Tea Act of 1773 where Britain lowered their prices on their tea and forced the Americans to buy their tea. Not only did Britain lower the prices on their tea extremely low, they forced the Americans to buy their tea because American tea was too expensive. This cut off lots of American revenue and increased tensions between Britain and the colonists. To wrap this all up, the Stamp Act forced everybody to pay taxes on things they needed, not just the rich and middle class were affected, the poor was also hit hard, which created a problem. In the Sugar Act, this tightened the grip on one of the most profitable industries during the time, which people really depended on. Finally, the Tea Act forced all Americans to buy Britains tea which created among Britain and they were profiting from all of it. All these increased tensions amongst the colonists as it took cash out of their pockets, and they decided that something had to be done about this.
The American revolution is one of the best stories of a minority rising up against and oppressive power and winning freedom. Britain decided to place a substantial amount of oppressive policies on the colonies and the colonists had had it. They were being unfairly oppressed by taxation without representation, and acts such as the stamp act, the tea act, the sugar act, The Quebec act, and many more. These acts gave birth to an anger and hate in the colonials hearts, but most importantly yearn for freedom. Many could argue that this was an economic revolution, but this was a political revolution due to the oppressiveness of the British government.
“No taxation without representation” became a staple of the revolutions. Now do not get mistaken the Colonials were unhappy about being taxed, but that is all they were was unhappy. What really made the colonists angry and wanting to revolt was the fact that they were being taxed by political leaders whom were not appointed by the colonists. This proves that the revolution was primarily political, because what made the colonists want to revolt was not the economic reason of the taxes, it was the political reason of having no representation.
Another reason the revolutionary war was Political was the Quebec act. “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”. The right to trial by jury is incredibly important to the colonials because they feel that being judged by a jury of your peers is impartial, and being judged by a British judge was not. This angered the Colonials and made them want to revolt. The Quebec act was a huge deal because for the Colonists not having the right to a trial by jury was not an option. This act was a strictly political act with no economics or social issues involved, the political acts like this were what caused the revolution to be imminent.
I strongly believe the American Revolution was a political war on Great Britain. A successful empire prospers on power and control. American colonists, initially having a more lenient ruler, were later put under careful scrutiny after the Seven Years’ War. Great Britain needed more money to fund their economy so they leaned on the colonists. The colonists felt they were being taxed by the Bristish officials who didn’t represent them, leading to the famous quote: “taxation without representation”. They only wanted to be taxed by their own representatives, people who could better evaluate the situation and come to a cohesive decision. People also felt that some laws passed including the Quebec Act, the Stamp Act, and the Currency Act was slowly adding fuel to a fire that was already simmering. If Great Britain continued to tax these colonists who already began to feel a sense of independence from the mother country, the colonies would eventually want to dismiss themselves entirely. But more specifically were some of the rules of the laws themselves that set people on edge. For example, the Quebec Act allowed for French Canadians to continue practicing their religion. Colonists felt that Great Britain was boxing them into a pool of Catholics and ultimately jeopardizing their right to a fair trial. After the settlement of the Seven Years’ War, Great Britain gained a lot of land west of the Appalachians, but they prohibited colonists from settling there. The colonists now saw the extent of power Great Britain had over them and they hated it. Their rights were revoked because a government that didn’t represent them was calling the shots. At this time, enlightenment ideas were spreading through the colonies like wildfire, stressing the importance that a colony should only be run by a government that represents them, and that people have a right to life, liberty, and property. Rooted in any foundation of a constitution lies the need for power. The colonists saw their power over their people dwindle as Great Britain stepped in and passed all these new laws. These political grievances united the colonies to see change and assert their own power.
The American Revolution was an outcome of unfair laws that the British imposed upon the colonists. The famous saying “taxation without representation” came from unfair taxes that the British brought upon the colonists. The American Revolution happened because of economic causes. Like when the British tried to get out of their enormous debt from the Seven Years War. They taxed the colonists and the british, but the taxing was not even at all. The colonists got taxed one dollar while the British got taxed twenty-six. Even though the British were taxed much more heavily than the colonists, the colonists revolted against the British for taxing them. But the British thought that they should pay some of the war debt because Great Britain fought a war to protect the colonies. Even so, this taxing lead to the American Revolution.
Some people believe that the American Revolution was caused because of political reasons. But the reason this doesn’t work is because the British treated the colonists better than their own homeland. The colonists were just reacting towards these simple rules, thinking that the British would try to implement harsher taxes in the future. Because the colonists reacted vigorously, feeling like they would get tax laws repealed, it made it seem like the colonists could easily take the upper hand over the British. If the American Revolution was caused for mainly political reasons then these types of actions wouldn’t of happened.
Another reason that some people think that sparked the American Revolution was social reasons rather than economic causes. While social parts did have a play in the revolution this statement isn’t the main reason that lead to the American Revolution. When the Quartering Act of 1765, or Mutiny Act, was declared this required colonists to house and supply the British if the British so happened to pick their house to live in. This mostly affected the rich people because the British soldiers would much rather want to live in a nice home with good food and beds instead of a poorer house that may not have the same quality of goods that the rich house had. This reason was why the American Revolution was an economic revolution instead of a social one.
I believe that the revolution was primarily a political revolt. A big part of the political revolt was taxation without representation. This means that the British were taxing the colonies, and the colonies had no input on these taxes. The taxes came as different acts. A big reason I think that the revolution was more political than anything else was because these acts really untied and sparked a flame of rebellion in the colonies. These acts, that included taxing the colonies closing down harbors, and monopolizing markets, really pushed the colonies to the point of rebellious actions. A big example of these actions is the Boston tea party. The Boston tea party was when the sons of liberty dressed up as native Americans and boarded British ships and threw the tea into the water. The Boston tea party wasn’t the only protest in the colonies. There were multiple other revolts along the coast at other colonial harbors. Theses acts angered the colonies enough that they were willing to rebel by destroying British property. The tea act also had a economic impact. I just feel that the political aspect was more impactful because the British gave the colonies no saw and would not listen to the colonies because there was no one to represent the colonies in parliament. Since the colonist were unheard, I think the colonies used the Boston tea party as a way to say that they wont allow this. Another reason I feel that the revolution was more political based was the Quebec act. the Quebec act preserved French and Canadians the right to practice there religion, which was Catholicism. This made the colonists feel trapped in with Catholics. The Quebec act also did not give the colonies the right to trial by jury. This sacred the colonists and made them think that were right to a jury was possible threatened. Some people argue that the revolution was economically driven. I don’t think they are completely wrong but think there was more of a political impact than economic. Many acts did include a tax if it was on the merchants or someone else. But I don’t think that the colonies were being taxed unfairly without any say involved is what really triggered the revolution to start.
Plans for a new colonial government revolved around the idea of “no taxation without representation”. This was a quote that emerged from the colonists because they felt as if they weren’t being represented in British Parliament. After the seven year war, the British fell deep into a slew of debt. They saw the only way of making it through their economic depression was by taxing the colonists. However, the reason behind the american revolution wasn’t the harsh taxation, instead it was in Parliament. The colonists were angry with the British Parliament for the Navigation Acts in the first place, but what pushed them to launch a revolution against Great Britain had to have lied deeper within. The colonists didn’t necessarily disobey the acts leading up to 1732, but the British made a mistake in trying to control the colonists by placing taxes without a single colonial representative in British Parliament. The colonists felt that the only people who had the right to tax them was themselves, the assembly, and after
Several more taxes were placed against the colonists, still without any colonial representation in Parliament. The colonies wouldn’t come to obey the taxes placed on them after 1732, instead they resisted them by boycotting all goods that were taxed. They weren’t going to pay taxes without representation in government, and they wanted to make sure that the British understood their message. The Boston Tea Party in 1773 was a major event that provides an example for the anger the colonists felt, it also fueled the already rising tension between the British and the Colonists.
These taxes were seen by our founding fathers as a sign of future corruption within the British government. This idea of British corruption would help unite the colonists in fighting the revolution, as several enlightenment ideas began to spread throughout the colonies. This was when the first plans for a new government would emerge, in other words, plans for a revolution would begin to form.
The main reason for the American Revolution was a blend of the colonists political feelings toward British parliament, and the unfair taxes that were placed on them. However, the colonists launched an all out revolution in the end because they wanted nothing to do with the British’s corrupted government.
It is not uncommon to assume that the American Revolution was most impacted by an economic or social cause. In fact, it’s very easy to just say that the reason barrels of tea were hurled into the boston harbor because of the taxes on them, or that class wars broke out due to division of money between classes, however when one looks closer, it is clear it was politically motivated. The colonists were far more motivated by the rights they were entitled to and the new ideas that were circulated than their bank accounts.
“No taxation without representation” was one of the most common phrases among revolutionists and has a political message. They wanted representation in parliament before they could be taxed by parliament. The idea of taxes being regulated by a group of men with little knowledge of the people they are taxing was unconstitutional and corrupt to the colonists. They believed as English subjects they deserved the same rights as those living in Great Britain. The violation of the right to a representative democracy was believed to be the first step in leading to possible violations of the rights like the right to trial by jury. While there was only evidence of taxes based laws violating the colonists’ rights, they knew that if they let these laws go by peacefully, then Great Britain would feel entitled to pass harsher laws whenever they pleased. Such anxiety of future tampering with their rights was conveyed in their reaction to the Quebec Act. The Quebec Act barely affected them, the act was meant to protect the French Canadian Catholics’ freedom to religion. The colonists became paranoid and were convinced that this was the first step to revoking their right to trial by jury, because the Catholics do not exercise that right. This act along with other acts barely put any large social or economic repercussions. The colonists were still paying one twenty-sixth of the amount of taxes as the citizens in Great Britain. The acts were normally only a small burden if any financially. Socially the reason there was a such a class war had to do with the political affiliation of the classes. Generally the upper class was for the British and remained loyal while the middle and lower were for the colonies. This political difference created any class war. While social and economic played parts in inspiring the Revolution the cause of most importance was political due to its overall presence in all motivating factors and the strength of its own influences.
The primary start to the American Revolution was the outcome of the British being in severe debt. The American colonists weren’t paying as much taxes as the residents over in Britain so the British Parliament thought to tax the Americans as well since the Britians were paying their taxes as well. This was the start to the economic revolt of the colonists against the British empire. Along with the heavy taxes being placed against them, there were also political aspects to the revolution to it as well. The revolts happened because there taxation without representation and only being used as a source of income for Britain since they were so heavily in debt. All of this angered the colonists even though the British were paying 26 dollars in taxes. Soon, this would turn out to be political and economic revolts as well.
Taxation without Representation became a huge statement during this time because the colonists thought the taxing on them was unconstitutional and it was coming from an outside power and not something they agreed on having in the colonies. Another example is the Stamp Act document, a document that affected the Freedom of Speech of the colonists. Even though they didn’t live in Britain or Englishmen, the Americans were affected by this and the British reasserted the rights of the colonists to Englishmen. Soon, a guy named John Locke thought of ideas of enlightenment and natural rights began to trickle throughout the colonies. News spread and the start of a new government that wasn’t abusive started to come in affect. Thomas Jefferson, John Locke and others started to battle the political battle against the British and start the Revolution and the Independence the colonies needed to free themselves from the grasp of the British Empire.
All in all, historians said the revolution was because of economics, politics, and the social culture. In my opinion, I say the American Revolution was caused by economics and politics because of how the British taxed the Americans without any representation and started to tax the colonists just for them to have money coming in due to their staggering war debt.
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Many people argue the cause of the Revolution, if it was political, social or economic but the most convincing argument was that the American Revolution was a political revolution. The American Revolution was a hard fought battle and the turning point to the birth of a new nation. The colonists were seeking independence due to the unfair rule of the British and war had been declared. One of the most influential reasons that independence was declared was because the colonists had no power. The staple catch phrase “No taxation without representation” reflected on this issue perfectly. The colonists were faced with heavy taxes from the British after the Seven Years’ War and they had no way to get rid of them. Colonists had no representation in Parliament so they had to sit and watch these dreadful taxes being levied upon them. The way they gave themselves power was The Stamp Act Congress gave them liberties and rights they wanted because they wanted power. Another instance of this search for power was the Quebec Act of 1774 where the colonists were left without the ability to have a trial by jury. The American Colonists were upset with the way the British were stripping them of their power and that is when the revolution began.
Although I believe the war was caused due to political matters, there are valid arguments on whether it was a war over economic matters. The colonist were indeed taxed heavily by the British but this didn’t lead to economic struggle. The heavy taxes and bans put on the colonists stressed them out and forced them to buy goods from the British. In response to the colonists facing taxes, they avoided British entirely and boycotted them. The colonists didn’t have a problem with the new acts implemented upon them because they were able to avoid them. People also argue that this was a social or cultural matter. The rich people who were loyalists had tensions with the pro colonies middle classmen. Men of lower class were resented and their demands weren’t being met. Compared to the rich, the impoverished people were upset because they had less representation. I think the whole social aspect ties into the political one because these people want to be heard and want to have power. In my opinion, I think the political standpoint is the most convincing cause to the American Revolution.
The causes of the American Revolution have been fought over by historians for years. Some historians believe that it started for economic reasons. Throughout the 1700s, the colonies faced economic neglect from Great Britain but had become so accustomed to it that they figured out a system of their own (different currency and lower taxes). This was until British officials began to introduce new laws and acts such as the Navigation Acts. The Navigation Acts prevented colonists from being able to compete with British industries by taxing American goods at a higher rate than British ones. The Sugar Act and Townshend Acts were also introduced for England’s economic gain. The Sugar Act specifically took a toll on the sugar trade and therefore the rum industry. Intra-colonial trade was limited by the British to force colonists to buy from British based companies. This put many upper-class colonists in debt with English merchants, and because of the new taxes, it became extremely difficult to pay off their debts. Although this was a secondary cause of the revolution and helped to build tension between the colonies and Great Britain, it was not the primary cause because, without the political accusations made, the economic strain (which was not caused by British taxation) would not have been enough to turn into a revolutionary war.
Other historians believe that it was caused by social and societal conflicts. The wealth ownership percentage was off-putting in the 1770s, as the top 20% owned about ⅔ of the wealth and the bottom 20% only owned 1%. Some people used this to fuel resentment against the upper class and British officials. Additionally, middle-class colonists found themselves constantly competing with British soldiers for jobs. These events caused even worse feelings towards the British and led to rebellions across the countryside against the wealthy colonists. Mainly, lower-class citizens felt that they did not have the same opportunities as others and felt that the huge gap between the rich and the poor was unfair. These problems made colonists upset but caused no one to take action beyond anything more than The Paxton Boys which is why it is only a secondary cause of the revolution.
The political causes of the revolution are the most prominent and effective, which is why it is considered to be the primary reason for the war. It all came down to taxation without representation. The colonists felt that they shouldn’t be taxed by parliament if they weren’t given representation in it. The taxes had virtually no financial effect on the colonists but did fuel a fire, causing the revolution. These taxes caused revolts such as the Boston Tea Party and inspired enlightenment ideas creating a massive shift in attitude towards the British. This shift made people realize that a revolution was a necessary step in the future, for the colonies and inspired many to act upon it.
What was the most important cause of the american revolution
By:Jada Wesley
The revolution should be considered an economic cause based on the idea of “no taxation without representation”. The colonist believe the britsih rule was very harsh. The economic causes of the American Revolution were based off of the imposement of British taxes in the colonies.Some were around 1765 king George increase taxes so the british could pay for the seven year war. Slowly the colonists and the british started to pull apart. The colonists created a boycott over british goods which means the trading with the british was over. That negatively affect the colonist who were merchants and the british merchants as well. The tea act for example was an economic cause. I believe it was an economic cause because the british raised the tax on tea and that angered the colonists.And made the american people rebel. They manage to do that by dumping 342 chests of tea into the Boston harbor. The Proclamation of 1763 was also another economic reason. It forbade colonists from settling west of the Appalachians. This was truly an economic cause because the british didn’t want them to settle their because of their ongoing trade with the american indians. The british didn’t want the americans to ruin what they had. Writs of Assistance allowed court orders which gave British officials the right to search homes, buildings, and ships for smuggled goods.Navigation Act collection of laws restricting trade. Currency Act forbade colonies and colonists from using paper currency. All these new rules an act the british put in place were all cause of an economical reason. Some of the main economic causes of the American Revolution are mainly due to Britain’s unfair actions. The americans were just fed up they couldn’t take the british taxing them for their problems. After the seven year war the only reason they raise the tax was because they were largely in debt. So they punish the Americans for something they didn’t have any business in. They also did not allow the Americans to really create their own things. For example, if a sales clark wanted to get a certain material they would have to get it from the british. The americans Just kinda wanted to handle their own taxing, needlework and ect.The For I believe that every wars foundation is money if we didn’t have any money we probably won’t have the problems we have now.
The American revolution was a political revolt based around the statement no taxation without representation. After the Seven Year War Britain faced a great debt and already had staggering taxes within their own country. The parliament decided to tax the colonies however, the colonies found this greatly unjust due to the fact they weren’t even represented within the parliament. the parliament passed oppressive laws and taxes such as the Stamp Act, Sugar Act, the Tea Act, and later the Quartering act to name a few. these taxes were to be paid in gold or silver leaving many colonists poor. this started a political feud within the colonies and only strengthened their beliefs in self government. many of these acts were not too much of an economic burden on the colonies but rather a tax that was created without representation. Enlightenment thinkers of that time such as ben franklin claimed they needed representation within the parliament to have the taxes be fairly reasoned or exist at all. many colonists believed such enlightenment thinkers and their idea that there must be reason and thought behind actions. taxes such as the Townshend acts places were a direct tax instead of an indirect tax as well which was different and sparked more political debate.
Centered around the idea of no taxation without representation the colonies held the first continental congress to talk about the issues of having ruling over them in which there was no representation. they spoke of many laws and agreements that they felt would allow them to start to show there disinterest in the parliament controlling there land. they believed the continental congress was a first step toward self governing. although some of the political sides of the revolution was based upon economics the economic would not have been an issue if not for their strong political standpoint. many of the forefathers of our country fought for the political standpoints in favor of the greater good of the colonies. The Colonies were afraid of more taxes and more unfair actions by the parliament. they came together as one to Fight for a chance to represent all the colonies with their own form of self government.
If we put this all into consideration its is clearly fit to say that the american revolution was indeed a mostly political revolt motivated through some economic reasoning. Overall the Political standpoints shaped the american revolution we know today.
The primary cause of the American Revolution was social/cultural disparities amongst the American colonists. First of all, not all Americans were land owners, and lived what we call “the American Dream”. So with the wealth gap came resentment towards upperclassmen who owned most of the land. Poorer colonists also felt that the British helped the upperclassmen more as well, like the Proclamation of 1763 which prevented poor farmers from obtaining new lands in the west. Westward expansion was particularly important because most of the land in the eastern colonies were already well established and bought out by those with more money. And so protests from poor tenant farmers and factory workers started in the colonies. The (economically) poor colonists’ motivation for doing so was because they felt that the American Revolution would provide them with a chance to create a new system where they had more opportunities at owning land and making money, no matter their social circumstances. Even prior to the American Revolution, the poorer classes rallied in town halls and assemblies of government members to voice their opinions. The townhall meetings showed the lower class on one side advocating for pro-colonist policies and the upper class expressing more “Loyalist” ideas on the other. Further class arguments would lead to further Patriot vs. Loyalist arguments between the two groups, leading to the American Revolution.
On the other hand, the economic situations of the colonies was not the primary cause of the Revolution. Although the British government did tax the colonists unfairly, the colonies probably still would not have been willing to unite. The reason for that is because the colonists back then were not very cooperative, and each colony would want a form of government and policies that mainly favored their economy and colony. For example, during the discussion of the Albany Plan, there was debate over whether colonies who donated more money to the union should get more representation. Since smaller or poorer colonies were at a disadvantage with this plan and larger colonies at an advantage, there were disagreements on what part of the plan would stay or go. Ultimately, the Albany Plan was rejected, but the question is, would the colonies ever agree on one final plan? The economic situations of the colonies would not have been enough to make colony officials, who were mostly if not all part of the upper class, shed their pride about how much money they and their colony owed and come to a consensus on policies. The wealth gap and the lack of opportunities amongst the lower classes, however, were shared amongst many colonies. This sparked a “down-up” response, where the large numbers of lower to middle class people overwhelmed the upper class in revolutionary matters (including uniting).
While the other two reasons for the revolution are surely large factors, it was the political environment of the times that created the urge for independence.
After the 7 years war, the colonists suddenly found themselves following laws of the Birtish monarchy. This new authority in the colonies would be a staunch change from life before the 7 years war. It was the political realization that the ideology of British homelands did not compute with the consensus in the colonies, a very literate population that have been exposed to these new enlightenment ideals. All of a sudden, the colonists need to reevaluate their differences in government compared to the British.
The Quebec Act forced the colonists to question how long their right of a trial by jury would last, and how powerful their colonial representatives would be compared to the crown. Now they were new taxes that heavily affect the colonial people, yet they had no representation to decide upon there existence.
Enlightenment philosophers like Voltaire, and John Locke would write works that would come into conflict direct conflict with the status quo established by the British Monarchy. For instance, Voltaire was an advocate of the separation of church and state, but that came into conflict with the mere fact that the King of Great Britain was also head of the Church of England. While Voltaire, as well as other enlightenment philosophers like Rousseau, who wrote for the separation of political power, were influential, no other europian writer would have a greater influence on the American revolution than John Locke. Locke argued against corrupt, tyrannical governments, like the one of George III, and for man’s inalienable rights to life, liberty, and property. The ladder of which would be alluded to by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence. Even after the revolution Locke’s three universal rights would become a key part of the new American identity. These thoughts would influence, undoubtedly one of the most important pieces of literature calling for revolution, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. Common Sense would spread like wildfire in the colonies, helping the spread of revolution and assert the need for a new egalitarian government (of course only for white men) that was not being offered by British law. These enlightenment ideals would become the centering reason, that all others rotated around, that would unite the colonies in revolt. It would influence almost all of the most important figures during the revolution, from Thomas Jefferson, to Benjamin Franklin, to Samuel Adams, no other cause would become a greater call for the creation of a new nation then the political revelations created during the enlightenment
The American revolution started mainly because of economic reasons. The major economic reason for the American revolution was Britain using the colonies as a way to enrich itself. After the Seven years War, Britain started taxing the colonies with a lot of taxes like the sugar act, the stamp act, the tea acts and the townshend act. These taxes made the colonials feel like the British were using the taxes as a way to raise money for themselves, not to regulate trade and to the benefit of the colonists. These taxes also seemed to cut out colonial business. The british raised taxes on goods that brought money to the colonials instead of the British, like refined sugar, so that they could enrich themselves more. The taxes also started a lot of boycotts, like the non-importation movement with merchants and the boycott of british goods among almost all the colonials. Not only did this create tension between the Americans and the British, but it united Americans together and made them more patriotic as they stopped buying british goods and started buying american.
A second economic reason that helped start the American revolution was the states having to pay english merchants with gold and silver. After the seven year war, the british stopped letting the americans pay english merchants with the money they printed themselves, and instead made them pay with gold and silver. The british did so so that the colonies would stop printing their own money, but it had a lot of negative impacts. Many merchants and upperclassmen that would buy from english merchants with american money now had to pay with gold or silver, which they did not have and so made them go into debt. This made merchants and upperclassmen, whom were powerful people, mad against the british and it also made Americans feel less independent now that they could not print their own money.
In conclusion, the American Revolution occurred mostly because of economic reasons. The british putting more taxes on the colonials just to raise money for themselves and not letting them print their own money created tension between the colonies and the British and also made the Americans feel like their independence was getting taken away.
There is no doubt that the American Revolution was one of the most horrific wars in history, but do you ever wonder what truly deep down led people to start this huge war? Ever since the war ended, historians have debated back and forth on what caused the war to occur. Whether they believe it was started because of economic, political or social/cultural issues still seems to stump people over and over again. Throughout studying the American Revolution in detail, we can clearly see how people could think any of these things. But when it all plays out, there is no doubt that the political issues at the time were the main cause of the war.
During the 1770’s, after the 7 Years War, britain wanted full control of the colonies. They were able to control a lot due to being the main source of goods that colonists wanted like the latest british fashion. Britain was also able to tax ameerican goods at a higher rate than their own goods which was bad for Americans because other countries wouldn’t want to buy more expensive goods. They also were able to keep colonists from expanding because they passed acts such as the sugar, stamp, and tea. All of this made the colonists mad because all they truly wanted was freedom as well as the right to have a say in how there economy is run. Also all of these acts were causing other problems such as smuggling in the ports, and due to this struggling merchants became very upset. They started to boycott british goods and they successfully did for nearly two years until the acts were appealed. This made colonists soon realize that this was not a way to live and they finally realized they needed a change.This is why so many people got involved in the war and why there were so many passionate fighters. Although economics and social/cultural issues still had a great effect on the outcome of the war, they are overshadowed by the political motivations that really inspired colonists to make a change and start the revolution.
The American Revolution point was not only a turning point for the Western Lands, but a turning point for the world, as it marked the start of the downfall of the United Kingdom’s stranglehold on the world. I believe the Americans Revolution was an economic revolt instead of a political or social revolt. “Taxation Without Representation” was one of the main issues of the revolution, and that being a major economic issue of unfair taxes without the Western Colonies’ having a say in it. The taxes began after the French and Indian War (know as the Seven Years’ War in Europe) when Britain realized that the Colonies were not paying very much in taxes. After all, the British fought the war to protect the American Colonies and their Colonists. Before these taxes, American Colonists payed $1 tax dollar for every tax dollar payed by a British Citizen. These acts placed unfair new taxes on items that Colonists used every day, and most of the time made them harder to get. Usually the Colonists boycotted these taxes, but to no avail. The British kept implying new acts on the colonists and with every new act, a new boycott was staged. This led the British to become more strict with the colonists and enforce many new laws with the colonists that did not have to do with money. After the British taxed things the Colonists could live without, they started to tax everyday items, such as sugar, tea, and British Imported clothes. Also, these acts were set into motion to cut out/limit Colonial Businessmen, which limited options to purchase, and left the Colonists with 2 choices: the highly taxed British Imports or nothing. At the time, America was a major rum consumer, and the British raised prices of refined sugar from the West Indies, 60% of which went to the United States to produce rum. Also, the new Board of commons virtually ended smuggling of goods into the United States which led struggling businessmen to many boycotts in the late 1760s. Merchants from the Upper East Coast and New England sided with the Lower East coast states on the non-importation act.
The American Revolution was a reaction the colonists gave the British because of the unfair laws they were being put under. Following the Seven Years’ War, the British were in a massive debt and couldn’t pay for it themselves. Since the British couldn’t find the money, they decided to tax the colonists. They were taxing the colonist on unfair things which later got out of hand. This was the reason for taxation without representation and the American Revolution. The American Revolution was fought because of the unfair taxes which correlates to an economic revolt.
The colonists were being taxed because Britain was in an economic depression and wanted a way out. With Britain not having enough money to pay the debt off themselves they decided to tax the British and the colonists on unfair things. Not only were the taxes on unfair things, they were also priced at an unreasonable amount. Due to the taxes that were continuously being placed on the colonists they finally decided to fight for themselves and started the American Revolution.
Many others believe that the American Revolution was caused by a political revolt. Even though this may seem true, when you look deeper you can see that the colonists were being treated better than the British people themselves. The colonists often thought that they didn’t have freedom and were being used but really it was the other way around. The colonist would ignore normal commands given by the British and wouldn’t listen to simple rules the British set in place. Overall the colonists had more freedom and power than the British citizens themselves. If the colonists did not agree with a law the British set in place they had the power to retract the law and go against Britain rules. The American Revolution was not caused by politics but rather economics because of the way the colonists reacted to the taxes set in place by the British.
Furthermore, the American Revolution was a reaction to the economic strain and discomfort the British were placed under. The Revolution did not have much to do with politics because most of the political issues that the colonists were faced with the British took care of and fixed for them, while on the other hand economically Britain needed to force the taxes on the colonists in order to pay off their debt, which made the colonists enraged thus starting the American Revolution.
The American Revolution was more prevalently the outcome of an unfair change in political laws and restrictions on the colonies. As the British decided they needed to gain more control over the colonies following the Seven Years War, they implemented new and unfair acts and tax laws that the colonies believed to be a slippery slope to a more oppressive and strict government. The colonies were angered by the fact that they had previously had quite a lot of freedom, and then seemingly out of nowhere, the British began to involve themselves more in the colonies freedom and tax them on popular goods in an attempt to pull themselves out of their own debt.
Although it was the taxes that seemed to be the main reason for the colonists resentment, the cause for the revolution was more political than economic. The taxes were not even that extreme, it was the looming threat that these taxes could lead to even more taxes and restrictions that truly upset the colonists. They believed these taxes meant less political power for themselves, and less freedom.
From a social aspect, the colonies were upset as they the new laws placed a lack of opportunity for new immigrants and natural born-colonists. This argument relates to politics as the poor were upset by their lack of political representation that restricted their ability to have any effect on the unfair taxes that were affecting them the most. We see an example of this when the white and tenant farmers wanted to “democratize local government in their counties”.
The colonists bore the slogan, “no taxation without representation” in their revolution. To elaborate on this quote, it is saying that it is unfair and unconstitutional for the colonies to be taxed without their consent, as they did not have a single representative in the British government. The colonies believed in actual representation, in that communities should be subject to their own elected officials and representatives. The British, however, believed in virtual representation in which Parliament reserved the right to speak for all British subjects. This major difference in political ideals and the colonists lack of political representation was the primary reason for the American Revolution.
The American Revolution is evidently a direct result of an economic rebellion, motivated by a shared resentment towards the British government. Great Britain developed a pattern of using the colonies for their own benefit, rather than playing their role properly. England let the colonies run things the way they wanted, then tried to enforce rules on a community that had grown too independent to be restrained.
After the backlash of the Molasses Act, the government was determined to make their seat at the head of the table known. Prior to the Seven Years War, the Sugar Act was passed, proposing an opportunity to crack down on smuggling, but also leaving a gap for corruption and false accusations. This Act plays a large role in the idea that people deserve the right to a trial with a jury of peers. The Constitution, along with the Amendments, have been written because of acts and laws passed to protect people after realizing they were being treated poorly. The Third Amendment also demonstrates this when Patriots realize that there must be rules in place to protect citizens from housing soldiers against their will. Also as stated in the economic explanation, they were only good for the king to make profits off of. The colonies were merely a resource. They weren’t allowed to purchase goods outside of the motherland’s empire and they couldn’t compete with British goods, stunting their imports and profits from exports. However that didn’t matter to great Britain because it didn’t affect their economy negatively. Patriots felt no need to belong to a country who didn’t care for their economic well being, and overall a country that stunted their growth as colonies.
Some believe that the Revolution was socially motivated, but that’s wrong because not all classes were affected equally by the acts and taxes.In a sense the rich may have even been more hesitant in going to war because of the social status if they were at the top. However when the Quartering Act was passed the wealthier citizens had more to offer in the sense that the wealthier were more likely to provide homes as they had rooms, and resources, to spare. When a tax was placed on molasses those who made rum and other alcoholic drinks had to pay the taxes, which were then placed back on the people as the price for rum went up to fill the gap. However townspeople could just refrain from buying the product, the person selling it had no choice but to pay the tax. The poor were mainly hurt by not having representation in major discussions about the colonies future. All classes were affected differently and some had it better than others, so it’s hard to say that everyone was equally upset enough to go to war. The Revolution happened because economic manipulations and the government’s disinterest in the colonies’ financial success.
The american revolution was a political revolution. Most of the events leading up to the american Revolution were taxes and acts that the british had placed upon the american colonists. One of these acts is the stamp act. The stamp act was passed on march 22, 1765 by the british parliament. What this act did was it imposed a tax on all paper and documents in the colonies. This act infuriated the colonists and led them to boycott and rebel against the british parliaments. This act was unfair because it was a great example of the british’s taxation without representation. Another act that the british parliament bur in to place on the american colonies was the tea act. This was an act in which the british parliament made the only company of tea that the american colonies could buy was british east india tea company. The colonists were outraged when this act was put into place, so much so that a group of men called the sons of liberty committed the boston tea party. The sons of liberty were a group of bostonian men who dressed as mohawk indians, went to a port where the tea was delivered, and dumped three hundred and forty two chests of tea into the Boston harbor. They saw what they were doing as a way to get back at the briish parliament for their harsh laws. Instead all this really ended up doing was making the colonists pay back the british for the tea and the british control only becoming harsher. Although i am now claiming that the american revolution was an economic revolution, in the summer homework assignments for the long essay i said that it was actually more political. I believed it could have been more of a political revolution because the american colonists had little to no power over themselves and wanted to gain more control back from the british parliament who ruled over them. The colonists were tired of being pushed around and forced to do things they did not want to do. I believe eventually the colonists decided that they had enough of the british’s controlling ways and wanted to branch off and rule over themselves. Even though I think that claim is less important it still in my opinion has some truth to it.
The primary cause of the American Revolution was the social/cultural aspect. After the Seven Years War, Britain gained a ton of land from the French. Although they would not let the colonists move into the land towards the West. The colonies’ economy was increasing rapidly and not everyone was benefiting. There were many colonists that didn’t have farmland due to them not being able to expand West. So these colonists looked for jobs in the city, which were very limited. Since there were still soldiers stationed in the colonies, mostly cities, and were poorly payed they took jobs from colonists who needed them. The colonists looking for jobs consisted of primarily of poor or middle-class colonists.
Some historians believe that the Boston Massacre was a result of the British soldiers taking jobs from the American colonists. Marches and protests involving the poor and middle class often got violent. Rebellions all over the colonies were being created due to the wealthy colonists. The Paxton Boys from western Pennsylvania wanted to destroy the city so their concerns would be listened to. The whole argument had to due to what opportunities certain colonists were given based on who they are. The poor and middle class of the colonies struggled greatly while the upper class thrived. This eventually led to rallying and violent protests.
James Otis and Sam Adams contributed to the start of the revolutionary flame in the lower-class colonists. The upper-class colonists were more associated with the British while the lower and middle-class were more pro-colonies. The poor and middle-class were very dedicated to fighting for a better future. Many colonists blamed the rich when it came to money and opportunity problems in the colonies. This is a consequence of the more upper-class being more buddy-buddy with the British officials who controlled the law. The issue between the lower-class and upper-class is a problem that is constant in all communities and will continue on centries later.
I believe that the American Revolution was a political uproar because of all the taxation acts being enforced by British Parliament and the lack of representation the colonists had in the mother country. After the Seven Years’ War, Britain was drowned in severe debt they could not pay off by themselves and they thought the colonies were the perfect solution. Even though colonists were taxed one dollar for every twenty-six dollars British citizens were , they wanted justice. Americans had no voice or representation in Parliament, therefore they did not have power to reject new acts. A sense of frustration and distrust quickly spread among colonists because they didn’t feel they had to pay off another countries debt when they hardly contributed in the war. Most acts didn’t hurt the colonies economically, sometimes they even helped, but citizens felt like they were being blamed responsible for a hole Britain dug themselves into. Since there was no economic threat, it was not what frustrated colonists to revolt.
The Boston Tea Party was one of the most successful boycotts performed by colonists, after the Tea Act of 1773 was introduced. Americans had finally had enough and wanted to do something about it. The idea of a Continental Congress was expressed and they held their first meeting in 1774 to discuss political issues brought on by Britain. Their meeting was so effective, they started to meet regularly to keep fighting political injustices such as the Intolerable Acts. Social and economical threats were also addressed by Continental Congress, but they were never the main focus of the political revolt that was the American Revolution.
You could also argue social classes were a big divide between colonies, but they didn’t drive the start of the revolution because richer classes were treated harsher than lower classes. This is because acts such as the Quartering Act forced colonists to welcome British soldiers into their homes, and provide needed supplies. Soldiers would much rather prefer a big house with their own room and plenty of food over a rental one room home with food scraps, so in that sense richer Americans were taken advantage of their greedy foreign house guests. The constant older to younger sibling treatment England gave colonists is what drove them to take political action and spark the American Revolution.
Philosophers and historians have been debating and studying whether the American Revolution was political, economical, or social/cultural for many years. I believe that this revolution was primarily politically stemmed from economic issues. The Sevens years war caused a lot of debt for England, which then caused the British Parliament to tax the American Colonists, but in a very aggressive manner.
There were certain taxes, that were called Acts, put in place so the the British could gain back their money, they thought they rightfully deserved because they had provided so much aid to the colonies during the war. The British enforced the Sugar, Stamp, Townshend, and Tea Acts. The Stamp, Sugar, and Tea Act, all raised prices on the certain good when it was used or bought. The Townsend Act overall taxed any of the imported goods. Therefore, this made it harder for the merchants to succeed. This then led to people becoming angered and feeling like they were being taxed without representation. The American colonists realizing they wanted their own representation in some type of government, pushed them to finally revolt.
Because most of the colonists were already very poor, it pushed them even more to thinking the system was unconstitutional and they needed representation in Parliament. The colonies believed they had the right to trial by jury, representation in democracy, and some other liberties. Colonists and some of our Founding Fathers believed that the taxes were just the beginning leading to burdening laws. Not only did feel there was taxation without representation they felt over powered and controlled, especially when the Quartering Act of 1774 was placed. This was because colonies were forced to home soldiers, no matter the circumstances and the colonists had to provide whatever the soldier needed. The enlightenment ideas of some philosophers, like John Locke, also affected the colonies ways of thinking because it opened their eyes to a more equal way of life, specifically politically.
All of these events and relizations the colonies were coming to as time lead on, all caused the American Revolution to be stemmed from political turmoil between Britain and the American Colonies.
After examining the arguments given in this blog, I have decided that I believe the most important cause of the revolution was the social aspect of it. Although the political and economic parts of this topic are highly important, I feel like the social part connects the economic and political parts together. During this era, a skyrocketing population left the colonies with several families, and for most, no land to provide for their children. Because of the insufficient state the never-ending taxes left the colonies with, many citizens ended up poverty-stricken. In certain areas the colonies were only truly manageable for the rich upper-class population, who owned most of the land. Even in the countryside, rebellions were popping up led by the less fortunate against the rich. For example, The Paxton Boys marched on the capitol in 1763, Philadelphia, to air their grievances and were ultimately prepared to torch the city. Many of the lower-class sought out jobs that were either nonexistent or terribly exhausting, and when the less fortunate tried to get land in the preferred part of their colonies, many were turned away.This common grief led many of the poor to speak out about their hardships. For example the blog states that in some 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. Sometimes these same men were able to out vote injustices stacked against them. Additionally, the consistent presence British soldiers, especially in Boston,who were underpaid or free, indirectly caused revolts such as the Boston Massacre as many of them were taking away jobs from unemployed colonists. It is evident throughout America’s colonial history that there was an extreme gap between the rich and poor, as well as a lack of political representation for the poverty-stricken. However, if people were not social and did not voice their hardships, many of the important political officials like James Otis and Samuel Adams would have never took advantage of the popular resentment and poor state of the lower-class population thus triggering a war.
The American Revolution was a politically charged revolution. Although most of the laws, duties, and regulations enforced by the British had direct economic consequences for the colonists, actual boycotts and rebellions were political. The taxes and regulations were examples of the popular patriot battle cry “taxation without representation.” In British Parliament, virtual representation took place. Therefore, the colonists didn’t have someone that was from the colonies to vote on these bills before they were passed in Great Britain. Following the French and Indian War, a substantial debt was left on the shoulders of Great Britain. Prior to the debt, the colonists were largely left alone due to an unenergetic and inefficient British Government. Many British Government officials were also easily bribed. After being allowed to be governed by their own colonial assemblies for so long, the series of taxes assigned by the King and Parliament served as a wake-up call to the situation in which the colonists found themselves. By 1774, Britain was controlling the whole of colonial trade and limiting the colonial ability to make money with British monopoly in multiple industries. The limitations were what primarily angered the colonists rather than the relatively small economic burdens. Around this time, discussions of John Locke and his enlightenment ideas were being passed around. The idea that an abusive government, that is only using the colonies as an economic asset, should be replaced was discussed.
Many argue that the economic burdens placed on the colonists were what sparked the American Revolution. In reality, the majority of the taxes and regulations were minor given that those living in England were taxed ten times more than the colonists during this period. For example, the Stamp Act, which helped spur on the revolution, wasn’t even actually put into effect in the colonies, The thought of such a major usage of taxation without representation spurred instant rebellion and outrage. The same goes for the rest of the Grenville program outside of the repeal. The colonists accepted indirect taxes and funding methods better than direct taxes such as the Stamp Act for straightforward taxation with only virtual representation was seen as unconstitutional (not because of the relatively small tax). Many people also argue that the American Revolution was a cultural revolution, yet almost all of the Navigation Acts along with the Quartering Act basically only affected the middle to upper class merchants along the eastern seaboard. The Navigation and Quartering Acts didn’t enrage those living in the countryside. Overall, the American Revolution was political because the fight against Britain was based on why the colonists were taxed, not how much they were taxed.
The revolution happened because of political reasons instead of social or economical reasons. When the revolution was advocated, people were not talking about the culture necessarily or the economy, no, they were talking about politics. The citizens of the U.S were having suspicions over the possibility that they may start losing their voice in politics. This is because the British started enforcing more laws that required Americans to have to obey instead of having the option of declining. An example is the quartering acts, Americans would normally quarter soldiers without a law but when the quartering act was made the citizens felt like the British were gaining power. The American citizens could not decline housing the citizens and were forced to house citizens, so the colonists felt like they were losing their voice in politics. Another act that was deemed political was the stamp act, which was meant to be an act that affected the economy but colonists saw it as an act that was political. This is because the colonists were being taxed without agreeing to it, thus “ no taxation without representation” being formed.More proof that the American revolution was political based is how often the quote “no taxation without representation” was said and how popular became. There were no quotes as popular as “no taxation without representation” that represented cultural or economic problems. Another example of an act affecting the economy but being taken politically are the townshend duties. Colonists were continued to be taxed when they showed their anger when they got taxed without having a voice. The colonists were so angry at this point that they tried to have meetings to try to change the British’s orders. However, the last straw which was not an economical act but a very serious order that affected politics was that assemblies could not happen anymore. The British pretty much fueled the revolution by how much they tested the colonists to the point that the colonists rebelled. Sure, these acts affected the colonies by affecting their economy, but the colonists cared more about their rights than they cared about their economy.
The primary cause of the Revolutionary War was social. People in the colonies were known to be independent and have little respect for authority. They wanted to have a say in their government, which is an idea that was fought for in the war.
The poor started many rebellions against the wealthy, pro-British colonists. These small rebellions paved the way for the Revolution. These poor people didn’t have access to enough land for farming, or enough work in the cities. They felt like they weren’t being listened to so they demanded that open meetings be held so they could have a say and know how their representatives were voting. These colonists also resented the British soldiers, who they saw as competition for the few available jobs. The upper class also disliked the British soldiers because they were burdened with taking care of them. Colonists agreed that the British were no longer seen as protectors, but as burdens and enemies. This ideology eventually lead to the Boston Massacre. The Boston Massacre was a major piece of propaganda during the Revolution. A similar group that helped start the Revolution was the Paxton Boys. They hated the British government and stormed Philadelphia to ensure that their grievances were heard. The American Revolution revolved around the ideas of the Enlightenment thinkers. When many people came to the colonies they imagined a place were they would have equal opportunities. Unfortunately, they didn’t always find it. They were inspired by the Enlighteners to fight for their voices to be heard.
The primary cause of the Revolution wasn’t economic because the colonist’s taxes were far less than the ones British citizens paid. The Stamp Act, an additional tax which would have affected every colonist, was repealed before it ever took effect. Despite being ruled by a government across the sea, the colonies still had some say through their colonial assemblies. When they didn’t like a decree, such as the Stamp Act, they were able to get it repealed. The main cause of the Revolution was social, the colonists set a new standard for how a society could be governed. They created a society where everyone could have a say in how the government was run.
The American Revolution was mostly politically caused. Yes, social and culture were important factors in the coming of the American Revolution but there were no other immediate pushing factors like the “taxation without representation”. The colonies being excessively taxed, by for example the stamp act and Townsend acts, would further unite them and drive them for separation from the mother country. Although the reasoning for these most of the time sudden taxation acts were in the right, the colonists after being left alone for so long felt that their way of life was being threatened by the overshadowing British government. True problems arose when the taxation acts began to directly trickle affect the colonists individual buying power and income. By having each and every colonist, in every colony in America equally affected by the new acts would unite them in a way that not even the French and Indian war did.
to add to the argument that the movement and eventual revolution was politically caused take a look at some of the men leading. Many of the people in power of writing and distributing papers took advantage of getting to each and every colonist, and sharing the message. Although the message that Benjamin Franklin was going for when he made “join, or Die” did not at the time apply to the revolution, that message would prove extremely useful in persuading The American people once again to unite. To add to this impressive roster was yet another American Patriot, Samuel Adams, Samuel Adams would use his power in the press, to distress the problems with the new British taxes on the colonies because of the way they projected British rule over the American colonists.
Although you could spend many hours debating whether or not it was more economic or political, after reading through each causation of the Revolution it is clear that both played major parts in deciding that the colonies as a collective group should fight together. Looking at everything as a whole, without the political movement the American colonists collectively may not have been so inclined as to join the fight. Yes, the colonists disliked the taxes and acts placed upon them, but they were living with them, what pushed or tipped them over the edge towards revolution was the true idea of taxation without representation and the overshadowing affect of the British government controlling them from overseas.
The primary reason for war breaking out between the colonies and England, was the changing political landscape. During the years leading up to the revolutionary war tensions, were high. England had begun passing, in the colonies eyes, unfair tax laws to pay off their war debt. England had been in debt due to seven years war had ended in the previously. Many enlightenment ideas also began to fuel the colonies hatred for their mother country.
Due to the french and indian war, england was in incredible debt, and needed to make up for it fast. The people of England were already being taxed out of house and home, but the British needed money from somewhere. The colonies seemed like a perfect place to gain a profit. Additionally, many of the colonists were wealthy or middle class, and in the eyes of parliament, they could survive a small tax here and there. They passed the Stamp Act in 1765. The stamp act put a very minimal on almost all paper products. Even though the tax was quite small, this act cause many people to begin to see the unfairness of england’s tax system. The colonies had no representation in the english parliament, and therefore didn’t have a say in what laws were approved. They saw this as taxation without representation. This went against the colonies way of thinking.
There was mauch changing during the 1760’s and 1770s, the source of all the change can be traced back to some of the engligment ideas. Many people began to come forward with their own ideas about government, and nothing seemed to be off the table Charles Montesquieu argued that the government was only there to ensure order and protect the people from themselves. John loke argued that all people had natural rights, the rights to life, liberty, and property. As the many philosophers began to make their voices heard, the colonists felt obligated to as well. They started to see most of their voices had something in common, a distrust towards the british. As the political thoughts of people around the world began to change, so did the people’s thoughts about government. In the case of the colonies and England, their political ideas were too different to withhold during a time of such change. And in the end the colonies broke off from england after their victory in the revolutionary war.
Some historians argue that the American Revolution was caused by political, economic, or social issues. However, the economic aspects of the Revolution make a more compelling argument than the political or social aspects. Although people have different political and cultural beliefs, these are not often sufficient to result in action. The French and Indian War caused Great Britain to go into debt. When the French and Indian War ended, tension was created between the British and the colonists because the British were unhappy with the lack of financial contributions made by the American colonies. The solution that the British came up with was to start heavily taxing the colonists. Unrest gradually arose as the British adopted their new system of taxation to fund the debt created from the war. These taxes affected virtually everyone regardless of their social or political leanings which is why the Revolution was economical.
Although historians can make a solid argument towards the Revolution having a more political foundation, it should be questioned why King George treated the American colonists better than his subjects in the motherland. The main underlying reason was mostly economic. The reason Parliament would do things such as retract laws, and allow colonists more freedom than citizens living in Britain, was because the colonists were creating huge wealth for Great Britain. The King wanted to maximise Britain’s returns from the American colonies. When colonists became unsettled by some of the new laws put into place, Britain was quick to reassess because they did not want to jeopardize their favorable trade with the colonies.
Lastly, some historians will argue that the Revolution is primarily socially based. In the colonies there were many social injustices. The people protesting social injustices were not looking for resolution from the King, but instead sought out local solutions such as venting at town hall meetings, threatening to burn cities, and marching to the capitol. If the Revolution was socially based, colonists would rebel against higher authority.
The main cause of the revolutionary war was economic.The Seven Years War created huge debt for Britain so they had to look for a way to pay off the war debt. Colonies goods were taxed at a higher rate than the goods of Britain. Britain made many acts that would hurt the Colonies economy and increase revenue to Britain’s economy. One of these acts was called the Sugar Act. The Sugar Act raised prices of sugar for colonists. This refined sugar was used to make rum, which the colonists loved to drink. Another act is the Navigation Act. The Navigation Act prevented the competition of goods between colonies and Britain. The Townshend Acts taxed many things that the colonists could not produce their selfs. The Townshend Acts also stopped struggling merchants from smuggling goods. A third act was the Tea Act. The Tea Act promoted the British East India Company, which was a major company that was struggling at the time. This act was unfair to colonists because it altered the rules in order to gain revenue for the British East India Company. Almost all of these unjust acts were boycotted by colonists all around the many colonies. A growing thing in the Seventeen-Seventies was intra-colonial trade. Intra-colonial trade was a major contributor to the colonies economy. Britain did not like this trading, so they limited it in order to enrich their own country. The last economic reason is the payment issues. Many colonists were in debt because they had to pay English merchants with gold and silver for goods. States had to change to printed money because of this issue, yet the colonists still had difficulty paying off the debt.
The social issues were due to the economic factors. The country was economically divided at the time. This created social problems between the wealthy and the poor. Political leaders used the plunging economy to their advantage by firing up the poor citizens. Most political issues were about taxation, which is also an economic reason for the revolutionary war.
Almost everything had to do with economics, so the main reason for the revolutionary war was economic.
The American Revolution started due to economic reasons. After the Seven Years War, Great Britain became seriously in debt. Britain wanted a simple and easy way to get out of their debt. They thought that since they were protecting the colonists that the taxes would be a fair. They also believed that since the colonies taxes were lower than the British, it would be fair. For every one US dollar the colonists payed the British payed 26. Great Britain taxed enforced the Sugar Act and Townsend Acts. With the Sugar Act, the price on sugar raised and the production of rum in the colonies dropped. The Townsend Acts put an end to smuggling, so the struggling merchants boycotted. England only accepted coins in gold for their currency and the colonies were poor because they did not have that. The colonies used paper money that they printed and couldn’t use that on british goods.
Many Historians believe it was a cultural revolution. They believe this because the colonists were split into two, the rich and the poor. Most colonists that were pro-colonies were poor and the loyalists were the wealthier ones. Historians believe the two seperate groups led to the revolution, but the only thing the two groups led to was less taxes. The poor were being treated fairly as the wealthier colonists were taxed more than the poor. The fact the the wealthier colonists paid more taxes and the poor paying less was not a reason why the American Revolution started.
Other historians believe that the revolution was a political revolution. Their biggest point is that Great Britain threw taxes on them without representation. They believed that “no taxation without representation” was unconstitutional. What some people don’t understand is that the taxes that were thrown onto the colonists were not that high. Most colonists were just over-reacting to the taxes and making a big deal out of them. Later, John Locke came up with a new government that gave more power and freedom to the people. This is another reason on how the colonists over-reacted. This new government was here to help them. These reasons are why the American Revolution is an economic and not political revolution.