Gerardo Rodriguez
AP U.S. History
MR. Self
October 24
The road to the American Revolution was no single event. It was a slow increase in tension between the new race of Americans and the “mother country” Britain. There was a large series of events taxes, skirmishes, speeches, and other such things with the mentality of liberty on the mind of most of American colonist. The large cause was a series of economic and political actions taken by Britain that were disliked and disapproved by the American colonist which united the colonist together under a single cause.
Taxes are one of the biggest reasons why war was declared these taxes where impose to pay for the debt Britain had acquired from the French and Indian war 1754-1763. One of the first series of taxes was the “stamp act” it placed taxes on paper or documents. This tax was used as a way to raise money for the British troops that had been stationed in the American frontier for protection .The tax itself wasn’t high, but it was its purpose that set colonist off. Before hand taxes where a simply a way to regulate comers, but because this tax was seen as a way to raise revenue .it was also offensive to them because they had impose this tax with ought the approval of colonial legislatures thus the phrase” no taxation without representation”. They felt that if they allowed a tax like this on themselves, Britain would be likely to create another like it. After the stamp act came the town shed acts these acts were also a way to raise revenue in the colonies. These taxes where for the salaries of governor’s judge’s and also to raise money for the quartering acts. These taxes were also imposed without the consent of the people but where set through a much broader list of items such as glass paper paint and tea, but because it was a tax that they hadn’t had representation the tax just seemed like a repeat of the stamp act. This new list of taxes only managed to open up old wounds from the stamp acts. The clearest reason why these taxes where disliked by the colonist was because they felt that they were being treated unfairly and had they truly been under the rule of king George then their voices deserved to be heard just as much as those who lived in Britain.
The French and Indian war played a big part the road to the American Revolution. One of the major reasons why this war was so crucial is because it proved that colonist could take on and win against a strong power like the French, but it also pointed out that colonist could only go so high in military rank. This heightened tensions because colonist would start to feel like second class citizens, causing further strain on the mercantilism between the colonies and Britain. Another reason why this war was so crucial is because once it was one that would mean that there would be less of a British presence, leaving further room for Americans to start to coming up with their own ideology of American independence. The French and Indian war was a crucial to the American Revolution as it provided the colonist proof that a war against a major power could be waged and won. The French and Indian war was also important in the way that it set up a reason for Britain to put a sort of economic pressure on the colonist in the form of taxes because Britain would need extra capital because of the debt that this war would cost them. This would end up straining their relations. The fact that the colonist had done so well against the French in this war had earned them the respect of the French. The French would later come to be a strong allay.
A series of acts and proclamations brought upon by the British government were also a large reason for the colonist to become fired up and angry. From the point of view of the British government these acts where a way to settle issues and precautions used to keep the colonist “safe”. The reason that even though that these acts where meant for the better good of