The_American_Revolution

What does it take to start a country' When does a person push a whole set of colonies beyond the edge' What major events lead to a birth of a nation' The American Revolution is by far one of the greatest battles in American history. There wasn’t a new technology unveiled that would turn the tide of war neither was there shady politics going on by both sides. This war started a nation that soon turned out to be one of the greatest in history. But what events started this war, this revolution as some people might say. There are many causes of the American Revolution Major Events That Led to the American Revolution. The road to revolution built slowly over time. Many events fed the thirteen colonies for independence some of the major events that led to the Revolution. Are events such as the French and Indian War this war was between Britain and France and ended with the victorious British deeply in debt and demanding more money and supplies from the colonies but also with the defeat of the French, the colonies became less dependent on Britain for protection which didn’t sit well with the British forces because they had charged the Americans with protection fees. Another main cause was the Sugar Act this act raised the money from the colonies and put duties on sugar imported from the West Indies. The Currency Act was passed because Parliament argued that colonial currency had caused the British money to be less valuable which ended up being harmful to British trade. They banned American printing presses from issuing paper bills or bills of credit. This action led to the creation of the Committees of Correspondence Organized by Samuel Adams, these helped spread propaganda against the British and information through letters. The Quartering Act allowed Britain to make an order that colonists were to house and feed British soldiers if necessary hence the name quartering act. The Stamp Act was a major cause of the revolution because this required tax stamps on many items and documents including playing cards, newspapers, marriage licenses, and other printed material. Prime Minister George Grenville stated that this tax was intended for the colonies to pay for defense while previous taxes put forth by Britain had been indirect, or hidden from the colonists. The Sons and Daughters of Liberty were Colonists that tried to fight back against the British by imposing agreements that were not good for the importation of the British supplies. The Sons of Liberty took the law into their own hands enforcing the agreements by methods such as tar and feathering which in that day was extremely humiliating. The Townshend Acts were also a set of taxes that were passed; these taxes were imposed to help make the colonial officials independent of the colonists and included taxes on glass, paper, and tea. Smugglers increased their activities to avoid the tax leading to the eventual deploying of more troops in Boston. The Boston Massacre was a major cause because the colonists and British soldiers openly clashed in Boston. No one was sure who had started this incident because the colonist were unarmed and a unknown person had fired first whether it was British soldiers or colonists is still unknown. This event was used as an example of British cruelty despite questions about how it actually occurred. The Tea Act was passed to assist the failing British East India Company, the Company was given a monopoly to trade tea in America which led to Americans becoming frustrated and then that is when the Boston Tea Party occurred which consisted of a group of colonists disguised as Indians where they dumped tea overboard from three ships in Boston Harbor. The Intolerable Acts were passed in response to the Boston Tea Party and placed restrictions on the colonists including outlawing town meetings within the colnies and the closing of the Boston Harbor. The First Continental Congress was made in response to the Intolerable Acts, 12 of the 13 colonies met in Philadelphia from September-October, in the year of 1774. The Battle Lexington and Concord occurred in April, this battle started when the British troops were ordered to Lexington and Concord to seize stores of colonial gunpowder and to capture Samuel Adams and John Hancock. At Lexington, open conflict occurred and eight Americans were killed. At Concord, the British troops were forced to retreat with the loss of 70 men. This was the first instance of open warfare throughout the time when they started to rebel. The Second Continental Congress gathered again but this time all 13 colonies were represented at this meeting in Philadelphia beginning in May. The colonists still hoped that King George III would meet their grievances. This led to George Washington being named head of the Continental Army. The battle of Bunker Hill in 1775 was one of the first major victories for the Colonists and resulted in George III proclaiming the colonies in rebellion. Throughout the next few years the colonists found themselves relying on themselves. They even went as far as asking the French for help in the revolution where they supplied troops and supplies for the colonists. Those are the major events that had eventually led to the Americans declaring independence on July 4th 1776. This also led to the birth of the nation that stands for freedom today. Works Cited Brinkley, Alan. American history a survey. 10th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill College, 1999. Print. "Causes of the American Revolution - Examining the Causes of the American Revolution." American History From About. Web. 19 Feb. 2010. . "Causes of The Revolutionary War." American History and World History at Historycentral.com the largest and most complete history site on the web. Web. 19 Feb. 2010. .