Defining Causes of Amer. Revolu.
One of the defining points of history was the American Revolution. Endlessly covered in classrooms across the nation, it was a period that affected so many in such a small amount of time. Yet, what were the true causes of the American Revolution? The most basic of reasons are, of course, related to a nation's economy. Many wars, even today, are sparked because one country feels it does not have equal trade relations with another and is getting the so-called "short-end of the stick". This occurred over two hundred years ago, between England and the colonies, igniting the flame of freedom in the colonists. When the colonies were founded, the only goal England had was to increase the amount of gold in its Treasury. To do this, they needed a balance of trade in their favor. To accomplish this task, merchants used mercantilism in their system of trading with the colonies. Mercantilism is based on the belief that if a country possesses more land, than an increased profit can be made. However, England being an island, there was a set amount of land that could be had. In effect, England's citizens and its government had to look elsewhere. The gaze turned westward across the Atlantic Ocean, to the New World. After conquering
To prevent the colonies from making such large profits, Parliament passed the Sugar Act, forbidding the colonies trading for sugar with any nation other than England. During this period of prosperity, England came to the realization that it wasn't making as much of a profit as it had hoped from the New World colonies. Considering the locations of the north's trading partners, England realized that it was not receiving a cut of the lucrative profits being made in this triangle trade. England began to meddle in the northern economies, which relied heavily on shipping and trading. Prior to the Stamp Act, the colonies attempted printing their own currency, and using this specie to repay their debts. To prevent this completely, Parliament passed the Quartering Act, requiring the colonists in certain colonies to provide and house British troops. The Sugar Act caused a loss in incoming profits, and the Navigation Acts increased prices. England removed much of its influence from the colonies, leaving them with a period of "salutary neglect", enabling the colonies to establish trading with many other countries. the eastern seaboard, England set about exploiting the natural resources in the colonies. These acts, in addition to charging additional import taxes on certain goods, provided that the salaries for judges who handed down verdicts would be paid for with British money, instead of colonial. In addition, England's governing body passed the Navigation Acts, forbidding trade on vessels other than those possessed by English merchants, and requiring all goods bound for the colonies to reroute themselves to England, where middle men could collect duties and resell the products himself in the colonies, enabling him to charge princely sums for the most simple of goods, causing prices to skyrocket. This bound the colonists and completely prohibited the smuggling, which, in effect, shattered the northern economy. The rulers passed to Townshend Acts to quell the citizens' anger. The Stamp Act also forced importing and export taxes on the merchants. These two Acts, in effect, reduced the profits made by colonial merchants and increased the mere pocket change of the already wealthy English.
Common topics in this essay:
American Revolution,
Navigation Acts,
West Indies,
Australia England,
Stamp Act,
Quartering Act,
Ocean World,
Townshend Acts,
Sugar Act,
Act Parliament,
stamp act,
english merchants,
colonists colonies,
sugar act,
navigation acts,
trade relations,
triangle trade,
causing prices,
taxes merchants,
parliament passed,
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Acceptance Essays
