American Revolution Research Paper

The American Revolution, and its war fought against the British Empire was the first step in the United States becoming a major world superpower. This conflict first became a possibility in 1492, when Columbus first landed in the Americas, however, it was not until 1607 at Jamestown, that Britain made its first land claim in the New World. This led to more than 100 years of strict trading between the American colonies and Britain, until the Seven Years War broke out in 1756. This led to an eventual increase in taxes, causing the colonists to start the first democratic revolution in the worlds history. It was this revolution that led to the creation of democratic ideals, not just in America, but all around the globe, with the United States …show more content…
During the war, from 1756 to 1763, much of the war was fought by the British, however, they were aided in key ways by the colonists and their inexperienced militia. The war, along with its expenses led to the need for increased revenue for the British Government. Additionally, the British felt that they had protected the colonies during the war, and that the colonies owed the British some sort of debt. One of the main issues fought over during the war was where the land of the French Empire began, and where the land of the British Empire ended in the North American colonies. One of the main areas under question was the Ohio River Valley, and whether or not the land could be used by either the French, British, or both, were at question (Britannica). In 1749, the French Government declared that all British trading posts in the Ohio River Valley were trespassers on French land, and in 1752, were forced out of the region or captured if they did not retreat to the Eastern Appalachian Mountains (Britannica). The first major military clash of the war occurred in 1753, when George Washington was sent to the French Fort LeBouef, who upon being unable to capture it, built his own Fort Necessity. This fort was later captured by the French and destroyed, however, it succeeded in increasing the number of British troops in the colonies in order to sustain the land claims of the …show more content…
After years of war, the colonists, assisted by the British military were able to beat the French and Indians in a hard fought war. At the Treaty of Paris in 1763, it was declared that France would give Canada, along with any land east of the Mississippi River to the British, along with the British receiving Florida from the Spanish (Britannica). After the war, the colonists felt that they had done a great deal in order to defend their land, and keep it for the British Empire, however, the British felt that with all the expenses from the war, the colonists needed to pay more in taxes in order to make up for the support the colonists had received. The British also believed that they should have more direct control over how the colonies were run, and that this authority should come straight from London, rather than from an entity within the colonies itself. Many of the people in the colonies who had fought to win the war, were traders living in the western portion of the colonies, who hoped to increase their land claims by moving west in order to make more money. However, the British issued a Royal Proclamation which stopped any settlement west of the Alleghenny Mountains, in order to keep population movement steady (Groningen). This action greatly angered the colonists, as they thought the war was fought over increasing the amount of land for

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