Causes of the American Revolution
...happy that Britain was being damaged economically, because they didn’t like being ruled by another country anymore. The final economic causes were the Intolerable Acts. The first was the Boston Port Act; this closed the port of Boston until all costs of damages from the Boston Tea Party were paid. This actually strengthened the colonies, because many others helped out Boston by sending them supplies they needed. Second, was the Massachusetts Government Act. This put restrictions on town meetings, which was the colonists only was of resolving problems, and having any way of a conformed colony. This angered the colonists very much, so they rebelled like usual and have secret meetings anyways. It also said that colonists could now be sent to England for trial. This angered the colonists even more because Britain was taking away their rights, and they believed that they had the right to a trial by jury not by England. The last part of the Intolerable Acts was the modification of the Quartering Act. It now stated that British troops could be housed anywhere, including colonists’ homes. All the economic causes the American Revolution angered the colonists because they thought they were given certain rights, and when England passed these laws that restricted these rights, they were infuriated. Mainly because they were being taxed without representation, and they had not input whatsoever on any of the political decisions being made by Parliament, and all of England. The second grouping of reasons for the American Revolution was the Political ones. The decisions made by Parliament, and British officials weren’t usually made in benefit of the colonies, but only the to the advantage of England. In 1763, the Proclamation Act was established. It prohibited the settlement in the area beyond the Appalachians. The colonists were irritated that Britain was restricting their means of development of their colonies by attempting to blockade their way west. However the colonists disregarded this Act and started to move westward. Then in 1766, the Declaratory Act was passed by Parliament that states they have authority over colonies “in all cases whatsoever.” This act was really acknowledged by the colonists because they had just celebrated the repealing of the Stamp Act, but they came to realize that they were trying to be entirely controlled by England. The colonists wanted to be separate from England, or else they wouldn’t have immigrated to America in the first place. Lastly, the Quebec Act was issued. It stated that Canadians can practice catholic beliefs, they do not have to have a legislature, or elected assembly, and the new southern border of Quebec would be the Ohio River. This enraged the colonists because the Canadians could practice whatever religion they pleased, and they didn’t have to have an elected assembly. The colonists didn’t understand why these colonies had such different rules from their own since they were both administered from the same body. They had also fought for the land that was just given to the Canadians. Men and women died fighting for this land and the colonists believed they deserved it. The British made many attempts to control the colonists through acts and laws, but the colonists, being rebels, just ignored them, which in turn made the British angry. This process led to the build up of anger on both sides. Thirdly, are the social sources of the American Revolution. First, is the Boston Massacre of 1770. This occurred in response to the Townshend Acts. Britain had troops placed in Boston and the colonists didn’t like them being there because they had to supply them with food and shelter along with supplying themselves with food and shelter. The townspeople instigated a fight with the troops that lead to the killing of five “innocent” people. In 1772, the Gaspee affair occurred, which was an angry mob that burned a British customs ship off the shore of Rhode Island. This just shows how aggressive the colonists were, and how they disliked the actions Britain was trying to take to make them be controlled. A year later the Boston Tea Party took place. Colonists boarded the ships and threw tea into the Harbor, and this was in response to the Tea Act. All of these events represent the effects of the acts on the behavior of the colonists, and how this unwanted control brought them to violence. The final kinds of causes for the American Revolution are the ones that fit into all three of the other categories: political, social, and economical. First was the French and India...