The American Revolution (Part I) : Ascc: L2 (G1-G4) Department of English

ASCC : L2 (G1- G4) Department of English
The American Revolution (Part I)
It's impossible to nail down the causes of the American Revolution. Many things
were the start of it all. Here are the main ones which led to the outbreak of The
American Revolution.
In the beginning, the colonies were proud to be British. There were small
instances of Parliament's control that bothered the colonists, like the Currency Acts of
1751 and 1764. But when the French and Indian War took place (1754 – 1763), King
George III lost a great deal of money due to buying expensive supplies for his army and
the colonies. In order to pay off his debt, he imposed taxes on the colonies without their
consent. This outraged the colonists. In 1765, the British Parliament needed money to
pay back the debt for the French and Indian War. They passed a Law called the Stamp
Act. This law said that colonists had to buy stamps for legal papers, newspapers, and
even playing cards, as other British people did. The money from the stamps went to the
King. The colonies did not follow this law. The colonies kept refusing to do what the King
wanted.
The colonists did not like being taxed for things that had always had free. They
immediately began a boycott of British goods. Now it was the king's turn to be furious.
King George wasted no time in sending soldiers across the Atlantic to make sure
the colonies were behaving as they should.
Soon, what is perhaps the most famous of the causes of the American Revolution
came to pass. A young ship owner brought over a ship full of taxed tea from Britain and
declared he would see it unloaded ...
Causes of the American Revolution:
1- The Boston Tea Party:
The colonists decided they would see none of the tea leave the ship. A group of
colonists dressed as American Indians boarded the ship at night and threw the tea
overboard into the harbor, ruining all of it. When they saw one of their comrades
trying to stuff some in his pockets, they stripped the tea from his grasp and sent him
home without his pants. They then stripped the ship owner of his clothes and tarred
and feathered him.
This event is now known as the Boston tea party.
2- The Intolerable Acts :
In response to the Boston Tea Party, the king imposed the "Intolerable Acts."
One of the more major causes of the American Revolution, the Intolerable Acts were ...
 The Boston Port Act, closing the port of Boston until the Dutch East India
Company had been repaid for the destroyed tea;
 The Massachusetts Government Act, putting the government of Massachussets

almost entirely under direct British control;
 The Administration of Justice Act, allowing royal officials to be tried in Britain if the
king felt it necessary for fair justice;
 The Quartering Act, ordering the colonies to provide lodging for British soldiers
 The Quebec Act, expanding British territory in Canada and guaranteeing the free
practice of Roman Catholicism.
The Quartering Act incensed the colonies most. The king and parliament revived
an old law requiring colonists to house British soldiers in their homes. Because of the
Boston Massacre (4 years earlier, in 1770), the colonists were afraid of the soldiers in
their homes. They would lay awake at night with fear for their children embedded in
their hearts like a knife.
This is when the colonies decided that something must be done.
3- The First Continental Congress :
Out of the Intolerable Acts the First Continental Congress was born. In this
congress 55 delegates representing 12 of the 13 colonies—Georgia withheld—
argued back and forth as to whether or not they should separate from Britain for
killing their people, firing cannons on their cities, closing down Boston's sea port,
and, primarily, imposing the intolerable acts.
The congress was in session for two solid months in September and October
of 1774. After much dissension, they decided to send a "Declaration of Rights and
Grievances" to King George, hoping their demands would be met. At this point, the
colonists still could not foresee separating from Britain.
More ominously, they also endorsed the "Suffolk Reserves," resolutions

passed by Suffolk county in Massachusetts—certainly one of the causes of the
American Revolution.
Massachusetts was the colony worst hit by the Intolerable Acts. The Suffolk
Reserves warned General Thomas Gage that Massachussets would not tolerate their
enforcement and that they would retain possession of all taxes collected in
Massachusetts.
After sending the Declaration of Rights and Grievances, the First

Continental Congress separated to await Britain's reply.
4- The Battles of Lexington and Concord:

Tension was far too high for the king to respond favorably. The colonists began
to amass arms and prepare for what they felt was an inevitable battle with the
oppressive British army.
It came soon enough. Paul Revere's ride on April 19, 1775 was to announce
the approach of British soldiers to stamp out colonist resistance in the towns of
Lexington and Concord.
Lexington was first. The British met only 77 minutemen, and at first were
pleased to allow them to leave. However, from some unknown place a shot was fired,
and the British opened up on the Americans. Eight were killed, ten wounded, and the
British suffered but one minor casualty.
It was made up for at Concord. There the colonists were prepared.
400 minutemen sent the British troops scurrying back to Lexington,

completely unprepared to be fired on from the woods during their retreat. Apparently,
guerilla tactics were considered ungentleman-like in that day and age.
Ungentlemanly or not, they were effective, and the Americans routed the
British all the way back to Boston. There were nearly 300 British casualties, including 73
dead and 23 missing. The Americans suffered less than 100.
5- The Second Continental Congress :
It was time to do something. The Continental Congress gathered again in May

of 1775, where they would become and remain the government of the colonies until
the end of the Revolutionary War.
They quickly made an attempt at peace, sending the Olive Branch Petition to King
George declaring their loyalty. When it reached the King he pushed it aside and didn't
even read it, and in response he sent a proclamation to the Congress saying that they
would all hang for their defiance to the crown.
Many colonists wrote letters showing how they felt. Thomas Paine wrote
Common Sense, a famous pamphlet about independence from Britain. Other colonial
leaders, such as Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson wanted
independence.
This united the colonies and birthed the Declaration of Independence, which bore
us to war with Britain.

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ASCC : L2 (G1- G4) Department of English

The American Revolution (Part I)

Causes of the American Revolution:

1- The Boston Tea Party:

This event is now known as the Boston tea party.

2- The Intolerable Acts :

 The Massachusetts Government Act, putting the government of Massachussets

This is when the colonies decided that something must be done.

3- The First Continental Congress :

More ominously, they also endorsed the "Suffolk Reserves," resolutions

After sending the Declaration of Rights and Grievances, the First

4- The Battles of Lexington and Concord:

It was made up for at Concord. There the colonists were prepared.

400 minutemen sent the British troops scurrying back to Lexington,

5- The Second Continental Congress :

It was time to do something. The Continental Congress gathered again in May

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