Causes of the American Revolution Review

AIM: How did we go from loving being part of England to asking for our own country?
Causes of the American Revolution

There are fifteen causes for the American Revolution. This exhibit highlights the problems Britain caused by enforcing new tax acts. Colonists' anger over these tax acts forced them to break away from Great Britain, leading to the American Revolution.

Causes that led to the revolution
Mercantilism
The country's ultimate goal was self-sufficiency. All the countries were in a competition to acquire the most gold and silver possible. It was a system of international trade based on colonies and the desire to gain wealth. Colonies tried to gather large sums of goal and silver, therefore they would be able to afford to purchase items the nation did not manufacture. The countries goal was to try and sell more goods then it brought in. The colonies became a very important way to meet this goal. Colonies were supposed to provide raw materials. They were natural resources used to make other goods. The country also relied on colonist to purchase goods made in the parent country. This would keep makers of finished goods in the parent country avoiding competition with the other countries.

Navigation Acts
A series of law restricting colonial trade.
Throughout the colonial period, following the middle of the seventeenth century, one great source of frustration amongst the mother country and her colonies revolved around the Navigation Acts. The main goals of these acts were to protect English shipping and to secure a profit to the home country from the colonies. Even at the start of Richard II’s reign, steps had been taken to protect shipping, but not before 1651 were there any British statutes that seriously hampered colonial trade. The Long Parliament, in 1642, exempted New England exports and imports from all duties, and a few years later all goods carried to the southern colonies in English vessels were put on the free list.

The Navigation Acts of 1660 and 1696 restricted American trade in the following ways;
1. Only British ships were able to transport imported and exported goods from the colonies.
2. The only people who were allowed to trade with the colonies had to be British citizens.
3. Merchandise such as sugar, tobacco, cotton and wool which were produced in the colonies could be exported only to British ports
Before 1763, while the revolution was taking place in Europe, the navigation acts weren’t being enforced due to the involvement in the war. The colonist decided not to stop following laws, and smuggling and bribery became a common sight throughout the colonies. The colonists began trading with non-British colonies in the Caribbean, this trading contributed to many colonial merchants and farmers prospering. Britain once again tried to enforce these laws after the French and Indian War, but the colonists sternly objected. These acts aroused great hostility in the American colonies. The Navigation Acts were finally revoked in 1849 after Britain supported the policy of free trade.
 
Salutary Neglect
England relaxed its enforcement of most regulations in return for the continued economic loyalty of the colonies. A policy which allowed the colonies to developed their own economy with little interference from the British government. The colonies were growing rapidly and England was profiting from the colonial trade. As a result, the British chose not to interfere very much in colonial economic matters. The British policy of Salutary Neglect allowed the colonist to ignore many of the laws regulating trade. The British government did not want to upset the profitable trade with the colonies. In addition the British were busy fighting wars with France and dealing with business.

Enlightenment
Enlightenment Ideas was an 18th century movement that emphasized the use of reason and the scientific method as means of obtaining knowledge. Before the Enlightenment occurred colonist used logical reason acquires knowledge.

-Enlightenment was a popular increase of ideas, which the world was governed upon. They believed the world was run by chance or miracles, but on mathematical laws. They learned that the world revolves around the sun.

-John Locke was a major thinker during the enlightenment period. He wrote about the natural rights of Life, Liberty and, Property. He believed the government was created in order to protect the natural rights of man, every colonists was born with these natural rights.

-Locke believed in making changes for the better. He believed if the government didn't protect the rights people, they obtained the right to rebel and push forth a change to benefit them in the future.

Cause of the American Revolution

John Locke’s theory of Colonist containing life and liberty lead to future documents which helped protect colonist’s rights, such as the common sense pamphlet and the declaration of independence.
French Indian War
The French and Indian war was a conflict that took place in North America. It took place from 1754 to 1763; they fought for control over North America.
- In 1753 the British sent George Washington to the Ohio River valley to warn the French of abandoning their forts. The French ignored the warning
-In 1754 and 1755 numerous amount of small battles had already occurred amongst the French and British, yet the actual war had been declared until 1756. At the start of the war the French were winning the war, but the situation started turning towards the British favor. By 1758 The British had gained all of the North America, leaving the French with nothing, except New Orleans.
-By 1764 the war had ended with the Treaty of Paris of 1763. The British and the French has come to an agreement which stated that Britain had gained control of all the French territory east of the Mississippi, with the exception of New Orleans.
 
Cause of the American Revolution
The French had lost war, giving up a ridiculous amount of land to the British. The British only became stronger, expanding their territory. The British now had more power of America, enabling them to bring more of the British rule the Americas, which was not good for the colonists.
Proclamation of 1763

A law which banned all settlement west of the Appalachians.
-It was put together after Pontiacs War. It forced settlers to move east instead of west.
-In 1763 several Indian groups banned together to stop settlers from moving westward anymore. They had been pushed father west over the passed 150 years, these Indians had been pushed father westward each year by the white settlers. In the spring of 1763 Pontiac led attacks on forts and settlements, burning cabins, capturing forts and killing many settlers.
-This ban announced by King George the III established a Proclamation line from New York to Georgia, where colonist weren’t allowed to settle anywhere west of Virginia. This band was proposed because colonists were settling wherever they pleased and Indians noticed, the land couldn’t be shared with the colonist. The Indians began to get violent.
-The Proclamation was proposed in order for Britain to save money. They didn’t want to have to send extra soldiers over, and worry about paying for them. On top of that colonists who had already settled in the west were forced to move east once again. After the entire population of colonist had moved back the East. The East once again had become over populated with colonists.
Cause of the American Revolution
Colonists no longer had the opportunity to expand westward. Colonists began to come easily aggravated because of poor farming conditions. Colonists couldn’t grow any crops because the soil started to become less fertile.

Sugar Act
A trade law enacted by parliament in 1764 in an attempt to reduce smuggling in British Colonies in North America and pay off British debt.
-The Sugar Act put taxes on sugar, coffee, Indigo, Molasses and Rum.
-The Sugar Act produced revenue for Britain and discouraged the Dutch, French and Spanish from selling goods to the colonists. Some colonial merchants lost business because of the Sugar Act.
Colonists couldn’t afford to pay taxes of these goods. Colonists managed to smuggle goods into the colonies, more commonly.

 
Cause of the American Revolution?
The Sugar Act forced colonists to smuggle goods in the colonies. The colonists began to riot and boycott everywhere.

Stamp Act
A 1765 law in which parliament established the first direct taxation of goods and services within the British colonies in North America.
-This act required all legal papers, advertisements, newspapers, almanacs, calendars and playing cards. All such materials had to bear a stamp showing that the tax had been paid. Even Newspaper owners had to purchase the stamps for their publications.
-When this act was passed colonist felt that they shouldn't have to abide by it since they were not represented in parliament. The colonist stopped importing British goods until it was repealed.
- The purpose of the Stamp Act was to raise money to pay for British soldiers stationed in America. Some of the stamps were only a few cents and other was but so much more expensive.
Cause of the American Revolution
The Stamp Act only caused early American colonists to have to pay yet another expense, which of course aggravated them. Businessmen decided to boycott British goods, until the act had been revoked. It wasn’t a surprise that the stamp act was unpopular and angered the colonists.

Townshend Act
A series of laws enacted by parliament in 1767, establishing indirect taxes on goods imported from Britain by the British colonies in North America.
- In 1767 parliament passed new laws in order to control the colonies. The British finance minister, Charles Townsend proposed they laws. Economic times were very harsh in Britain and they were more determined ever to raise money.
- The four laws were developed to bring money in.
- (1) The Navigation Acts were to be strictly enforced once again. Except now British officers were allowed to use, Writs of assistance, a general search warrant for smuggled goods.
- (2) The Townshend acts placed taxes on goods such as paint, lead, glass, paper and tea. The officers collected these takes at the port when the good were arriving.
- (3) The money made from the Townshend Acts was used to pay the salaries of British officials of governors of royal colonies.
- (4) The Townsend Acts forbid the New York assembly to have meetings. They wanted to punish them for not providing supplies for the British troops.
Cause of the American Revolution?
The colonist started boycotting their mother country Great Britain. They had become so upset they later, took their frustration out on the tea. Trade between Britain and the colonies also had dropped sharply.

Boston Massacre
An incident in 1770 that started when angry colonist taunted British soldiers who then fired into the crowd, killing several colonists. The British soldiers fired on a group of unarmed America colonist.
-Things really began on October 1, 1768, when a group of British soldiers arrived in Boston Massachusetts. There was a competition for jobs between colonist and poorly paid soldiers and civilians didn't sit right with the presence of these soldiers, which lead to taunting, spitting, and eventually death.
-On March 5, 1770, soldiers, led by Captain Thomas Preston. Ran into large crowd civilians. When snowballs started being thrown at a British sentry, he called upon his fellow soldiers for aid. Soon a threatening crowd gathered, some of the soldiers fired killing several civilians.

Boston Tea Party
- The colonist refused to allow British East India Company sells its tea in the colonies. In Charleston colonists unloaded the tea and stored it in damp cellars so it would rot. In New York and Philadelphia the ships were turned away from the harbors.
- In Boston a group of colonist dressed up as Indians boarded the East India company ships at night and threw off 342 crates of tea into the water.( Equal to 18,000 pounds of tea)
-Due to this act colonial merchants were being cut out of the tea trade. The colonists were already paying too much money for tea.

Intolerable Acts
A series of laws passed by the parliament in 1774, serving as a sanction to Massachusetts’s colonists for the Boston Tea Party.
-In 1774 parliament passed four harsh laws called the Coercive Acts. The colonists found the laws to be almost intolerable and ended up renaming them the intolerable Acts.
-(1) Law closed down the Boston harbor until colonists paid for the destroyed tea.
-(2) Law increased the power of the Massachusetts royal governor and weakened the state legislature.
(3) Law called for colonists to provide food and house British soldiers.
(4) Law stated that the British officials accused of wrong doings could be tried in other colonies or even England.
 
A Cause of the American Revolution?
The colonists which were not responsible for the Boston Tea Party lost a lot of money due to the shutdown of the harbor.

Quartering Act
An act that allowed British commanders to house soldiers in vacant private homes and other buildings.
*The Quartering act was passed on June 2, 1965. The colonists were required to give supplies to the British troops and allow them to stay wherever they shall please.
*The Quartering Act was passed mainly to keep the colonies in check. It provided extra security and enforcement of British laws. It also forced colonists to pay for their security by contributing to the cause, helping nourish the soldiers and offering a place to sleep.
*General Thomas Gage, who was appointed general of Massachusetts, placed Boston under the Martial law giving the military total control. Why a cause of the American Revolution?
The colonist clearly displayed how they didn’t want to aid the British is any which way. Colonists were aggravated very much when they were forced to allow soldiers into their homes. They had to allow these people into their homes and provide for them.

Common Sense Act
A pamphlet by Thomas Paine published in 1776 that called for separation of the colonies from Britain. The pamphlet declared that the American colonies received no benefits from Great Britain, which was exploiting them. Every indication from the common sense called for the colonies to become Independent and make a government of their own. The common Sense pamphlet sold more than 500,000copies.
Declaration of Independence
The document written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, in which the delegates of the Continental Congress declared the colonies independence from Britain. The document changed the struggle between the colonists with Great Britain from a justification of their rights as Englishmen. For the American colonist the declaration was a statement to the rest of the world that the colonies were Independent from Great Britain.