Since their arrival into the American continent and formation of their first colony in 1607, the British Colonialists maintained, partially tolerable conditions for the native Americans to co-exist in the country. However, in 1651, the British government started activities implied its broader goal to control trade in these colonies. Britain’s taxation policies in favour of Britain were, to a large extent provocative to the colonies, with the 1651 Navigation Acts prohibiting the colonies from trading with other nations (Foner, 2016). Most American colonies were formed by British immigrants who sought asylum from religious persecution in their mother country. When Britain started interfering with these colonies, there were elevated tensions between the two sides. The Indian and French war also contributed greatly to the emergence of the revolutionary war. This paper evaluates how these three causes contributed to the American Revolution.
James Otis, in his work, “Rights of the British Colonies asserted and Proved,” contributed greatly to the start of the American Revolution. In the article written in 1764, Otis wrote that his mother country, Britain, was violating the Colonies’ rights by imposing heavy taxation on them. He additionally declared his support for the resistance in fighting the British government that violated the constitution’s equity clause (Otis, 1750). In his article, Otis wrote, “taxation to the colonies is a violation of the constitution.” This publication followed the British Government’s 1764 taxation Acts that included; Quartering Act, the Stamp Act, Currency Act, and the Sugar Act.
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After witnessing the heavy taxations imposed on them, the colonies were eager to oppose these taxations. When Otis, a British Colonialist showed his resistance for these Acts, the colonies found new power and motivation to start a resistance. In his article, Otis argued that the colonies lacked representation in the British government, and for this reason, they were not required to pay the taxes. This motivated the colonies to start the Revolution with a motto, “No Taxation Without Representation.” Borrowing heavily from his work, people formed the group, “Sons of Liberty,” that led protests across many colonies.
The French and Indian war significantly contributed to the emergence of the revolutionary war. New France wished to establish rule in American colonies, and this act was faced with utter resistance from the colonies (Otis, 1750). Britain, having helped the colonies in fighting these wars, wished to cover their losses through taxation. However, the demands were more oppressive to the colonies, which triggered action from the natives.
After settling in America, the British people wanted freedom from their mother country. These new people formed colonies and wanted independence from the external influence of Britain. However, when faced with the French-Indian war, the colonies were faced with numerous challenges, thus requiring the support of Britain troops (Foner, 2016). After the war, the colonies wanted to re-establish themselves as free-states, but Britain wanted to continue influencing their activities. With the new taxation rules, the colonies had no other option but to stage war on the British
In conclusion, the American Revolution war was influenced by numerous factors; the main factor leading to this war was Britain’s imposition of hefty Taxation Acts on the colonies. James Otis’ article, Rights of British Colonies, asserted and Proved, served as an excellent motivator for the colonies to stage this Revolution. This article criticized Britain’s ambitions of controlling trade. Without this article, most liberalists could not understand the importance of resistance.
References
Foner, E. (2016). Give Me Liberty! An American History: One Volume . WW Norton & Company.
Otis, J. (1750). The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved (1764). Pamphlets of the American Revolution, 1750-1776 , 420-21.
