The American Revolution was primarily spurred by the overarching desire by the people of North America to be free and independent from the absolute monarchy of England. The colonists perceived the actions of the British government in the colonies as geared towards perpetual control of North America by the British monarch. Pilgrims and other immigrants from Great Britain had fled England with the hope that they would be able to establish a new land in North America that was free from feudalism and the infringement of individual freedoms and liberties. However, the spark towards the American Revolution was spurred by a couple of Acts that were initiated by the British government with the hope of maintaining control of colonies.
Of the factors leading to the American Revolution, the Stamp Act of 1965 was one of the most controversial laws that were established by the monarch on the colonies. Under this law, the colonists were required to pay a tax on all paper that they used within the colonies (Morgan 27). According to the law, paper material included periodicals, newspapers, and stamps, among other papery goods. This law was established by the British parliament with the justification that the colonies were in need of security. The British government had garrisoned ten thousand soldiers in North America, arguing that the colonies lacked the capacity to protect themselves against attacks by both external powers and the resistance of Native Americans (Foner 25). This move by the British government was not justified because the colonists already had enough soldiers to protect them against attacks. The Stamp Act was established without the consent of the colonies in North America. It is important to note that the colonists did not have representation in the British parliament. This meant that the law that was passed was coercive and biased towards the interests of the monarch.
The colonists responded violently to the imposition of the Stamp Act. As Englishmen, the colonists maintained their English identity despite their occupation of North America. This meant that they were protected by the England Bill of Rights, which provided that no Englishman should be subjected to taxation without consent. Based on the idea that the Stamp Act was an action of taxation without representation, the colonists began to lay out mechanisms to deter the British government from executing the Stamp Act law. The first action that was taken by the colonists was the boycotting of British goods (Alden 43).
Considering that Britain was a manufacturing economy, the nation needed a ready market for its finished goods. The boycotting of British-produced goods by the colonists was meant to hurt the economic base of Britain so that the monarch would consider to the termination of the Stamp Act. The colonist also responded by violently attacks the officials that were bestowed with the responsibility of collecting the taxes. Attacks on the tax collection officials meant that the colonists posed security issues on the British administrators that extended the authority of British monarchy in North America. It was this brutality that set the stage for more revolution against the British government. The idea of an exceptional society that was different from Great Britain in terms of governance, class structure, and opportunities for all was a unifying factor that brought together the colonists towards to cause of independence. This unity was instrumental to the success of the American Revolution.
Works Cited
Alden, John Richard. The American Revolution, 1775-1783. New York: Harper, 1954. Print.
Foner, Eric. The American Revolution. New York: Hill and Wang, 1985. Print.
Morgan, Edmund S. The Stamp Act Crisis: Prologue to Revolution. Williamsburg, Virginia. 1953. Print.
