The year was 1775, and the American Revolution was destined to ignite. Many generations had already passed, since the first British colonists settled on the eastern coast of North America. The American man, wasnt the same as he was in the seventeenth century. In fact, the American man wasnt even English anymore, but instead a mixture of German, Irish, Dutch, Swede, and English. In time, people lost their ties of loyalty to Great Britain, and developed a sense of devotion to their own growing empire.
This partially began when Britain started to exercise tighter control of the colonies, by regulating trade and placing taxes. The firmer England hand squeezed upon the colonies, the angrier the colonies grew. As time continued, Great Britain fell short of the colonies expectations, and could not provide them with what they needed, like land. The more time passed, the more duties were placed, the more limits were assigned, the more accidents arose, the more inevitable became the revolution. There were many events that led to the burning of the bridge between the colonies and their mother country. It can be traced back as far as the French and Indian War.
For the first time in decades, ordinary Americans had come in contact with fresh out of England. Not surprisingly, the colonists disliked what they saw. They felt that the soldiers acted as though they were superior and used unusually cruel punishment. It was then that colonists saw that they differed from Englishmen, and lived by separate rules.
The Essay on American Independence Britain Colonists America
There has been a lot of things that led to American Independence. Many things were done by both the colonies and Great Britain that all built up to the Declaration of Independance and the Revolution. Economics, religion, society, and government all had parts in the American Independence. Economics was a big issue with the colonists. The King of Britain issued many unfair taxes on them. He taxed ...
After the war was won in the colonies, people expected to move west. Yet, that was not the case, because the Proclamation of 1763 drew a boundary line by the Appalachian Mountains. No settlers were allowed to move past that line, because that was the only way England could preven clashes among the Indians and colonists. This was very upsetting for the colonists who were eager to expand. At this point, the colonists began to see that Britain wasnt able to provide all that they wanted, and maybe it was time to take matters into their own hands. Another action on Britains part, called the Grenville Plan, further displeased the colonies.
It had three parts called the Sugar, Stamp, and Currency Acts, which placed direct duties upon molasses, taxed anything printed, and made American money useless. These acts not only hurt the economy, but also enraged the American citizens. How could they be taxed by Parliament across an ocean, without having any representation it On the other hand, Grenville, the Prime Minister of England, believed that England had every right to. Such incidents widened the gap between England and America, and there was no turning back now. The Boston Massacre was no accident and no minor incident either.
If it didnt happen of Mach 5, 1770, something like it would have happened soon or later. The peoples feeling were stirring and only one thing would satisfy them. One thing they felt ready to fight for, freedom. That evening, a mob of colonists began throwing snowballs at royal guards patrolling the Customs House. Innocent as it may have seemed, it was serious enough to get the guards to fire into the crowd, killing four and wounding eight.
This event is very significant, because it was the first time blood of an American was spilt by an Englishman. Following this, even more protests and riots broke out, like the Boston Tea Party. Adding to the many groups, such as the Sons of Liberty and the Loyal Nine, the Committee of Correspondence was formed to join the colonies against Britain. The need for such organizations displayed just how serious the situation was getting. Furthermore, writers like Otis wrote pamphlets on how liberally the colonies should be governed.
In these works, theories shared by Americans such as no taxation without representation were reflected. The American society as a whole changed and was determined to rid itself of Great Britains rule, because the time for freedom had come.
The Essay on British Colonies Colonists England
... colonist justified in declaring independence from England I feel that they had plenty of just cause to separate themselves. England was taxing the colonies ... American merchants nearly out of business. As time went on, and the British got a little more nervous about the colonies' ... work, but instead pushed the colonists even further into standing up against Britain. The British soldiers in America ...
