Introduction
It is interesting to note that there was no single cause behind the American Revolutionary War that was wholly attributed as the “trigger” so to speak behind its inception, rather, it was the result of an accumulation of incidents that led to the beginning of the war between England and the 13 colonies. Based on the work of Waldstreicher, Wells & Hinderaker (2012) it can be seen that the triggers behind the American Revolution consisted of the following:
a.) Harsh taxes imposed on the colonies by England (i.e. the Stamp Tax, the Sugar Act and the Townshend Acts) (Waldstreicher, Wells & Hinderaker, 2012).
b.) Lack of colonial representation within the British parliament (i.e. the famous phrase “taxation without representation”) (Waldstreicher, Wells & Hinderaker, 2012).
c.) Distance between England and the 13 colonies which resulted in the development of social ideas related to freedom from autocracy, independence, and the development of a new country (Waldstreicher, Wells & Hinderaker, 2012).
d.) The desire to expand West beyond the Appalachian Mountains which was prohibited via the Proclamation of 1763 by King George the Third (i.e. the desire to expand past the set borders established by the British government) (Waldstreicher, Wells & Hinderaker, 2012).
e.) Desire for uninhibited trade – taxes such as the Sugar Act, the Stamp Tax and the Townshend Act as well as restrictions on trade with other countries imposed on the 13 colonies by the British government in effect severely limited the ability of the colonies to expand economically (Waldstreicher, Wells & Hinderaker, 2012). It was due to this that the merchant class at the time was the first to rebel due to what they perceived as unfair incursions of the government into their ability to do business.
As it can be seen, there were numerous triggers that helped to drive the American Revolution to begin yet what must be understood is that such triggers did not incite the revolution. Rather, the start of the revolution actually came about events which caused a cascade of resentment among the colonists resulting in the start of the war.
Inciting Events
The inciting events which contributed towards the American Revolution can be narrowed down to the following:
a.) In 1767 the Townshend Act was established which in effect added additional taxes to an assortment of essential goods to the colonies (i.e. tea, sugar, glass, lead, paper, paints etc.) due to the supposed need to fund the “protection” that the colonists enjoyed. As a direct result of the Townshend Act, various farmers, shipwrights and businessmen openly protested in Boston and even harassed British soldiers in the area which lead to the soldiers opening fire on the crowd killing 3 people and injuring several others (Cornog, 2012).
b.) The resulting propaganda caused by the “Boston Massacre” resulted in the Boston Tea Party wherein several anarchists disguised themselves as Native Americans and boarded the ships Beaver, Eleanor and the Dartmouth on December 16, 1773 wherein they proceeded to dump 45 tons of tea into the Boston Harbor in protest over the actions of the British forces (Cornog, 2012).
c.) The resulting reprisal from the British government came in the form of the Intolerable Acts of 1774 which resulted in the creation of the Boston Port Act, the Quebec Act, the Quartering Act, the Impartial Administration of Justice Act as well as the Massachusetts Bay regulating Act. The harsh terms of the intolerable acts resulted in a considerable increase in public resentment over the actions of the British government and actually lead to the stockpiling of weapons at Lexington and Concord despite such stockpiles being illegal under British law (Cornog, 2012).
d.) It was only when British troops attempted to seize the stockpiles that the American Revolution began due to the colonists defending the accumulated weapons from the encroaching British troops (Cornog, 2012).
Overall, it can be seen that the cause of the American Revolution was the result of triggers and events that could have been easily avoided. Going over the various actions that led to the start of the revolution, it can be seen that it could have been avoided if the British government had actually allowed a certain level of representation on the part of the colonists within the British Parliament as well as avoided imposing acts and taxes that would have obviously raised the ire of the colonists.
Outcome of the Revolutionary War
The end result of the revolutionary war was the creation of the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights as well as the Constitutional Convention which helped to create a more effective government for the fledgling colonists (Waldstreicher, Wells & Covart, 2012). After the war the colonies “opened up” so to speak in terms of trade with other countries, especially with France and Spain, which lead to the expansion of its economy as well as the creation of new colonies within the North Western half of America.
Unfortunately, with England loss in the war came with it the loss of protections that the Native American people had enjoyed (Waldstreicher, Wells & Covart, 2012). America’s freedom from British rule actually resulted in an escalation in conflict between the colonists and the Native Americans. While the victory of the colonists may have signaled the start of the infancy of the U.S. as we know it today, it can also be considered as the death knell of the Native American civilization.
Reference List
Cornog, M. (2012). Taxes, the Tea Party, and Those Revolting Rebels: A History in Comics of the American Revolution. Library Journal, 137(15), 54.
Waldstreicher, D., Wells, J., & Covart, E. M. (2012). Among the Powers of the Earth: The American Revolution and the Making of a New World Empire. Journal Of The Early Republic, 32(4), 721-725.
Waldstreicher, D., Wells, J., & Hinderaker, E. (2012). Whose American Revolution Was It? Historians Interpret the Founding. Journal Of The Early Republic, 32(3), 499 – 503.