The Revolutionary Conflict
The revolutionary conflict was triggered by a number of different things. The Proclamation was passed in 1763, which marked the beginning of the war. The Proclamation demanded the end of the Indian and French conflict and prohibited the colonists from settling in the area west of the Appalachians and the Mississippi River. The action delighted the Indians because it prevented the colonists from encroaching on their territory. The colonists, however, were irate because they were unable to relocate to the west even after their territories had become populated. The proclamation was soon disregarded by the settlers, and this culminates into decades of an Indian war.
The Effects of the Sugar Act
The passing of the Sugar Act in 1764 aimed at offsetting the debt that resulted from Indian and French war led to the regulation of the export of iron and lumber. Many industries registered declines in business operations and Richard reports that the Act significantly led to the disruption of the colonial economy (Richard 15).
The Stamp Act and Its Impact
Additionally, the Stamp Act passed in 1765 ensued direct taxation of the colonists. This required the colonists to pay tax on the price of printed paper and other goods. The Act was directed at protecting the American frontier close to the Appalachian Mountains. The tax angered the colonists as they believed that the British were creating it for money beneficial purposes.
The Quartering Act and Colonial Resentment
The passing of the Quartering Act in 1765 by the Parliament with intentions of addressing the soldiers' concerns who were positioned in the land of the colonists. The Quartering Act posits that all the basic wants that the British troops required would be supplied by the colonists. This act also made the colonists angry as some of the colonists did struggle in the provision of the needs both of their families and the soldiers.
The Colonists' Reaction to the Declaratory Act
The Declaratory Act was enacted in 1766, and it did not literally impose anything on the colonists, but it did postulate that the parliament had enough power in the land of the colonists as it did in Great Britain (Muehlbauer and David 49). The colonists believed that the act was ridiculous and they viewed that this was a move that was directed to propel the fight against the colonists.
The Townshend Acts and Colonial Unrest
Moreover, the Townshend Acts of 1767 proved to impose more tax on goods like paints and glass which were not produced in the colonists' land. The tax meant that the colonists had to incur more cost in buying the products and as a result, the colonists particularly those from Massachusetts began to rebel against the Townshend Acts.
The Boston Massacre and its Aftermath
Furthermore, the Boston Massacre which occurred in 1770 involved a street fight between British soldiers and the colonists. It was termed to be a "bloody massacre" due to the high number of people that died from the fight. The colonists were not comfortable with the presence of the British soldiers in the city. The colonists took upon themselves to solve the problem and they harassed the soldiers. The killing of Crispus Attucks made the colonists have a meeting that demanded the removal of the British soldiers from their territory.
The Gaspee Incident
The Gaspee incident was also another issue that caused conflict. It involved a colonial ship called Hannah, and that of British called "Gaspee." According to APUSHistoryCase, the Gaspee captain hated the colonial ship, and thus the colonists set a trap and later on, the colonists set the ship on fire (APUSHistoryCase).
The Role of the Tea Act
Finally, the Tea Act which was passed in 1773 significantly pulled into the revolution which began in Boston. The purpose of the Act was aimed at boosting the East India Company as it was critically failing to sell tea and the tea was sold to the colonists. However, the tea was thought to disrupt businesses, and thus ships were blocked by colonists in Philadelphia and New York. The colonists thought that they were denied rights and several incidences made the colonists become furious and reacted in a manner that was completely unexpected to the British government. The Boston Tea Party made the colonists angry, and they displayed displeasure and caused conflict.
Works Cited
APUSHistoryCase. The Events that Led to the American Revolution 1763-1775. n.d Accessed on July 12, 2017, from https://apushistorycase.wikispaces.com/The+Events+that+Led+to+the+American+Revolution+1763-1775
Muehlbauer, Matthew S, and David J Ulbrich. Ways Of War. American Military History from the Colonial Era to the Twenty-First Century. 1990
Richards, A. I. "Great Britain, India, And The Colonial Dependencies In The Post-War World And The British Colonies." International Affairs, vol 21, no. 2, 1945, pp. 262-263. Oxford University Press (OUP), doi:10.2307/3016386.
