What Is The Cause Of The American Revolution?

The American Revolution did not just begin out of thin air with the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. There were many acts, both by the British and the American colonists, which led up to the eventual signing of the document. From the French and Indian War, taxation on the colonists, the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party all played a major role in determining the fate of the colonies. The French and Indian War, known also as the 7 Years’ War, was primarily a fight between the British and the French about expansion of territories in America beginning in 1756 and lasting to 1763. The Indians were allies with France causing the British to have heavy losses during the war (Staff, 2009). The American colonists lost many people in the war and were angry at the British for a war they gained virtually nothing for. In the end, the Proclamation of 1763 was issued ending the French and Indian War and setting the boundary of the British colonies as the Appalachian Mountains. This also did not set well with the colonists. The colonists were being restricted from expanding west but continued to expand despite what the British decree stated (ushistory.org, 2015). The …show more content…
One of the heaviest taxes after the 7 Years’ War was the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act required all official documentation to be written on a specially designed, stamped paper. “Deeds, wills, marriage licenses — contracts of any sort — were not recognized as legal in a court of law unless they were prepared on this paper” (ushistory.org, 2015). Although not technically a taxation, the British also put into law the Quartering Act. The Quartering Act required colonists to feed and house the British troops. These acts led to the boycott of British goods. The boycott was effective and the British repealed the Stamp Act a year later in 1766 (ushistory.org, 2015). These were not the only taxations made on the colonist