Causes of the American Revolution
The American Revolution began brewing after the French and Indian War when Britain ended its policy of Salutary Neglect and started enforcing control over the colonies. Following expensive war debts, Britain imposed new taxes like the Sugar Act, which lowered tax rates but removed jury trials for smugglers—a move colonists saw as an attack on their rights.
Colonial resistance took many forms. "No taxation without representation" became their rallying cry, arguing that without representatives in Parliament, they shouldn't pay British taxes. Colonists organized boycotts of British goods, wore homespun cloth instead of British textiles, and formed groups like the Sons of Liberty to coordinate resistance.
British policies continued to provoke colonial anger. The Proclamation of 1763 prohibited settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains, frustrating colonists who wanted to expand westward. As tensions escalated, colonial leaders formed the Stamp Act Congress to list their grievances, and later organized the Continental Congress which eventually produced the Declaration of Independence.
Remember This! The colonists tried peaceful solutions first—the Olive Branch Petition was their final attempt at reconciliation with Britain before deciding independence was necessary.
The path to revolution accelerated after the Boston Massacre, where British troops stationed in Boston fired on colonists, further inflaming tensions. Organized resistance through Committees of Correspondence helped colonies communicate and coordinate their responses to British actions, creating a unified colonial voice.
