The Boston Tea Party: The Causes Of The American Revolution

While there are a plethora of causes of the American Revolution, both large and small, three causes stand out as being the most directly exigent. The Boston Tea Party, in 1773, was the first of these, followed by the Coercive Acts, passed in 1774, concluding with the famous military exchanges at Lexington and Concord in 1775. Each of these moments in history stand out as a key event in the extensive, action-packed prelude to the American Revolution. One of the most well-known quotes from the 1770s is “Taxation without representation”, a phrase commonly used by patriots in that time leading up to the American Revolution. It simply meant that the colonists were angry that they were being taxed from England, with no American representatives …show more content…
In Samuel Adams’ words, “The people receive this cruel edict with abhorrence and indignation” (“The Intolerable Acts”). And in fact, they viewed the edict with so much abhorrence and indignation, that they renamed the laws “The Intolerable Acts.” The new regulations certainly did not quell the growing notions of freedom and rebellion, and instead, “caused patriots from one end of the colonies to the other to rally in support of Boston.” (Malone et al. 30). That rallying together is one of the biggest reasons the Coercive, or “Intolerable” Acts were such an important cause of the American Revolution. Another reason the Coercive Acts were such a relevant cause for the Revolution was because they led to the formation of the First Continental Congress. While the First Continental Congress wasn’t a crucial cause of the American Revolution because of its inconsequential first meeting, it represented the first official stride towards an independent American government. In addition to the First Continental Congress, the passing of the Coercive Acts also inspired other colonies to form their own congresses, further developing the idea of government in