American Revolution - Essay Example

American Revolution Introduction During the last decades of the eighteenth century, thirteen British colonies in North America joined up in a move tobreak away from the British Empire. The breakup of the thirteen North American colonies became known as the American Revolution, which created independent American states. There are various reasons that led North American colonies to revolt against the British Empire. The first set of reasons was based on impositions that were made by the British on the colonies. The other set of reasons is based on the need for self-governance among American colonies. By 1976, all the thirteen American colonies rejected authority imposed by the parliament in Great Britain. The main reason for the rejection was that the British monarchy did not have visible representatives in America. In addition, the acts imposed by Great Britains parliament on the Americans did not incorporate their needs and requirements. This controversy marked the beginning of the race toward freedom among the different British colonies in America. This paper will analyse how the 1763 - 1776 breakdown of the relationship between American colonies and the British led to the American Revolution. The main factor that led Americans to consider breaking away from the British colonists was the impositions that the British made upon the colonies. The mercantile system was an imposition of the British that prevented its colonies in North America from trading with other empires. For instance, American merchants were not allowed to buy or sell goods to France, Spain, or Holland (Yazawa 78-80). This move was meant to protect the interests of the British Empire and enrich it beyond its competitors (Goldfield et al. 123-126). To promote mercantilism, the British imposed the Navigation Act, which considered trade outside the colony as smuggling the wealth of the colony. Traders who violated the Act were required to pay hefty fines. In addition, repeated offenders had their trading licenses banned by the royal officials. The new laws required merchant ships sailing from the colonies to be searched by royal officials to establish the type of goods they were transporting and their destinations. These laws became commonly known as the Writs of Assistance, since they accorded open-ended search warrants to the royal officials. Although officials in America disagreed with the imposition, it was difficult to challenge the royal authority. For example, James Oti, a Boston lawyer, tried to challenge the navigation Act by claiming that it was unconstitutional. However, he lost the case, so Americans had to consider other ways to fight against the impositions made by the British over the colonies. In 1765, the colonists raised taxes on basic commodities through the imposition of various Acts that targeted products or groups of people. Some of the acts imposed on the Americans included the Sugar Act, Declaratory Act, Currency Act, and the Stamp Act of the 1765. The cost of protecting the colony from French and Spanish invaders has increased. This forced the colonists to consider passing the cost to the Americans. In 1765, the British Empire was spending about £ 400, 000 to protect American colonies from French and Spanish invasion. This figure accounted for the expenses that the empire paid to maintain the Royal navy in the pacific. The cost also included direct costs of maintaining off show battalions and military installations (Goldfield et al 98-122). It was estimated that the American colonies contributed about £ 78,000 through direct taxes and trade licenses. This indicates that the British Empire spent about five times more than its annual revenue from the colonies. The British Empire was experiencing negative effects from these expenses. The empire was also incurring heavy financial losses from its efforts to prevent wars among different militia groups that had been formed in the colonies. However, the main reason for imposing heavy taxes on the Americans was to prove the supremacy of the empire over the colonies. To enhance its position, the colonial authority imposed acts that ensured that people in the colonies paid their taxes on time. In 1764, the British parliament passed the Sugar Act. This Act was closely followed by the imposition of the Currency Act of 1764. Imposition of the two acts led to massive protests and boycotts against British goods. These boycotts are considered as the toughest weapon that the Americans used against the empire. This made the empire impose more taxes and strict enactments against the colony. In 1765, the British enacted the Quartering Act; this Act required that the residents should contribute to the upkeep of British soldiers serving in America (Yazawa 56). The British parliament argued that British soldiers serving in America were serving the interests of the Americans and hence people from the colony should pay the cost. The Stamp Act was also imposed in parallel with the Quartering Act and required each person to pay a direct tax to the British crown. The Stamp Act became a financial burden to the Americans who considered themselves equal to the British citizens by the virtue of been members of the colony. The Sugar Act was imposed in 1766, and it raised tax on all sugar imports from West Indies. Acts imposed on the colonies raised controversy concerning British leadership over the Americans. In addition, both the elite and ordinary Americans experienced the consequences of the acts. For instance, impositions that concerned the price of basic goods increased pressure on ordinary Americans who were already suffering from the effects of a ruined economy. In addition, the Stamp Act made the Americans reconsider their position as members of the colony. Initially, Americans considered themselves equal to the British people. However, the imposition of Stamp Tax on Americans proved that Americans and British were not equal. Between 1767 and 1773, the British parliament passed the Townshend and The Tea Acts. The two acts targeted basic commodities through an increase of tax on American manufactured goods or imported goods. However, the British Empire was unable to control American produced goods and, therefore, they executed the acts through British goods. Price of basic commodities such as paper, glass, beer, wheat, and construction materials increased considerably. The Quebec and Intolerable Acts were imposed in 1774. The Act extended the boundaries of Quebec across river Ohio in order to cut the claims of other 13 colonies. During this period, Americans had insignificant considerations concerning laws passed by the British parliament. Their first reaction to the impositions was organizing militias and rebellions. The colonial government was quick to notice their response to the new acts. The authority in London responded by imposing additional Acts that came to be known as the Intolerable Act. These acts darkened the relationship between the British and the colonies, which was already in a ruined state. The Intolerable Act contained a series of other acts such as Massachusetts government Acts, Administration of Justice Acts, and Boston Port Act. The Massachusetts government Acts altered the Massachusetts charter and imposed restriction on all meetings held within the town. On the other hand, Administration of Justice Act required that all British soldiers convicted of criminal Activity should be tried in Britain courts. The Boston Act called for the closure of the Boston port until British merchants who lost their tea from the famous Boston tea party received compensation from the port authority. In 1774, the British government passed the Quartering Act, which required that all royal governors should house British soldiers serving in the colony in homes of Americans without any permission from the homeowners. It is evident that the imposition made by the British Empire on American colonies led to the breakdown of ties between Americans and the empire. Initially, the colonies responded by division into two classes of people. The patriots considered Americans to be morally right and in position to challenge the imperial government. The royalists were conservative and they wanted to preserve the rule of the crown in America. The different groups did exist for a long time, even though the patriots resorted to acts of violence against the royalists (burned their houses, for example). However, the royalists maintained a centralist position and resistance to Americans who opposed the crown (Goldfield et al. 66). The class differences that are evident in the current American society may have had their origin in the struggles between the patriots and the royalists. The royalists were mainly the merchants and the port owners. Merchants and port owners maintained a close relationship with the monarchy due to the nature of their business. In addition, the efforts of the patriots threatened their influence, existence, and business. The patriots continued to make considerable efforts to overcome the royalists. It was soon evident that the independence of the colony was unbound. The main fears among the royalists were that the independence of colonies would result into more acts of violence and tyranny. The division among members of the colony was not in favour of the elite or the common person, since both factions had equal representation. Blacks Americans who were working as slaves in the plantations were also divided across the two factions. Unlike Americans of European origin, the slaves anticipated their freedom for either fighting alongside the royalist’s or the patriots. However, most slaves supported the crown with the anticipation that the empire would abolish slavery after settling the uprising. The impositions made by the British on the colonies mainly targeted the economic aspects by increasing the costs of common goods or restricting the sale of certain goods, particularly those manufactured in America. The colonies responded to acts that targeted basic goods by boycotting against buying goods imported into the country from Britain. Other responses to Acts that targeted basic commodities were attacks on merchant ships bringing goods from Britain. One of the famous incident of this kind is the Boston tea party (Yazawa 76-80). This began by the burning of a British navy ship by John Brown and other accomplices. The British warship imposed trading restrictions on American merchants, particularly those that did not have ties with the monarchy. After the torching of the British warship, Thomas Hutchison, the governor of Massachusetts, issued direct letters to people of his colony, urging them to stop paying direct taxes (Yazawa 76-80). On December of the following year, a group of men from the patriotic faction boarded a ship owned by the British East India Company and dumped tea worth £ 10,000 into the ocean. ] The defiance of Americans to the acts, particularly the Stamp and the Sugar Acts, led the British government to respond by sending more troops to the colonies. In 1775, the British government responded by sending about 1000 soldiers into the colony to restore order. In addition, the troops were expected to confiscate illegal arms and arrest revolutionary leaders in Concord and Massachusetts. This turned out to be the first clash between the revolutionary’s militias and the royal troops and it marked the beginning of the renowned American Revolution. In June 1775, the Battle of Bunker Hill broke out between the British troops and militias. Although the British gained victory from the battle, the royal navy suffered heavy casualties. The British army lost about 6,000 men compared to 500 causalities of the Americans. This battle led to the creation of the continental army, which was composed of militias from the different colonies. After the war, the continental army pushed for the olive branch petition in an attempt to reconcile with King George III. However, King George resisted their calls for reconciliations and termed them as traitors. Thus, the empire declared those who opposed the royal authority as traitors. Under the leadership of George Washington, the continental army forced the British royalists to evacuate Boston. This was followed by declarations of independence in different colonies. The declaration made by King George against Americans who had taken arms against the royal forces led to massive arrests of combatants. Thousands were arrested and shipped to Britain to face charges of treason. According to the British constitution, treason attracted a death penalty. The creation of royal states in Canada – for example, Ontario and Nova Scotia – was also a reaction of the empire to uprisings in America. Royalists fleeing from the violent patriots considered the free states in Canada as their safe heavens. Between 1774 and 1776, thousands of royalists moved to Canada, fearing attacks from the patriots. Slaves who had freed from American plantation or those who had fought alongside the royalists also moved to Canada. Conclusions Between 1763 and 1776, the British colonial government imposed oppressive Acts on its American colonies, and this led to the American Revolution. The acts that the British government imposed on the American colonies had an effect on both the elite and ordinary Americans. Some of the acts imposed by the empire to strengthen its position included the Navigation Act, Molasses Acts, Townshend Acts, Tea Acts, Quebec Act, and the Intolerable Act. These Acts were aimed at increasing the authority of the crown over Americans by increasing their cost of living and trade. The Americans responded to the acts through direct defiance and violence against the royalists. The colonists responded by sending troops to the colony to maintain law and order, confiscate illegal weapons, and arrest revolutionary leaders. In addition, the empire created royal states in Canada to resettle royalists fleeing from violence. Works Cited Goldfield, David, Carl Abbott, and Virginia Anderson. The American journey: a history of the United States. Combined volume. New York: Pearson Education, 2006. Print. Yazawa, Melvin. Documents for Americas History, Volume 1: Since 1865. Bedford: Martin’s Inc, 2011. Print. Read More