Imperial policies and colonial resistance in revolutionary America, 1763–1776

American Revolution -- causes

Revolution

THE CAUSES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

Between 1763 and 1776, the relationship between the American colonies and Great Britain steadily declined, due to differences in social, political, economic and religious thought. But the majority of differences centered around the imperial policies issued by the English monarchy and the subsequent initiation of these policies by the British Parliament, yet despite a general lessening of tensions by 1770, specific conflicts arose and with each new disagreement, the colonists moved ever closer to the impending clash between England and America which by 1775 seemed unavoidable.

THE ROYAL PROCLAMATION:

The first of these imperial policies took effect in February of 1763 when King George III signed the Royal Proclamation which reorganized the policies and administrations of the American colonies. Faced with vast new responsibilities following the costly French and Indian War, the British government sought to restrict white settlers to the Atlantic side of the Appalachians as a way to bring order to the confused state of affairs with the Indians. Thus, all land claims west of the Appalachians were annulled and no new claims, settlements or travel was allowed without royal permission. As a result, many Americans who wished to expand settlements westward were forbidden to do so which brought about the beginnings of the American Revolution.

THE BRITISH ACTS AGAINST THE COLONIES:

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In June of 1767, King George III gave his royal assent to an another series of import duties for the colonies in the form of fees placed on popular English goods, such as glassware, paint, paper, and especially tea. The colonial reaction to these new taxes was more restrained than that associated with the Stamp Act but was just as adamant. The Americans were perfectly serious in their belief that taxation by the English government without their consent was a violation of their fundamental rights and was thus "unconstitutional." Beginning with a resolution by the Boston Town Meeting, colony after colony joined in the pact to boycott the purchase or consumption of English goods. In 1768, the Royal Customs commissioners filed criminal charges against John Hancock after the officials were denied from inspecting the cargo of a ship owned by Hancock. This affair signaled a renewed struggle between the royal administrators and the local business and political entities which furthered the decline in relations between the British and the Americans.

THE FIRST MILITARY CLASH:

After a year and a half of uneasy co-existence, the citizens of Boston and the British troops clashed for the first time in March of 1770. Bands of disgruntled American workers, fueled by some radical Colonial leaders, confronted a small detachment of British soldiers near the Customs House; the British soldiers then opened fire against the mob at point-blank range. Later, the political leaders of Boston labeled the incident a massacre and demanded that the soldiers be tried for murder. This came to be known as the Boston Massacre which produced colonial martyrs and provided a rallying point for anti-British sentiments.

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THE BOSTON TEA PARTY:

By December of 1773, the tea crisis came to a head with what is now known as the Boston Tea Party. Three hundred and forty-two chests of valuable tea was thrown into the harbor; this act of defiance was the last straw for the British government which refused to accept the insult to its sovereignty. With this, the sternest possible measures were taken against Boston and the Massachusetts colony. In January, 1774, the British government began its retaliation for the Boston Tea Party by calling Benjamin Franklin, the acting agent of Massachusetts, before the Privy Council which indicated that King George III was ready to move against the colonies through royal executive action. By May, Parliament moved against Boston by initiating the Boston Port Bill which closed the port to all trade, commerce and shipping except for the minimum needs of food and fuel.

CONCLUSION:

All of these actions taken by the British Crown led inevitably to the first major conflict between the Americans and the British at the Battle of Bunker Hill which signaled the beginning of the American Revolution. Without a doubt, the Revolution could not have been prevented, due to several reasons. First, the colonists were deeply divided between being loyal to the Crown and opposing all British rule which set them against each other. And second, those that were in favor of complete independence from England were obviously willing to die for their cause, symbolized by Patrick Henry's famous statement "Give me liberty or give me death!"