Colonies And England example essay topic

Cause for Revolution On July 4th 1776, a committee, formed to draft a letter to the King of England, formally signed a document containing a list of demands and statements of position that ultimately started the Revolutionary War. This action was not popular with all the citizens of the colonies but the majority of the people were in favor of it and the cause prevailed. This declaration was a poke in the eye of England and forced them to try to put the colonies in their place and reestablish the Empire. Many events led up to the split between the colonies and England. When England claimed a portion of the new world for its own they had to inhabit it to enforce its claim. The easier way to do so was to allow groups searching for religious freedom to colonize the new world and enforce England's claim.

As the colonies began to prosper and succeed English parliament subjected them to a series of harsh laws and taxes. England believed that these laws and taxes were just because of their cost to govern and provide military protection for the Colonists. The most expensive military action that England engaged in on behalf of the Colonies was the French and Indian War. In and effort to keep France from claiming land that England desired and needed for further expansion they were forced to send troops overseas to the new world and fight to protect the Colonies.

This was a tremendous financial strain on England and they felt that the colonists should repay the empire in full. The only way Britain could force the colonies to repay this debt was taxes. The first colonists arrived in the early 1600's. As generations of colonists grew up in the new world they began to think of themselves as Americans rather than English citizens. In this same time period England began to think of the colonists as subjects rather than English citizens. This lack of respect for each other lead to distrust and the feeling of resentment, blaming each other for their troubles.

The English blamed the Colonists for the cost of defending Britain's interests in the new world and protection against invaders. On the other hand, the colonists felt the taxes imposed on them were excessive and used to pay off all of England's debts, not just the ones rightfully owed for their defense. As the colonies and England grew further apart the resentment of additional taxes and tariffs increased the distance between the two. England came up with the Tea Act, Sugar Act, and Stamp Act, all of which were designed to regain the money England felt was due.

All tea imported to the colonies was hit with an additional tax covered by the Tea Act. The Sugar Act allowed British troops to enter, search, and seize any items that they desired without probably cause, this supposedly allowed them to control the flow of illegal and untaxed goods. The Stamp Act was a tax placed on all paper goods including those materials that could possibly be made into paper. These three taxes were collectively known as the Intolerable or Coercive Acts. Probably the tax that hit the hardest was an indirect tax known as the Quartering Act. This was an act that forced all Colonists to provide room and board for British troops that demanded.

This increased the cost to the Colonists and decreased the cost to Britain. This in effect was an additional tax and was especially hard because the American's were forced to share their homes free of charge. The cause of revolution was sparked by the manner in which England chose to Colonize the new world. The choice of people seeking religious freedom and those looking for a new start, planted the seed for independence. The type of person who became a colonist valued their freedom and was willing to fight for it. Generations that grew up in the Americas only increased their love of independence.