American rebels and the revolution of 1776

¶ … prompting Americans to rebel in 1776: Parliamentary taxation, restriction of civil liberties, British military measures, and the legacy of colonial religious and political ideas. Americans rebelled against British rule for a number of reasons, and some were more important than others were. These were four of the main reasons the Americans finally had enough of British rule, and they became the basis of the American Declaration of Independence and Constitution.

Almost everyone knows the phrase "taxation without representation" and what it means in U.S. history. Many people believe that high taxes were the main reason that Americans finally rebelled against the British. Taxes were an important reason, as historian Robert Hole notes, "Over the next 12 years, time and again the British tried to tax the Americans, and time and again the Americans refused to pay. The British tried a variety of means, by law and by force, to try to make the Americans obey" (Hole 38). The British Parliament tried to tax the Americans to help pay for many wars the English had fought against France. They felt that since the wars eventually helped protect Americans, they should help pay for them. The Americans thought otherwise, and consistently refused to pay higher taxes. However, taxation was not the main reason Americans stood up against the British.

Perhaps the biggest reason Americans wanted their freedom was that they had gotten used to it. Britain did not rule Americans with a heavy hand, especially when they were busy fighting the French. Americans got used to governing themselves and they did not want to give up that independence when Britain tried to govern them more heavily. Historian Sydney George Fisher notes, "in 1763, the English Government at once began to regulate the American provinces, and reduce them to what she naturally considered a more orderly and colonial condition" (Fisher 2). In addition, he writes, "But this change was regarded by a large part of our people as an infringement of long-established rights, and it brought about the outbreak, which began with ten years of argument" (Fisher 2). Thus, it was civil rights and liberties that Americans had gotten very used to that initially touched off their desire for independence. It is easy to see what set off the Americans, because they were used to self-government and little interference from Great Britain. Fisher continues, "No modern English colonies, not even Canada and the Australian provinces, have quite as much freedom as Connecticut and Rhode Island enjoyed all through our colonial period. They elected their own legislatures and governors, and did not even have to send their laws to England for approval" (Fisher 2). When the British wanted to reduce these rights, Americans were not happy. The British just added to American unrest by regulating civil liberties, sending troops to the area, and creating additional taxation.

After the British defeated the French in several wars, they turned their attention back to the American colonies. They felt the colonies had too much freedom, and charters like Connecticut's and Rhode Island's gave too much power, and so they sent the military to reform and regulate the charters. Fisher says, "In fact, the British military officers in America and all British officials began to talk openly of the necessity of regulating and reforming the colonial governments, [ ... ] together with other changes that would give Great Britain better control" (Fisher 70). This show of military might along with the reduction of civil liberties added up to yet another reason the Americans were unhappy. In addition, the British military tended to be hard-nosed and even cruel in their dealings with the Americans. Many of the commanders were arrogant and disinterested in the problems of the colonists, and so, Americans came to dislike and resent the "redcoats."

Religious freedom was one of the main reasons many Europeans immigrated to America, and it was an important issue in American independence, too. There were many different religions flourishing in America by 1776, and they enjoyed the freedom to elect their own leaders and worship the way they chose. These religious freedoms led most Americans to expect other political freedoms that England wanted to curtail, and this helped lead the Americans toward rebellion. Initially, England had encouraged religious dissenters to immigrate to America (Fisher 10-11), and so, they actually encouraged religious freedom and tolerance, as long as it was far away from British soil. When the British government tried to control the colonies, they had already been away from Britain for over one hundred years, and they were quite used to their own way of doing things. They resented British interference in a system they thought was working well. Religion was not one of the most controversial issues the Americans had for wanting their freedom, but along with everything else, it made Americans aware of what they had and what Great Britain wanted to take away.