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Causes of the American Revolution
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The Royal Proclamation
The Royal Proclamation was a line that seperated the colonists and the natives. The line was put near the appalachian mountains, and colonists were not allowed to cross over the line. The British created the Royal Proclamation because they believed it would help avoid conflict with the aboriginals. The colonists were not very fond of the Royal Proclamation so many just crossed over the line, disregarding any of the rules. So overall the Royal Proclimation was unsuccessful. -
The Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was a tax put onto sugar, molasses and other imported foreign goods. The purpose of the act was to raise revenue for Britain, which Britain thought would be fine as long as the colonists payed at the ports. But, colonists did not respond well to this new act, because it decreased business, due to the increase in price, and people began smuggling cheaper goods into the colonies. The Sugar Act eventually caused many colonists to use smuggled goods, effecting the economy greatly. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act put a tax on all paper products such as legal documents, licenses, newspapers, books and even playing cards. This act was put into place to help raise money for Britain. The colonists responded negatively to the taxes because it decreased business and it allowed for cheaper, smuggled, goods to be brought in to the colonies. After a few years, the Stamp Act was considered unsuccessful and was repealed. -
The Declaratory Act
The Declaratory Act was an act that gave full power and authority to parliment in order for them to make laws and bind colonies and people to America. This act was put into place after the Stamp Act was repealed, and it also lessened the taxes on the Sugar Act. The British created the act mainly to assert their dominance over the colonies, but the act went mainly unnoticed by the people of the colonies, and its impact on society was very low. -
The Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were a series of acts that placed taxes on many items from lead and glass to teas and dyes. These acts were created in order to raise revenue for the British through the colonies. This act annoyed, and aggrivated many colonists because their businesses were being effected negatively, and the products were being smuggled in at a cheaper cost. To sum it up, the Townshend Acts created conflicts which led it to be later repealed, and it caused many colonists to become very angry. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre is an incident in which a group of British soldiers shot five protesters in the streets of Boston. The British soldiers were first sent to Boston to silence the protests that involved the colonists in a peaceful manner. This however escalated as the group of over 150 protesters became aggrivated and began throwing objects at the soldiers. The Soldiers then shot down five protesters in the streets. The Boston Massacre is considered the first major cause for the Revolution. -
The Tea Act
The Tea Act was a tax placed on all tea imported to the colonies. It also created a no competition situation because it only allowed the British East India Company to ship tea to the colonies. The British saw this as a great opportunity to save their company, and to make a profit. The colonists became very upset, creating the Boston Tea Party. Overall, The Tea Act caused most of the colonists to become very angry, which led to the dumping of tea into the Harbour, and them not buying tea anymore. -
The Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were a series of acts passed by the British government which put laws in place to punish the people of Boston and Massachusetts. The British created these acts because they were upset over the Boston Tea Party, and it made the colonists extremly upset and hostile towards the British. The Intolerable Acts were considered the last straw for the colonists at the time. -
The Quebec Act
The Quebec Act was an act that extended Quebec's boundaries south to the Ohio River. The British gave this land to Quebec almost as a form of punishment to Conneticut, Massachusetts and Virginia because it cut into their land. The colonists became enraged by this act and they began to seperate themselves from the British. Therefore, because the Quebec Act took land from the colonies, colonists felt they no longer were a part of Britain and they wanted to be free Americans.
