What Were the Main Causes of the American Revolution - Research Proposal Example

What Were the Main Causes of the American Revolution? The American Revolution was one of the great events in world history. Not only did it provide the foundation for our great country, but it provided lots of inspirations to other people around the world. The idea that all men are created equal and that the ultimate good is to live in liberty and pursue your own version of happiness has slowly but surely expanded across the planet. But how did this amazing revolution come to be in the first place? How is it possible for a bunch of very smart, but generally ragtag colonists in a far away corner of the world to defeat the mighty British Empire? What could be so powerful to inspire their victory? This essay will look at some of the causes of the American Revolution. Specifically, it will look at three possible explanations for why the Revolution happened and why it proved to be successful. The first cause would be the Enlightenment and the many new philosophies of the 18th century that were opening up people’s minds and allowing them to see freedom and self-determination as great things. The second thing would be the bad behavior of the British in colonial America and how and why the things they did inspired the Americans to rise up against them. The third and final cause is the amazingly high caliber and character of many of the American participants, the collection of great men and women, who were able to hold the Revolution together and work hard to found the United States of America. The 18th century was a period of great invention and discovery. It was also especially fertile for philosophical thought. Many of the world’s great philosophers were alive in the 18th century and were writing about new ideas and concepts. It was also the period of the Enlightenment. This period of philosophy was centered on the idea that Reason was more important than religion, for example, and that people should not follow the word of a god or a king, but should follow their own lights and try to be happy with their own lives. Instead of serving a master and being a slave, they should take charge themselves. Some philosophers like Voltaire and David Hume doubted that God had much control over the world and suggested the church had to much say in the running of countries. These ideas were very controversial, but they began to take hold as the century progressed. Rousseau was also a famous philosopher of the period. He argued that common people should have a social contract together and they shouldn’t be forced to submit to an arbitrary power—especially one far away from their home like King George III in England at that time. Many of his ideas came to be included in the Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution. As Americans began to get more and more riled up about the British occupation and as the Revolution started to heat up, another great philosopher came onto the scene: a British man named Thomas Paine.1 His book Common Sense became very popular with Americans at this time. It said Americans should become independent. It also had many other arguments against the British crown. For example, Paine said, "There is something exceedingly ridiculous in the composition of monarchy; it first excludes a man from the means of information, yet empowers him to act in cases where the highest judgment is required." In a way Paine focused the philosophy of Rousseau: “We find,” [Paine] writes, “in the writings of Rousseau . . . a loveliness of sentiment in favour of liberty, that excites respect and elevate the human faculties; but having raised this animation they do not direct its operation, and leave the mind in love with an object without describing the means of possessing it.” The challenge instantly arises that Paine offer some thought of a practical nature.2 These ideas appealed to Americans who were starting to get tired of British rule and how little power they had in their own home. It was a very inspiring message. These and other philosophers like John Locke also contributed to a new way of seeing the world. The French left North America in 1763. After the Treaty of Paris, the British began to clash more with the colonists. They wanted to turn back the growing independence push and hold onto their place in North America. According to John Alden: They resolved to maintain a standing army in North America; emphatically to exert British authority over the Indians; to prevent, at least temporarily, the westward advance of the American settlements; to compel the subjects of George III in North America and the West Indies to pay the cost of those measures; and to restrain American commerce as never before, toward assuring the power of the mother country.3 Things kept getting worse and worse. There were new taxes on the Americans. This was especially galling because America continued to grow and mature and develop its own culture. It made people very angry to be taxed and controlled by people they knew little about and who knew little about them. There was little communication or understanding between the colonies and the British Empire and its government. The hallucinations of the British mind, practical even in its fantasies, assumed the shape of fabulous statistics which went to show that America, unless her commercial ambition was kept tight in hand, would overset the intentions of Providence by ceasing to supply her wants exclusively from Britain.4 Of course the famous Stamp Act would eventually ignite the Revolution and lead to the Boston Tea Party, but even small things unleashed outpourings of anger among the colonists. For example: It was announced in the autumn of that year that the judges of the superior court of Massachusetts would be paid henceforth from customs house receipts rather than from the funds of the colony. Town meetings in and outside Boston immediately proclaimed that such provision for the magistrates was another step toward the establishment of a system of slavery for America.5 It is easy to see how communication problems and the lack of recognition on the part of the British Crown of the growing maturity of the American colonies led to huge tensions. A third and final cause of the American Revolution and reason for its success were the incredible personalities behind the fight. The American men and women who fought so valiantly for their country, not only on the battlefield, but in the arena of debate and argument were truly amazing. Take, for example, John Adams. As a lawyer and intellectual he read many, many books and used them to argue against the British system and eventually argue how the American government should work: History taught Adams that balanced forms of government were necessary to preserve liberty, and he especially favored broad-based republics with bicameral legislatures and independent executives and judges. As Thompson explains, the sophistication and complexity of Adams's analysis are evident in his simultaneous admiration for the forms of the Spartan constitution and abhorrence of its actual subordination.6 Then there is Thomas Jefferson, another great patriot and intellectual who declared ‘‘that government governs best which governs least.’’7 It was this inspirational statement that leads many up to this day to regard him as one of the greatest Americans. His political talent and great ideas helped transform the country forever. Benjamin Franklin was another masterful politician and player on the colonial American scene.8 As Trevalyn writes: Seldom did any man who started with a slittle accomplish so much, ifr we except certain of the august self-seekers in history whose career was carved out at a great cost of human life and human freedom.9 The United States was exceptional in having such founding fathers—I have left some out due to space limitations. Few other countries could boast so many talented people, not only brave enough to fight against an extremely powerful opponent like the British Empire, but self-made men who could put their brains together to put together a whole new system of government based on a new philosophy. These were unique men who created a unique country. No doubt the American Revolution had many causes. All complicated historical events do. But of these many explanations, the most important must be, first, the prevailing philosophical climate of the time—the Enlightenment philosophers who questioned the monarchy and suggested the human spirit should seek freedom through reason. A second important reason was the behaviour of the British Empire which refused to grant more freedom to the colonies who had earned it. And a third and final reason for the Revolution was the quality of the individuals involved: men like John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, amid many others, made an amazing contribution. Without any of these three reasons our nation today might not exist. Bibliography Adams, Randolph G. Political Ideas of the American Revolution. New York: Barnes and Noble, 1958. Alden, John R.. A History of the American Revolution. New York: Knopf, 1969. Brown , Richard D. Review: The Apotheosis of John Adams. The William and Mary Quarterly, Third Series, Vol. 59, No. 1 (Jan., 2002): 305-314 Hale, Matthew Rainbow. “Thomas Paine and the Literature of Revolution.” The Journal of American History. Vol. 93 Issue 2. (September 2006): 505-6. Huang, Nian-Sheng. “The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin.” Journal of American History. Vol. 92 Issue 1 (Jun2005): 199-200 Steele, Brian. “Books on Thomas Jefferson.” Journal of the Early Republic. Vol. 27 Issue 4 (Winter2007): 764-7. Trevelyan, George. The American Revolution. Vol 1. New York: Longmans, Green, 1917. Read More