Before the United States came to be the most powerful international actor and country in the globe, it was first known as a colony for the rapidly increasing British Monarchy. The Americas became the new home for a million people, comprising the thirteen colonies that would become the foundation of the United State. Even if the British or English government had control over the North America after the 1973 French and Indian War, they had to spread its wealth to various areas to ensure that the mainland could continue thriving despite the huge losses it has gained from the war. The government decided to ask the colonists to support its financial debt by asking those taxes, in exchange for England’s continuous military protection over the thirteen colonies. However, what England did not expect is the reaction of the colonists pertaining to their decision to impose the levies on the colonists who have found their freedom away from the homeland. The root cause of the American Revolution pertains to England’s economic policies which restricted colonists in terms of business, trading and decision-making which restricted colonists, causing them to fight against the English monarchy.
Since the discovery of the Americas, the British government has undergone a massive change in leadership from 1760 to 1782 with seven prime ministers taking office. The change in leadership has drastically affected the Parliament as it could not extend its power properly as each prime minister left enough problems for the Parliament to handle, especially the political challenge these prime ministers left. The Tories and the Whigs have debated constantly for the policy in Britain, causing the policies to be ambiguous in nature as the Whigs were divided on two warring parties. Despite this, the Whigs were able to stop the Tories for overwhelming the Whig government to continue. The change of leadership and its instability has also caused the change in attitude of the ruling class from mainland Great Britain to the colonies. Since Britain’s discovery of America, many ruling classes and the majority party in the Parliament saw the New World as a place for investing and development. The British government like other imperial powers in the 18th century favoured a policy of Mercantilism, while the colonies were by and large developed freely with little interference from England.
In 1951, the British government passed the Navigation Act which forbids imported goods into England unless they are from English ships or from ships from the colonies exporting items. It was amended in 1660 wherein no goods should be shipped to different countries unless they would ship the items to England and her colonies. The Navigation Act was an answer of the English government to the failed diplomatic mission to The Hague, causing conflict with the Dutch nations the Dutch already controlled the Portuguese colonies located in Asia, finding the proposal of the English government to be counterproductive in the part of the Dutch government. The Navigation Act itself targeted the Dutch nations due to their position as Europe’s largest shipper. The Navigation Act disabled the British shipping industry as it slowly isolated other shipping companies away from the English Channel. However, the act enabled the English shippers to stop the competition from the Dutch traders. The British traders were able to enable the country to develop, especially in accepting American colonial wares which have high quality. The Royal Navy also gained benefit from the Navigation Acts as the reduction of merchants entering the English borders, thus allowing the Navy to increase its size. However, the American colonies had felt the Act’s close grip and restricted the colony trading classes for trading with other countries despite the prices of their merchandise in other countries .
The next act that followed the Navigation Act of 1951 is the Sugar Act of 1764. The Sugar Act was known in two names – the American Revenue Act and the American Duties Act. The nature of the Sugar Act was revenue-raising, passed by the Parliament on April 5, 1764. The Sugar Act replaced the Molasses Act, cutting taxes on imported sugar and molasses in half opr three pence per gallon. However, the improvement of this act is that the Sugar Act ensures collection through its provisions. Merchants are expected to post a bond to guarantee their obedience in paying their taxes and violators would be tried by judges created in vice-admiralty courts around the colonies. The colonial economy was immediately affected by the Sugar Act as colonies only had one market to sell their sugar, molasses and other items as the Act reduced their trading with Madeira, Azores, the Canary Islands, and the French West. Colonial businesses also were limited to the currency they could use to purchase British goods.
The Stamp Act of 1765 was a direct tax imposed by the British Parliament specifically on the colonies of British America. With the French and Indian War creating debt by the Exchequer up to £150 million, the country had to create amends to ensure that the mainland does not succumb to debt. American colonies were requested to pay internal taxes in addition to the taxes they are currently paying. At first, the tax added to the American colonies through the Stamp Act as the amount was not much. It was also expected to charge the wealthy, dividing the population directly by their social classes. However, the Stamp Act did not anticipate the effect of the tax to colonial shippers and merchants, who would need stamps for their various public documents to ensure their businesses, are seen legally. The Act also affected lawyers, newspaper publishers, printers, and municipal workers who produce documents for businesses and traders . The Townshend Acts of 1767 were a series of laws passed beginning in 1767 by the Parliament of Great Britain relating to the British colonies in North America. Under these Acts, the British government established additional taxes unlike the Stamp Act for imported goods. However, the colonies did not accept the Act as there were no seen differences between the taxes being collected in the colonies and they were no reason for the colonies to pay such taxes. Merchants immediately organized economic boycotts to pressure the government to remove the Townshend Acts. Importation of British goods was boycotted on January 1st 1769 and each colonial port joined the boycott.
The Tea Acts were created to reduce the British East India Company’s surplus of tea which is in London and create a means to allow the company to get back on its feet. The English government allowed the creation of a tax that would allow the British East India Company to have a monopoly on tea trading. The colonists led by Samuel Adams retaliated on this act and dressed up as Indians to dump the tea cargo into the Boston Harbor which was worth £14,000. The Coercive Acts or the Intolerable Acts of 1774 were passed right after the Boston Tea Party issue. Boston Port was closed down to all forms of business and trading unless Massachusetts pays the taxes of the dumped tea. Additional acts were also added to end self-rule by the colonists in Massachusetts, ensuring the obedience of the Bostonians. Royal officials were also given immunity from being sued by the public. For the colonists, the act is a means to violate their rights as citizens and a violation of their charters. They also saw the Coercive Acts as a threat to their freedom. As a result of these acts paved the way for the First Continental Congress. The Congress met in 1774 in Philadelphia with fifty-six representatives in attendance. Notable representatives in attendance for the first Congress were Patrick Henry, George Washington, Samuel Adams, and Boston shipper John Hancock. The congress was known for two accomplishments – the boycott of British goods in December 1, 1774 and the foundation of the Second Continental Congress on May 10, 1775 .
The Battle of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements under the American Revolutionary War, breaking the silence of the 13 colonies against the English rule. The battle took place sometime around the dawn of April 19 wherein seventy Massachusetts Minutemen were met by the British army on Lexington Green. Eight casualties were killed in the side of the Americans; however, the British forces had to go to Concord to regroup. The conflict became the first out of many civil wars in retaliation of the Acts placed by the British government. It was known as the “shot heard round the world” as no one knew who first shot the gun. The battle also served as a definition of the changing relationship of Great Britain and America, especially with news articles putting the blame to the British government due to the political climate in the country .
The American Revolution would not have been possible if the English government did not wish to monopolize colonist goods for their own by imposing additional laws and restrictions on the colonists to ensure their obedience. Laws such as the Sugar Act, the Navigation Act and the Tea Acts restricted colonists in only importing British goods and trading with British goods despite the fees that could be saved if the colonists traded elsewhere. The Townshend Laws and the Stamp Act added internal taxes which added in the problem of the colonists in affording for the currency to pay for the taxes. Finally, the Coercive Laws formally removed the freedoms of the colonists once England deemed the colonies disobeying their laws. These laws itself restricted the colonists, thus resulting to the Battle of Concord and Lexington, beginning the American Revolutionary War.
Works Cited
Allison, Robert. The American Revolution: A Concise History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. Print.
Manning, Martin and Clarence Wyatt. Encyclopedia of Media and Propaganda in Wartime America. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2011. Print.
Miller, John. Origins of the American Revolution. Boston: Little Brown, 1943. Print.
Oneal, James. The Workers in American History. St Louis: Elibron Classics, 1971. Print .
Volo, Dorothy Denneen and James Volo. Daily Life During the American Revolution. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003. Print.
