The American Revolution began in 1775. It was a political upheaval that took place in America in the last half of the 18th century. This was when the thirteen colonies in America united to revolt against Direct Governance from Britain. The Americans had no representation in Britain’s parliament yet they were being ruled by Britain, this lead to rebellion against the British Empire. The American Revolution was brought about by the transformations in the American government and society.
At that period in time, there were a series of social, political, and intellectual revolutions in the country. The American people, therefore, changed their mind set and decided they want a different kind of future. (Fiske)
The war began as a result of a disagreement between the way colonies of Great Britain felt they should be treated and the way Britain treated the areas under their rule. From the American point of view, they were supposed to enjoy all the rights other Englishmen enjoyed since they were being ruled by the same government and they also paid their taxes. The British however saw the issues differently. They felt that the colonies were created for a particular purpose and are there to serve the crow and the parliament in whichever way they are required.
Problems began after the French and Indian wars. After the signing of the peace treaty of 1763, Britain took over Canada from France and Florida from Spain. This helped the Americans to push for the revolution as they were not threatened by French Menace therefore they were not dependent on Britain for Protection. There was also the fact that Britain had to become strict and forceful with its colonies after this war. This was not taken kindly by the Americans. (Fiske)
The Grenville Administration also contributed to the American Revolution as it brought about various legislations which were meant to suppress the colonies. One of the most infamous ones was the new levies on colonies. These levies were in the form of increased taxes. The taxes were not welcome at all since they brought about a lot of losses to the colonies. First of all the taxes had a big strain on trade in America. They also led to a decrease in Specie (hard money).
All in all the British colonies were outgrowing Britain both politically and socially and Britain refused to acknowledge it. This, therefore, resulted in a revolution.
First of all the Americans were under good leadership during the war. The founding fathers were a strong supporter of republicanism. This method of leadership was dejected corruption and encouraged men to put civic duty ahead of their desires.
The Americans were also successful since they had help from other foreign governments such as France and Spain. The French specifically put up an aid to fund America. Spain also Added funds to this aid. (Fiske)
The American Revolution War was fought on American land. They, therefore, had an advantage since they knew the land they were fighting on much better compared to the British soldiers.
For the Americans, winning the war meant that they would get Independence from Britain. This gave them a lot of motivation which enabled them to win. (Osborne)
Works Cited
Centre., East Saint Louis Research. French Colonization. 2011. Web.
Fiske, John. The American revolution. Boston Massachusets: Houghton Mifflin, 2006.
Leonard, Irving Albert. Books of the brave: being an account of books and of men in the Spanish Conquest and settlement of the sixteenth-century New World. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1949.
Osborne, Roger. Civilization: a new history of the Western world. Berkeley, CA: Pegasus Books, 2006.