The long-term and short-term causes of the American Revolution.
Overview
During the Seven Years’ War, the two forces wanted to control North America. In other words, France and Britain (both European rivals) wanted the same land. However, the war ended in 1763, and the British took control of the 13 British colonies until 1776 when the 13 colonies declared themselves independent. Note that the colonists thought that Britain would promote economic growth and cooperation. In contrast, Britain came up with new trade regulations, political differences, and other imperial policies. There was a disagreement on many issues between the American colonists and the British government, and this resulted in rebellion. The colonists had two decisions; either to be loyal British partitions or to build a new nation and become independent. Many events pushed the colonists to fight for freedom and the paper identifies both long-terms and short-term causes.
Long-term causes
Proclamation of 1763
Following the British victory, Britain drew a boundary line that was known as the Proclamation line. The boundary divided the colonists and American Indians in that the latter was supposed to dwell in the land to the east and the former the land to the west (Fredriksen, 582). Great Britain also wanted the colonists do have their own lives and to prevent them from trading with Great Britain. The colonist was angry about this Act and they felt being restricted from purchasing lands from the forbidden territories, and also to trade with the Native Americans (Fredriksen, 582). As a result, both rich and poor colonists begun resenting British and believed that they had invested heavily in the western land.
Unfair law
The British government had more control over the rights of colonists. The colonists felt that their rights were being threatened and they feared that they would lose their English right and remain under the British Empire (Forest, 10). Note that the British government imposed levy taxes and pass laws and ensured that the colonists did not have a voice in the local matters. The colonists demonstrated their dissatisfaction with the British and declared "no taxation without representation" (Forest, 10). This means that they could not pay the taxes since they had no power or there was no one to protect their rights and interest in the British government.
Sugar Act of 1774
The Sugar Act was also a long term cause in that at the end of war, there was a huge cost that was incurred in America as a result of the deployment of ten thousand men on the territory (Morgan, Edmund & Helen, 3). To pay the bills, George Grenville imposed a regulation known as the Sugar Act which imposed import duties and smuggling regulations. Following the enactment, the colonists started to protest against the Sugar Act and also against the Stamp Act which would be introduced later.
Tea Act of 1773
The British government designed a bill known as the Tea Act. The colonists were told to pay high taxes on the tea but they considered this ass unfair taxes (Volo, 182). The colonists met at Old South Meeting House to defend their rights against the high taxes simply because they had no representation in the British Parliament. The colonists did the worse by preventing the ships from the East India Company to land in Philadelphia and New York (Volo, 182). In Boston, a group of men attacked three ships and destroyed the tea. Later on, the British government punished the colonies by introducing Intolerable Acts.
Short-term causes
The Boston Massacre
Colonists protested against the tax laws that had been imposed by the British government. For this reason, in 1768, the Royal Governor requested 2 British troops to move to Boston to maintain order, enforce the law, and ensure that the colonists pay tax (Kjelle, 5). In contrast, the colonists believed that the troops were unnecessary and for this reason, the 'Sons of Liberty’ attacked the soldiers. Miserably, other soldiers killed five colonists. This is a short-term event that motivated the colonists to continue with their rebellion.
Intolerable Acts/ Coercive Acts
Intolerable Acts were short-term causes of the American Revolution in that they occurred as a result of colonists' resistance towards the Boston Tea Party (Fremont-Barnes, 130). The British government created the Intolerable Act as a way to punish the colonists. The following are some of the Intolerable Acts;
- The Boston Port Act- the port was closed and led to serious economic distress.
- The administration of Justice Act- the royal authority mandated that officials charged with murder would be tried in England (Fremont-Barnes, 130). In other words, the British officials who committed an offense while enforcing tax laws could not be tried in local colony court.
- The Quartering Act- the Act mandated the provincial Americans to build private houses for British troops.
- Massachusetts government Act- the towns were restricted from holding annual meetings. The assembly was restricted from electing the colony's upper house annually. The British government believed that the colonies had self-government and did not respect the English colony (Fremont-Barnes, 130). They had the power to administer their local affairs by holding meetings. The Parliament mandated that the colonists should not hold meetings without the royal governor's consent.
Work cited
Fredriksen, John C. Revolutionary War Almanac. New York, NY: Facts On File, 2006. Internet
resource.
Forest, Christopher. The Rebellious Colonists and the Causes of the American Revolution. North
Mankato, MN: Capstone Press, 2013. Print.
Morgan, Edmund S, and Helen M. Morgan. The Stamp Act Crisis: Prologue to Revolution.
United States: The University of North Carolina Press, 2012. Print.
Volo, James. Boston Tea Party: The Foundations of Revolution. Westport: ABC-CLIO, 2012.
Internet resource.
Kjelle, Marylou M. The Boston Massacre. Minneapolis, MN: Core Library, 2013. Print.
Fremont-Barnes, Gregory. Encyclopedia of the Age of Political Revolutions and New Ideologies,
1760-1815. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2007. Print.
