AMERICAN REVOLUTION: CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES

THE POLITICAL CAUSES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

1. THE ENGLISH MONARCHY TIGHTENS ITS CONTROL OVER THE COLONIES.

After winning the French and Indian War, King George II decided that it was time to tighten
Britain's control over the colonies. There were several reasons for this, one was because the
Indians still posed a threat to the British government and second, the French and Indian War
which lasted seven years had cost Britain a lot of money. The King wanted the colonies to help
pay for all those expenses. The first of several laws to accomplish this was the Proclamation of
1763 which forbade the colonists to move westward past the Appalachian Mountains. In 1764,
Britain passed a law that prevented the colonies to print and use their own money. These and
several other laws passed to tighten the English reign on the colonies brought out a lot of anger
and frustration. But the one law that really angered the colonists was the Stamp Act of
1765 which taxed all kinds of printed paper from wills, licenses, newspapers, diplomas, even
playing cards.

The colonists could not take any more so they started speaking out against the new taxes. In
October of 1765, nine of the colonies sent their representatives to New York City to discuss what
they thought of the Stamp Act. They decided that the Stamp Act and all the other taxation laws
were illegal since the colonies were not represented in the British Parliament. "No taxation
without representation," was the common cry of all the colonies. The representatives sent a letter
to England asking that the Stamp Act be repealed but the British government did not listen.
Instead, they imposed more new taxes on the colonies like the Townshend Act. This act placed
taxes on tea, glass, paper, and paint. At this point, many colonists were so frustrated and angry
that they refused to pay taxes or to buy any products from England. The Americans did all they
could to rebel against the monarchy. Traders started to smuggle goods in and out of American
ports to avoid paying taxes. And they started moving and settling across the Appalachian
Mountains even though the British Parliament said they could not.

All this frustration and rebellion led to the formation of a club called the Sons of Liberty. The
members broke into the homes of tax collectors, beat them up, and burned tax documents. Britain
sent 40,000 troops to aid and protect the tax collectors. The colonists were told to provide
housing for the soldiers which angered them even more. They showed it by constantly taunting
the British troops, throwing rocks or snowballs at them whenever the opportunity arose.

2. THE BOSTON MASSACRE

In 1770, the first real battle between the colonists and British soldiers took place in Boston,
Massachusetts. An armed clash like this was waiting to happen from the moment the British
troops arrived in Boston. Brawls were a common occurrence between the British soldiers and the
colonists, who were constantly taunting and insulting the troops. The Boston Massacre started
when a crowd of about 60 colonists surrounded the British soldiers guarding the customs house.
The colonists began throwing snowballs and rocks at the troops. Suddenly, a single shot was
heard and was followed by more shots. Five colonists were killed and many more were
wounded. Two of the British soldiers were found guilty of killing the five colonists. They were
punished by having their thumbs burned and then released. The colonists were angered by this
light punishment and considered it a slap on the face.

3. THE BOSTON TEA PARTY

In 1773, protests in the colonies against the Stamp Act had died down but the British Parliament
passed the Tea Act. This revived all the pent-up emotions in the colonists. The Tea Act granted
the British East India Company the monopoly of the tea trade in America. The tea company
started delivering tea to America exempt from British taxes. This angered the American colonists
because all the other tea traders still had to pay taxes to Britain. The Americans refused to buy
any tea and refused to unload the tea from the British ships in the American ports. About 50
colonists belonging to the Sons of Liberty boarded a tea ship in the Boston Harbor one night.
They were dressed as Mohawk Indians and Paul Revere was their leader. These men threw
90,000 pounds of tea into the water while hundreds of colonists cheered them on from the port.
This event became known as the Boston Tea Party. Many would agree that this was the most
important event that led to the start of the American Revolution.

4. THE HESSIANS
In 1775, although things had really heated up between Britain and the colonies, there was still
hope of reconciliation and preventing the war. That was until King George hired soldiers from
Germany called the Hessians. These soldiers were mercenaries known for their brutality and
cruelty. This was a point of no return for the colonists because now they had to really fight and
defend themselves from the British troops and the Hessians combined. All hope of averting the
war was lost after the Hessians arrived on American soil.

5. COMMON SENSE
In 1776, an Englishman named Thomas Paine published a book titled Common Sense. The book
claimed that all monarchies, especially the King of England, were bad. The book also stated that
America deserved to be free and run its own government without Britain interfering. The book
became a bestseller and made the Americans believe that they should be free and independent
from England.

6. THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.

Also in 1776, the Second Continental Congress met at the Pennsylvania State House to discuss
the situation they were in. Many of the leaders wanted to secede from England and to become a
free and independent nation. Some wanted America to have some independence while remaining
a colony of England. Some were not sure what they wanted. Because he was a good writer,
Thomas Jefferson was given the job of writing the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson
completed the document in three weeks and presented it to Congress. The documents were
argued over and some of the words were changed. By July 4, 1776, the Declaration of
Independence was approved by the Second Continental Congress. Fifty-six men signed it, John
Hancock being the first one. The Declaration of Independence showed England and the whole
world that America was determined to become a free country. It established a new nation and
was intended to gain complete independence from British control.

THE ECONOMIC CAUSES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

1. MERCANTILISM
One big factor that led to the colonists’ discontent is Mercantilism. Mercantilism was the idea
that colonies were an important source of raw materials. A lot of the raw materials were taken
from America and sent to Britain to help the mother country manufacture goods to trade with
other countries. It was thought that by increasing exports and collecting precious metals in
return, that it would improve the national wealth and power.

2. THE NAVIGATION ACTS

The Navigation Acts channelled the flow of colonial raw materials into England and kept foreign
goods and vessels out of colonial ports. The Navigation Acts incorporated multiple laws that
were created over a period of time. The Acts were passed with the theory of mercantilism, which
restricted free trade. They were intended to keep foreign goods and vessels out of colonial ports.
The Navigation Act of 1651 banned imported goods from other countries, unless the ship or
cargo had an all-British crew. The second Act was extended to exports in addition to imports.
Four more Acts were passed between the years of 1662 and 1773, which proposed even more
restrictions on trade. The Molasses Act in 1773 forced the colonists to purchase the more
expensive sugar from Britain because they had raised the tax on all sugar and molasses products
coming from anywhere else. Smuggling was also a huge result of these Acts.

3. THE COERCIVE ACTS

The Coercive Acts was passed in the spring of 1774. It was also known in America as the
Intolerable Acts because they felt the Britain’s answer to the current problems was coercion. The
Americans thought it was intolerable and unendurable. Some of the laws under the Coercive
Acts which have economic repercussions for the colonists were: The Boston Port Act, The
Quartering Act.

The Boston Port Act closed the harbour of Boston to all commerce until its citizens paid for the
tea that were destroyed in the Boston Tea Party. This was not fair because the British
government was punishing the whole state of Massachusetts for a crime committed by a few of
its citizens from Boston.

The Quartering Act required that towns provide the needs for British Soldiers; they were
required to house and feed new British troops sent to the colonies. They considered this a form of
indirect taxation in which the Americans were forced to use their money for the benefit of the
monarchy. The soldiers were also particularly unwelcome because they took odd jobs after work
hours, competing with unemployed colonists.

4. THE TEA CRISIS ACT

The Tea Act passed in 1773 was Britain's attempt to help the East India Company from their
almost nonexistent sales of their teas. The East India Company had millions of pounds of tea that
they were unable to sell. Britain decided to help them by letting them sell their tea in North
America without the colonial tax and lowered the price so there wouldn't be any competitors.
Americans became angry over this because American tea traders still had to pay taxes to Britain.
Their prices were so low that the American traders could not compete. The Tea Act led to
boycotts of tea and later on led to the Boston Tea Party.

5. THE TOWNSHEND DUTIES

The Townshend Acts of 1767 was named after Charles Townshend. He came up with the idea to
place tax on imported glass, paper, paints, and tea. The British land tax had been cut, so
Townshend decided to make it up by taxing the Americans for the goods. Townshend thought
that Americans were “ungrateful children” and he wanted to reinforce the control of the British
government on them. These taxes all went to the earnings of the British officials. Many were
against these taxes, which led to boycotts of English goods.

6. THE SUGAR ACT

The Sugar Act was passed by British Prime Minister, George Grenville in 1764. His main
concern was to reduce government spending. This law placed tax on imported items that came
into America in large amounts such as sugar, coffee, dyes, and wines. Most imported wine and
rum was banned. This Act also reduced the tax on molasses from six cents to three cents. It was
thought that this Act would help pay for the expenses of colonial administration. Those who
were found going against the Sugar Act were tried before British naval officers in court.

THE POSITIVE CONSEQUENCES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

1. THE DRAFTING OF THE CONSTITUTION.

After the revolution, independence was won on the battlefield and was confirmed at the Paris
Peace Conference. A national government was formed and Congress acted as a legislative body,
but was not strong enough until a national constitution was drafted. By this, the American could
now hold an election to choose who should lead and represent them in government. The drafting
of The Constitution was the beginning of total independence and freedom of the Americans from
British rule. The constitution was the cornerstone on which the United States was built. The idea
was a good start for the United States, for without these strong and legal guidelines, America will
still be dependent on the British. Without the Constitution, the freedom and independence they
fought hard for would have been in vain. Many States seized the opportunity brought about by
the drafting of the Constitution to form political and social reforms. In Pennsylvania, Virginia,
North Carolina, and other states, the seats in the legislature were reapportioned in order to give
the western districts their fair share.

2. THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE.

All the rules that governed Britain and the colonies were influenced by the church. Rules that
favored the Puritans, the Catholics, and the other religions in the colonies were very powerful;
they were influential in the way the government was run. But as soon as America became
independent and their own rules were set, it became clear that the church needed to be separated
from the government. The rules drafted in The Constitution superseded the church rules and
became the foundation and guidance by which all must abide to maintain democracy.

3. THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF SLAVERY.

As many Americans became more enlightened and the spirit of national growth was developed,
the people began to realize that slavery was not a good thing. It deprived a human being of his or
her right to live freely. It does not promote a national spirit. Also some blacks were becoming
educated and started to demand their rights to freedom. One example is Frederick Douglass who
attracted large audiences as an anti-slavery lecturer.

4. POSITIVE EFFECTS OF THE REVOLUTION ON WOMEN.

Women also demanded their rights as they became more educated and involved in the spirit of
nationalism. They learned quickly by taking control of businesses and homes, in the absences of
their husbands and fathers who had left to fight the war. They believed they could do more than
just raising children and staying at home. They fought to be recognized and never stopped until
their voices were heard. Today, women take the lead in many government positions and
businesses.

5. THE GROWTH OF AMERICAN NATIONALISM

American victory meant independence and control of their own affairs and future but the most
important result was the growth of American nationalism. Most modern revolutions have been
caused by nationalism and resulted in independence but it was the other way around in the case
of the American Revolution. American nationalism came as a result of the war because their
unity was their only hope of winning the war against powerful Britain. The American national
spirit developed during the conflict and they remained united after the war. The Americans
needed to act as one to preserve their new-found freedom and to continue what they discovered
was a better system, one in which “no group within the society, no matter how numerous, should
have unrestricted authority”.

THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

1. AMERICA DIVIDED OVER THE WAR

Although most Americans were not happy about the British taxation laws, the country was
divided about the war. Most historians estimate that about one fifth of the population were
loyalists, two fifths were ardent patriots, and the rest were neutral. The divisions cut across
geographical, social, and economic lines. The differences separating a Patriot from a Loyalist
were unclear but feelings were nonetheless bitter. Individual Loyalists were often set upon by
mobs, tarred and feathered and otherwise abused. Some were thrown into jail for no legitimate
reason; others were exiled and their property confiscated. Battles between Tory units and the
Continental Army were often exceptionally bloody. Neighbour was against neighbour, father
against son, and son against father. This really caused a great division among the colonists even
after the war.

2. MONETARY COST
The war also proved to be a very expensive undertaking. The war was a joint effort between the
Congress and the states. Congress financed Washington’s Continental Army; and the states
supported various militia groups for short-term service. The states contributed $5.8 million in
cash to the cause and they met Congress’s demands for beef, corn, rum, fodder, and other
military supplies. The Congress also borrowed a lot of money to finance the war, estimated at
about $8 million. Americans bought bonds worth between $7 and $8 million during the war.
Congress also issued more than $240 million in paper money, the states over $200 million more.
The currency fell rapidly in value, causing an inflation that caused a lot of hardship and
complaints from the people who, in effect, paid much of the cost of the war through the
depreciation of their savings.

3. INITIAL COMMERCIAL PROBLEMS

The revolution also freed American trade from the restrictions of British mercantilism. Although
it proved to be a mixed blessing, the commercial benefits described by Thomas Paine in
"Common Sense" did not materialize right away. Even though Americans could now trade
directly with Europe, it brought economic losses of a much larger magnitude. British merchants
who were eager to regain markets closed to them during the revolution shipped goods of all
kinds into the United States. Americans took advantage of the bargains which aggravated the
situation because the economy had suffered a big blow from the war.

4. ECONOMIC DEPRESSION
After the war ended there were major debts that Congress could not pay. This undermined public
confidence in the new government. Congress owed money from veterans who fought the war,
private individuals, and foreign governments. It did not help that the foreign governments who
lent money to America to finance the war were now demanding repayment. Because of the
depression, the individual states refused to pay Congress their dues. At the same time, the states
had to charge their residents high property taxes to help pay for their own war debts. People all
over America became hard-pressed for cash. A movement to give the Confederation power to tax
imports and impose a five percent tariff duty failed in Congress because it required the
unanimous consent of the states. This would have enabled Congress to pay off some of its
obligations.