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The American Revolutionary war is not an event that just happened unexpectedly. It took more than a decade of conflicts and harsh events that led to this American war of independence. These events made the Americans realize that they can no longer serve the British Crown. Therefore the North Americans started to strive for becoming an independent nation. All the thirteen colonies aided each other to win this war of independence against Great Britain. In this essay, we will discuss what were these that forced the Americans to take up arms against the British colonists.
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Events that Led to The American Revolution – 1000 Word Long Essay Sample
The American War of Independence that is also known as the American revolutionary war against the British Crown was not a sudden event. It took more than a decade of never-ending conflicts between the British and 13 American colonies to come together and fight against the British colonists. All the conflicts between the two were based on some event that infuriated the Americans against the British government. In this essay, we will discuss what were the most significant events that led to the American revolutionary war.
7 Major Events That Led to the American Revolution (Essay)
Harsh Taxation
Once the French and Indian war also known as the seven years war was over the escalations started between the North Americans and the Britishers. The main reason for these escalations was the high taxes that were imposed by the British Empire. These taxes were imposed on the North Americans because Britishers wanted to pay off their huge war debt. The British parliament passed many cruel taxation laws including the Stamp Act (1765), the Townshend Act (1767), The Tea Act (1773), and the Coercive Acts (1774). Under these acts, the Britishers forced the North Americans to pay cruel taxes on almost everything including paper material, tea, and even household goods that were imported from Great Britain.
Most Americans rebelled against these acts by boycotting the British goods and dumping tons of Tea into the Boston Harbor. The tensions further grew between the two which forced the Britishers to take harsh steps against the Americans.
The Boston Massacre (1770)
One late afternoon at Boston on March 1770, there was a disagreement between a shopkeeper and seven British troops. Soon after the disagreement, approximately 200 American colonists surrounded the British troops. The surrounding crowd started taunting the troops and in response, the troops opened fire at the crowd. One person was killed and two were severely injured as a result of this Boston Massacre. Later on, this event became useful propaganda for the American colonists.
The Boston Tea Party (1773)
Under the Tea Act of 1773, the British placed a heavy tax on American Tea which they imported from the Dutch traders. In response to this heavy tax, the Sons of Liberty a radical group of American colonists dumped 92,000 pounds of Tea into the Boston Harbor. This event led to an overwhelming reaction by the Britishers as they dismissed the North American elected council. After the Colonial government was dismissed the Americans held no representation in the Colonial government or the British parliament. King George III even hired a thousand Hessian mercenaries to assist the British troops against the American Colonial leaders.
The Americans wanted to discuss their grievances with the Britishers but no one was ready to listen to their demands. As a result, the American colonists took up arms against the Britishers.
The Coercive Acts (March – June 1774)
The Coercive acts were introduced as a reaction to the Boston Tea Party to punish all the Americans for the loss of precious tea. The Boston Harbor was closed down and the elected council was dismissed. All American trade was put to hold until the Americans paid the Price of the 92000 points tea that was dumped. More heavy taxes were imposed on the Americans and the British Military was also given sweeping rights against the Americans.
The Stamp Act (1765)
According to the British stamp act, all the paper materials including pamphlets, cards, newspapers, cards, stamps, and even playing cards were put under heavy taxes. The British wanted to pay off their ward debts by collecting money through these acts. This act was not welcomed by the Americans and colonists began protests against it. Riots and rallies broke out everywhere and American radical groups even burnt down government stamps as a sign of rebellion.
However, Benjamin Franklin later convinced the British government that it should be wiser to call of this act and Britishers agreed to it. The calling off of the stamp act proved to the North Americans that they can resist any law set by the British Crown by protesting and not agreeing to it. This realization was the big reason why the American Revolution began.
Corruption and Control of British Government
After the British army was granted sweeping authority in North America the soldiers started taking bribes from the people. The army personnel became corrupted and started to interfere in all matters of trade, warehouses, and ships to seize money from the American people. On top of all this, the poor tax-paying Americans also had to bear the soldier’s food and shelter expenses of the British soldiers. This event also led to the American Revolution war.
The Criminal Justice System
The Americans had no representation in the British parliament or the local government and were left with no other option but to seek justice from the justice system. However, the British also controlled the justice system. Almost all the judges were biased and only gave decisions in favor of the Britishers.
Americans were unlawfully put into jails and no trials were run against the accused from the Boston Harbor event. The Britishers even went to the extent of replacing trials with severe punishments to set an example for the rest of the Americans. With no representation in parliament, no justice in courts, and the British army violating their basic human rights the American revolution occurred.
The Battle of Lexington (1775)
All the previous events that occurred led to the battle of Lexington. This is the first time the Americans took up arms against British rule and showed some physical resistance. The British general sent his forces to capture the American colonial leaders who were involved in some rebellion acts against the crown. These forces aimed to seize all the gunpowder from these freedom fighters and cut off all the rebellious activities.
Some American spies propagated this news to the American colonial leaders and they started preparing for the attack. On the 19th of April 1775 when British forces reached to capture the colonial leaders they were surprised by the resistance showed by American militiamen. This resistance completely repelled the British forces and they were forced to retreat. This armed resistance served as a sign that Americans are not that easy to deal with.
Conclusion
All these events made the Americans realize that all thirteen colonies have to help each other and make an army of their own. Therefore the continental congress declared independence and formed a continental army. George Washington was appointed as the commander in chief of the Army to resist the British army.
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FAQs
What events should be included in the events that led to the American revolution essay?
Only the most significant event should be included in this type of essay. These events include the Tea Act, The Boston tea party, The Boston Massacre, The Coercive Acts, Lexington and Concord, and the Stamp Act to name a few.
What events led to the American and French revolutions?
Quickly after the American Revolution, the French also started fighting for independence. The events include the American Revolution, Storming of the Bastille, Abolition of Feudalism, and The Women’s March on Versailles to name a few.
What was the role of the French Indian War in the American revolution?
The French and Indian war that is also known as the seven years war was the reason the British government was under a huge debt. To clear this debt the Britishers imposed heavy taxes on North Americans and these events lead to the War of Independence.