American Revolution

Overview

Memories of the American Revolution and the series of events have always been a very important component in the American history. Lives of the revolutionary soldiers, all the women who participated and the war veterans are and will always be quoted in glorious terms.

Since the early 1600, when the first European settlers landed on the East Coast, they began to restructure and reshape North American continent as per their needs. Some of their egocentric actions includes cutting down of forests for lumber, draining the wetlands to plant crops and diverting streams to power mills. The Native Americans, who loved to live in harmony and peace till the imposition of colonization had to bear the unjust policies of the British government. These people who inhabited the land for thousands of years were treated very brutally, even slaughtered. The natural resources that they thought belonged to their homeland were cut down and sold.

British colonies started exploring new options for revenue by imposing taxes on tea, glass, paper, along with other things of daily use. Americans started complaining about the way they were treated and were not given the same rights as that of the British people. They started complaining about the fact that their basic human and civil rights were being violated, which subsequently became the primary reason for American Revolution and consequently the separation from the British Empire.

A number of events, then, led to the American Revolution, also known as the American War of Independence (1775-1783). It commenced in 1775, as a war between Britain and the 13 British colonies in North America. Tired of the unfair practices, the Americans raised the slogan of "No taxation without representation", followed by the formation of the continental army in the year 1775 when the American Revolutionaries took control over the 13 colonies (Hopkins, p. 176).

Events that Caused the American Revolution

American Revolution started on the imposition of numerous acts that violated the rights of the Englishmen. A series of events led to the Revolution including political, economic and legal reasons. Some of the major issues are described as follows.

French and Indian War (1754-1763)

Ended in 1763 and caught the British parliament deeply in debt, thereby, demanding more funds from the American colonies. With this intention, the British parliament started introducing new acts and imposing new laws, which eventually led to the movement against the government.

Sugar Act-1764

Under this act, British imposed a tax on Sugar, Wine and other molasses containing products.

Currency Act-1764

The British parliament came up with the currency act in the year 1764. Following this act, it banned all the paper currency to the American colonies by saying that it was proving to be detrimental for the British trade. Hence, the issuance of paper currency and all the bills of credit were prohibited.

The Stamp Act-1765

On March, 22 1765, the British parliament passed The Stamp Act which was the first internal act that the parliament levied on the colonies. It imposes taxes on financial ...