The American Revolution led to the foundation of the United States of America and, thus, was one of the major events in the American history. Its main results were the end of the British power in North America and the signing of Constitution, the main law document of the United States. The American Revolutionary War started for a range of reasons that appeared much earlier the escalation of the conflict. The aim of this paper is to give an overview of the origins of the American Revolution and to recount the process that led to the signing of the Constitution and the Bills of Rights.
The opinion of the colonies towards Britain started to darken in the second part of the eighteenth century. Talking about the origins of the revolution, Gipson states, “it may be said truly that the American Revolution was an aftermath of the Anglo-French conflict in the New World carried on between 1754 and 1763” (Gipson, 86). One of the major consequences of the French and Indian War of 1754-1763 between French and British colonies in North America was significant increasing of Britain’s national debt. British Crown tried to find new revenue sources and subsequently imposed new taxes on its colonies. In 1764, the Parliament of Great Britain passed The Currency Act that limited the use of paper money and the Sugar Act that levied tariffs on some articles. One year later, supporting the idea of British Prime Minister George Grenville, Parliament passed the Stamp Act 1765 that put on direct taxes on British colonies. All those acts raised a great hue and cry among Americans. New British taxes led to the formation of the Sons of Liberty, an organization, which main aim was to protect the rights of colonists and to resist British taxation. In 1766, Franklin got the chance to represent the opinion of American colonists directly to Parliament. On the question about the Stamp tax, he replied, “There is not gold and silver enough in the colonies to pay the stamp duty for one year” (Isaacson, 229). As the result of public protests and Franklin’s speech, new British government repealed the Stamp Act. However, after the Townshend Acts and the Tea Act of 1773, unrests among Americans started again, and some of them even turned violent, for instance, the famous Boston Massacre. The Sons of Liberty held the protest known as the Boston Tea Party that destroyed the East India Company’s shipment of tea and became one of the key events that led to American Revolution. Britain responded with the Intolerable Acts, which ended Boston’s commerce and abolished American self-government in Massachusetts. Further American protests and dissatisfaction with British government led to the escalation of the conflict. In 1775, the American Revolution began.
One of the main consequences of the American Revolutionary War was the creation of a Constitution of the United States of America. The end of the war marked a start of the period of prosperity. However, the government had no money to pay debts both to European supporters and Americans. Led by Hamilton and Washington Federalists trembled that the new nation could not resist additional internal and external conflicts, and in 1787 they asked Congress to summon the Philadelphia Convention “so that political leaders could continue to discuss interstate commerce problems” (Berkin et al., 175). The Philadelphia Convention established a new Constitution that strengthened the federal government and provided the efficient executive in balance with judiciary and legislative powers. In 1788, the new Constitution was ratified, and one year later, the first American President George Washington and his new government took place in New York. In 1789, James Madison suggested a series of thirty-nine amendments aimed to improve the Constitution. New amendments limited the power of Congress and provided personal liberties that should “give to the Government . . . popularity and stability” (Labinski, 162). Some American states agreed to sign new Constitution only if those amendments would be accepted immediately. The Bill of Rights was ratified on 15 December 1791 as an addition to the original text of American Constitution.
The American Revolutionary War is one of the major events in American history. Its main reasons were increased taxes and stiffening of British laws towards colonies in North America. The main results of the American Revolution were the end of American dependence on the British Crown and signing of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The reign of Britain in North America ended, and the new era marked with the rise of a new country began.
Works Cited
Berkin C. et al. Cengage Advantage Books: Making America. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.
Gipson, L.H. “The American Revolution as an Aftermath of the Great War for the Empire, 1754-1763.” Political Science Quarterly 65.1 (1950): 86-104. Print.
Isaacson, W. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 2004. Print.
Labinski, R.E. James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print.
