The American Revolution saw the Americans rebel against the British as they demanded liberty and their independence. Several factors inspired the American Revolution and the desire of the colonists to fight for independence. Not only did these events contribute to American Revolution buts also shaped the formation of a strong powerful nation as it is known today. This paper aims at discussing the causes and events that led to the American Revolution.
The Seven Years War broke out in 1754 because of conflict of interest between the French and the British over the land in Ohio River Valley. The British and the French wanted to exclusive ownership of the land because it was situated in an economically potential area. Also, the area had its bearing on wildlife. Even with the attempts of Europe to diplomatically solve the territory battle, there was no compromise reached. French settlers started to build forts along the Ohio Valley to mar the area as theirs and protect it from the British. As a way to counterattack the French, the British organized a detailed military plan that would enable them to take the land and have control over other areas in which they had interest like India. (Bailyn, 2017). The British managed to successfully drive away the French from the Ohio River Valley even though they later relented following his laws that almost tore apart the New York City.
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Another cause of the American Revolution was the cultural movement which happened in Europe known as the enlightenment between the late 1600s and 1700s (Wood, 2011). Artists including writers such as John Locke highlighted issues on the consent of the governed and limited government. The enlightenment movement influenced many people's thinking as they began to fight for freedom and liberty from the British.
The population explosion in America at that time made the colonies to drive away the British from their land to enable them to settle comfortably. The population explosion was majorly caused by two factors. First, the population growth was due to the high infant mortality rate of the colonies and second because of the immigration. The high population growth gives the colonies the sense of driving away the British.
The Pontiac's rebellion which involved the Native American warriors under the chief of Ottawa Pontiac wanted the British out of the French forts and attacked them at Detroit. Pontiac forces organized for another siege which lasted for months after they failed to take the fort in their first assault. As the seven years war came to an end, the Native Americans who lived in the former French land felt that the British forces were less conciliatory than the French and as a result, Chief Pontiac organized for a campaign which involved Indian tribes to drive away the British from the former French land.
The Great Awakening also helped to prepare the Americans for its war of independence. Many years before the war, revivalism taught their followers about the importance of being bold when dealing with the religious authority and that when churches failed to live up to the expectations of their believers, then people could break off the church and deal with their problems on their own. The great awakening made the colonists realize that the religious power did not reside in the hands of the Church of England but rather in their own hands. With this mindset, the colonists realized that their political power was in their hands and that they had to do something to liberate them from the British monarchy (Bailyn, 2017). The Great awakening provided an environment which made possible the American Revolution.
The Stamp Act which was passé by the parliament in 1765 wanted the Americans to forcefully buy stamps for printed documents. The stamp act was universally opposed. The representatives drawing from nine colonies petitioned against the act. There were also organized mobs that destroyed properties in different offices of different cities. Moreover, the Americans started dealing in the illegal importation of goods from Britain and this led the British to lose business.
Following the opposition of the Boston Tea Act, the sons of liberty wanted to show the British their rebellion against the act. As a result, the mob dressed like Indians dumped a lot of tea in water using the British ship. The event otherwise referred to as Boston Tea Party ignited a sharp reaction from the British side that in turn passed several intolerable acts to punish the Americans (Wood, 2011). These acts were met with utmost rebellion from by the Americans.
Thomas Paine, an English political activist went to America and published a pro-independence pamphlet known as the common sense which galvanized the colonists against the British and later influenced the declaration of independence. The literate population in America read the publication which was later to become an international voice of the colonies.
References
Bailyn, B. (2017). The ideological origins of the American Revolution . Harvard University Press.
Wood, G. S. (2011). The radicalism of the American Revolution . Vintage.
