Revolution: Causes And Effects Of The American Revolution

The American Revolution was an upheaval that took place between 1765 and 1783. The thirteen colonies wanted to be separated from the British Empire, but the King was not to keen on this idea. There were many causes for this: French and Indian War, Stamp Act, Townshend Act, and more. These things brought about effects: Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, Bill of Rights, and eventually, FREEDOM!

The French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Year War in Europe, was fought because both the French and British had tried to claim the Ohio River Valley. Despite its European name, the war lasted nine years, not seven. The Ohio River Valley was a point of interest because it would be a good place to trade, especially fur products.
Skirmishes increased in frequency, as did belligerence and rumors of attack by soldiers. On March 5, 1770, a patriot began harassing a redcoat by the name of John Goldfinch. Another redcoat, Hugh White, joined Goldfinch to defend him. Hugh White became agitated and struck out, hitting the patriot in the face with his musket. The patriot cried out in pain and attracted a mob of fifty or so people. Goldfinch retreated to a nearby house and pointed his musket towards the crowd. The mob got violent, throwing chunks of ice at White and shouting “Kill him!” Other mobs were forming on the streets of Boston, attack other redcoats with the chunks of ice. The redcoat officers around the areas order their soldiers to return to the barracks and several soldiers had to be subdued by officers to prevent them from firing into the crowds. The mob around White only grew though, until he was surrounded by over 400 angry citizens. Reinforcements came to help and they tried to get away from the crowd, but their path was blocked by the mob of patriots. When asked to disperse, the mob only responded with more insults and ice chunks. The mob challenged the soldiers, daring them to fire. The mob continued to grow more and more violent, lashing out at the soldiers weapons with clubs. Despite trying to avoid bloodshed, the patriots were getting out of hand. Then, some in the crowd threw a club at a soldier and knocked him to the ground. He rose, and fired
Sons of Liberty still did not want Parliament to have power over them and the tax on tea only became more and more irritating. In 1773, Parliament authorized the Tea Act, which granted the East India company a monopoly over American tea trade. This decreased the price of tea, but it made America realize that parliament was regulating American trade and had the power to interfere in American business at any time. Public protests of the Tea Act quickly spread through the colonies. Several ships carrying tea returned to England without unloading because they feared revolt. On December 16, 1773, the Sons of Liberty, led by Samuel Adams, showed how they felt about the Tea Act. They boarded a ship, dressed as Indians, and dumped all of the tea into the water. This is known as the Boston Tea Party. Of course, Britain could not have this. They passed laws to punish the Americans: The Coercive Acts, The Administration of Justice Act, Massachusetts Government Act, Quartering Act, and the Quebec Act. The Coercive Acts closed the harbor to all until the tea they had dumped was paid for. The Administration Act required transfer of all royal officials charged as criminals in America to courts in Great Britain. The Massachusetts Government Act ended self-rule in the colonies and made all elected officers in America subject to British appointment. The Quartering Act was simply a new version of the old quartering act. Lastly, The Quebec Act extended the Canadian