Prelude To The American Revolution Essay Research

Prelude To The American Revolution Essay, Research Paper

Prelude to the American Revolution

The American Revolutionary War was fought by the colonists of America to win Recognition by Britain and the world as an independent nation. Colonial opposition to the British government began acts such as the Stamp act, the Townshend acts and the coercive acts and many other more insignificant laws. These actions by the British government triggered a sever dislike for Britain and the people of America began to unite in their opposition.

The French and Indian War Took place from 1754 to 1763. British soldiers fought this war in order to protect their country’s claims on land in the colonies. The colonists began to resent Britain more and more due to the constant military presence in the colonies. The people of the colonies did not appreciate the War that Britain had waged. This war against the French and their Indian allies had cost the British a lot of money and they felt the colonies should pay for a share of the costs. In almost a childlike manner the colonists refused to pay their dues for being protected by the British army.

The Sugar Act was passed by the British Parliament in 1764 to help pay for the cost of regulating the colonies and to help pay for British debt. This Sugar act was designed to collect revenue and the people of the colonies started to smuggle sugar into the colonies rather than buy it from Britain. Because of the smuggling the British began to lose money and soon they started a policy of much stricter control on shipping and assigned legal documents known as Writs of Assistance which gave British officers the right to search any man’s warehouse for smuggled goods. Along with the Writs of Assistance the people who were charged with crimes were forced to stand trial in an Admiralty court and not be judged by a jury of their peers. This sudden and very strict enforcement of regulations was shocking to Americans who had gotten used to the years of salutary neglect of the British.

Another new law imposed on the colonies was the Quartering Act of 1765. This act required each of the colonies to provide housing and food for 10,000 British soldiers. The Colonies resented the invasion of British soldiers, and they felt abused by the British. Colonial leaders opposed this new law and cries of “A man’s home is his castle” began to spread through out the colonies. Ultimately the colonies did not obey this law and it helped to build support for the thought of rebellion.

The Stamp Act was introduced to the colonies in 1765. It required all printed materials to be taxed, including newspapers, pamphlets, bills, legal documents, commercial contracts, deeds, licenses, almanacs, dice and also playing cards to carry the tax stamp. The Americans, who already disliked the few taxes imposed on them were simply outraged by the Stamp act. This was the first time that a tax would be imposed on them that was collected directly by Britain. The money would not go to pay for any services or improvements to the colonies and the people felt it was useless.

The tax sparked immediate opposition by nearly every person in the colonies. The Son’s of Liberty, led by Samuel Adams began to organize a vast colonial boycott on the stamp act. It was ignored by nearly every person, and the people that obeyed were sometimes harmed and always ostracized by the people of his or her town. The British government literally lost money trying to collect this tax. The people of the colonies and the leaders did not obey these laws because they felt that if they were going to be taxed by the British they should be represented in the parliament. The British However, argued the idea of virtual representation which meant only that the Americans were being taxed thoughtfully, and they didn’t need representation. To the Americans this was nothing more than a foolish way of saying that they were not being represented. The people of the Colonies began to use the slogan ” No taxation without representation”. With the help of the slogan and the many leaflets being circulated the opposition became too great and Britain had to repeal the law in 1776.

After more than 50 years of salutary neglect, the new regulations concerned the colonists. They were alarmed by the economic costs imposed on them by these reforms, especially with the post-war depression going on. People had always been lightly taxed in America and they did not want their money to be used to support British officials. They seemed to be under the false pretenses that maintaining the military defenses in the colonies was cheap and they didn’t account for the fact that the money to house them had to come from some place. After all, the military forces were there for the benefit of the colonists.

The English Parliament then passes the Townshend Revenue Acts in 1768. These acts were set forth to help pay for Britain’s debt. The Townshend acts were taxes on such goods as lead, paint, paper, glass and tea. The acts were thought to be reasonable by Britain and the British officials were shocked that the colonists were so annoyed by the taxes. America’s protest to these taxes seemed to be getting stronger, the people of the colonies were angry at Britain and they began to defy British authority with the intent to do harm to it. American leaders urged that all Americans stop buying any British goods that