American revolution

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In the United States, the American Revolution is revered as a triumphant rebellion led in the name of freedom and independence, against the tyrannical rule of the British monarchy. However, the American perspective of Britain as an oppressive ruling country along with the goal of establishing independence, did not come until after the start of the American Revolution (Road to Revolution Lesson). Initially, the focus of the Revolution was economic, as elite members of the colonies began to become increasingly concerned with the stronger assertion of power and novel taxes that Britain had imposed following the French and Indian War.

By 1763, Britain had been warring on-and-off with France for a quarter of a century, which resulted in the accruement of a massive war debt, never before reached at that time (Road to Revolution Lesson). Prior to the French and Indian War, Britain had had a very hands-off approach in governing the colonies, which allowed some colonists, mostly elite members of society, the opportunity to establish and engage in local governments and law-making decisions (Road to Revolution Lesson). However, after the war ended, the British government realized that it was on the brink of a financial crisis, and began to take a heavier hand in controlling the economy and goings-on of the North American colonies. In order to help pay down their enormous war debt, the British Parliament implemented a series of novel taxes on the colonists, such as the Stamp tax, Sugar tax, and Tea Tax, which were particularly ill-received due to the increase in

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novel taxes on the colonists, such as the Stamp tax, Sugar tax, and Tea Tax, which were particularly ill-received due to the increase in consumer spending, which allowed for more families to afford imports and items that were once only afforded by the wealthy (AV, The American Revolution, Ill). Many colonists were also vexed at the arrival of 10,000 British soldiers, whom were sent to honor and enforce the Proclamation Line of 1763, which established the area between the Mississippi River and the Appalachian mountains as belonging to the American Indians (Road to Revolution Lesson). Collectively, many colonists viewed these acts as a direct infringement of their civil liberties, and tensions between colonists and the British government began to grow. The British Parliament viewed the newly-imposed taxes as just, and considered them the colonies'due diligence to the British Empire, for helping to repay the£140 million debt accrued during the French and Indian War (AV, The American Revolution, Vl) .This led the colonists to enact a full-on boycott of British goods, in an attempt to dissuade Parliament's heavy hand and force them to roll back the newly imposed taxes (Road to Revolution Lesson) .

As with most wars, money was the root cause of why and how the American Revolution came to be. It wasn't until after the colonists eventually realized, that the King and the British government were unwilling to relent on any of these issues, that the new goal of independence began to gain popularity among the leaders of the American Revolution and other colonists.

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