The American Revolutionary War was fought and won by the Colonists because of an idea. The idea was freedom. There are many reasons why freedom became a pertinent idea to the colonists and in this paper I shall discuss what events lead up to this idea. I shall examine the British theory of mercantilism, the French-Indian War, and many of the acts that Great Britain sought to make the Colonists to abide by. Through these three events, the idea of freedom blossomed within many Colonists' thoughts, and like a growing child, the Colonists would stop at nothing to pursue the independence of adulthood and freedom.
British mercantilism was a theory to bring all thirteen of the American Colonies together. It is defined as an "economic system whereby the (British) government intervenes in the economy for the purpose of increasing (British) national wealth." Simply put, mercantilism set up trade between the Colonies and Great Britain so that money never left the British system.
This painting depicts the forces of British Major ...
This (attributed to ) originally appeared during t...
This British cartoon depicting the Intolerable Act...Mercantilism created wealth through the importation of resources from the American Colonies to make exportable goods. Finished goods were then sold back to the Colonies and around the world. The theory of mercantilism can best be seen through the Trade and Navigation Acts of 1640 - 1776 . The acts stated that Colonial goods were allowed to be shipped only on Colonial or British vessels, thus limiting trade solely to Great Britain. The acts also stated that goods imported from outside of Great Britain must first pass through Great Britain to be taxed, thereby discouraging trade from outside Great Britain. Finally, the acts stated prescribed what goods the Colonists were permitted to manufacture. These goods, called "enumerated products" were sold only to Great Britain, forcing Americans to trade almost exclusively with Britain. The impact of British mercantilism on...
Causes of the American Revolution
You've done an excellent job of focusing on some of the more important reasons for the Revolutionary War. The most important reason seems to be British arrogance and folly. Up until the outbreak of armed hostilities in 1775, most American colonists still wanted reconciliation with England. They had hoped that their actions up to that point would convince the mother country to moderate her oppressive policies toward the American colonies. King George III would not even name an emissary to seek compromise. Had he done so, revolution probably would not have broken out as soon as it did. George III declared the American colonies in rebellion because of some relatively minor skirmishes and from that point on revolution was inevitable. It is interesting to speculate how history might have changed had a more reasonable man sat on the throne of England in 1775.
5 out of 5 people found this comment useful.