Historically, the Great Britain and America coexisted and even undertook various activities jointly. Notable among these was the sending of missionaries to America. England, on the other hand, offered opportunities for further studies. Likewise, the wealthy class on both sides was fond of undertaking various business ventures together. However, some nations such as France began to rebel against Great Britain. This was initiated by the ascension into power of King George III who succeeded his father. Consequently, the new king brought about various unwanted changes. For instance, he used his authority to appoint certain people to specific positions in his government. Likewise, his advisors went ahead and re-evaluated trade policies that were used in Great Britain which favored the British commercial interests. These new laws resulted in commercialism and colonial grievances where wealth was seen to constitute power. As a result, the colonies that had vast reserves of raw materials and well-established markets had an advantage over others.
The king’s parliament, on the other hand, passed laws in favor of the mercantilist system, the British policy that resulted in a currency shortage in its colonies. Consequently, the colonies bought goods from Britain at a high price and ended up selling them for less. Likewise, the British government was so powerful that it nullified any form of legislation that was passed by its colonial assemblies. This scenario was one of the first reasons for the fallout between Britain and the American colonies. The American opposition wrote peaceful reforms and held boycott sessions. In 1765, the nine colonies organized a boycott whose aim was to push for economic reforms. Subsequently, there were a series of boycotts between 1766 and 1770. Unmoved, the British parliament now went ahead and renewed some of the contentious Acts, notable among them being the Sugar and Stamp Acts.
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In a bid to address some of the existing financial and political problems, as well as maintain its ability to rule and protect the vast areas that it had conquered, Britain enacted a number of new Acts. For instance, the parliament passed laws enacting various Tax Acts, and the revenue was used to pay the army in America as well clear debts. The Sugar Act was passed in 1764 and the following year the government came up with a Stamp Act that resulted in more protests. The Quartering Act of 1765 required American colonies to provide housing to the British soldiers. On the other, the Townsend Act was enacted in 1767 bringing about tariffs on a variety of goods that were imported by sellers.
In 1770, a committee was set up that established that King George was an evil ruler, while those around were “yes-men.” Moreover, several other incidences made the Americans discontent further resulting in more resistance. In 1772 the resistance was kindled by Engineer and Protagonist Samuel Adams. Additionally, enactment of the Tea Act in 1773 led to a series of problems and significantly disadvantaged the American importers. Tea was being imported directly to the American colonies, and this resulted in massive disagreements which in turn caused a revolution. Regarding this, James Otis, Jr. a Boston lawyer, mused that “Duties are not to be laid on the general population but rather by their assent.”
The First Continental Congress became a platform for Americans to protest British regulations and the existing trade policies and Acts. There were efforts to form an alliance with Canada, but they failed. However, in 1775 during the Second Continental Congress, the thirteen American colonies took a bold step by instructing the new army to invade Canada. The 1775 resistance also offered a platform for American boycotts, petitions, and violence.
