What were the causes of the American Revolution?

There were several causes of the American Revolution. One cause was the concern the colonists had that the British were trying to restrict their freedom of movement. After the French and Indian War ended, the British passed the Proclamation of 1763. This law prevented the colonists from moving to the land that Great Britain received from France which was located west of the Appalachian Mountains. The British were trying to protect the colonists from attacks by the Native Americans. The colonists wanted to move to this area so they could get and own this land. When the British required the colonists to provide housing for the British troops that were enforcing this unpopular law, the colonists weren’t happy. Some colonists refused to obey the Proclamation of 1763.

Another cause was the passage of tax laws by Parliament. As the colonies became more expensive to operate, the British passed new tax laws to help generate revenue. The Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts were examples of laws that were passed. The colonists objected to these laws because they didn’t have representatives in Parliament that could speak about and vote on the new tax laws. Since British citizens have elected representatives in Parliament who can vote on laws, the colonists felt their rights were being violated because they didn’t have elected representatives in Parliament.

As events turned more aggressive, our relationship with the British deteriorated. When five colonists were killed in an event known as the Boston Massacre, the colonists became more concerned about the actions of the British army. When Britain passed the Tea Act to give the British East India Company a monopoly on the trade of tea, the colonists responded with the Boston Tea Party. The colonists dumped chests filled with tea into Boston Harbor. The British responded with the Intolerable Acts. The Intolerable Acts were designed to punish the colonists, especially those in Massachusetts, for the Boston Tea Party. The colonists refused to obey these laws, and they formed their own militias.

When fighting occurred at Lexington and at Concord in April 1775, many colonists knew it was only a matter of time before the colonists would declare their independence. The Second Continental Congress eventually instructed a group of five members to begin writing the Declaration of Independence, which was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. The adopting of the Declaration of Independence was followed by the start of the Revolutionary War.