Revolution Essay, Research Paper
The year was 1775, and the American Revolution was destined to ignite. Many
generations had already passed, since the first British colonists settled on the
eastern coast of North America. The American man, wasn?t the same as he was in
the seventeenth century. In fact, the American man wasn?t even English
anymore, but instead a mixture of German, Irish, Dutch, Swede, and English. In
time, people lost their ties of loyalty to Great Britain, and developed a sense
of devotion to their own growing empire. This partially began when Britain
started to exercise tighter control of the colonies, by regulating trade and
placing taxes. The firmer England?s hand squeezed upon the colonies, the
angrier the colonies grew. As time continued, Great Britain fell short of the
colonies? expectations, and could not provide them with what they needed, like
land. The more time passed, the more duties were placed, the more limits were
assigned, the more accidents arose, the more inevitable became the revolution.
There were many events that led to the burning of the bridge between the
colonies and their mother country. It can be traced back as far as the French
and Indian War. For the first time in decades, ordinary Americans had come in
contact with fresh out of England. Not surprisingly, the colonists disliked what
they saw. They felt that the soldiers acted as though they were superior and
used unusually cruel punishment. It was then that colonists saw that they
differed from Englishmen, and lived by separate rules. After the war was won in
the colonies, people expected to move west. Yet, that was not the case, because
the Proclamation of 1763 drew a boundary line by the Appalachian Mountains. No
settlers were allowed to move past that line, because that was the only way
England could prevent clashes among the Indians and colonists. This was very
upsetting for the colonists who were eager to expand. At this point, the
colonists began to see that Britain wasn?t able to provide all that they
wanted, and maybe it was time to take matters into their own hands. Another
action on Britain?s part, called the Grenville Plan, further displeased the
colonies. It had three parts called the Sugar, Stamp, and Currency Acts, which
placed direct duties upon molasses, taxed anything printed, and made American
money useless. These acts not only hurt the economy, but also enraged the
American citizens. How could they be taxed by Parliament across an ocean,
without having any representation it? On the other hand, Grenville, the Prime
Minister of England, believed that England had every right to. Such incidents
widened the gap between England and America, and there was no turning back now.
The Boston Massacre was no accident and no minor incident either. If it didn?t
happen of Mach 5, 1770, something like it would have happened soon or later. The
people?s feeling were stirring and only one thing would satisfy them. One
thing they felt ready to fight for, freedom. That evening, a mob of colonists
began throwing snowballs at royal guards patrolling the Customs House. Innocent
as it may have seemed, it was serious enough to get the guards to fire into the
crowd, killing four and wounding eight. This event is very significant, because
it was the first time blood of an American was spilt by an Englishman. Following
this, even more protests and riots broke out, like the Boston Tea Party. Adding
to the many groups, such as the Sons of Liberty and the Loyal Nine, the
Committee of Correspondence was formed to join the colonies against Britain. The
need for such organizations displayed just how serious the situation was
getting. Furthermore, writers like Otis wrote pamphlets on how liberally the
colonies should be governed. In these works, theories shared by Americans such
as ?no taxation without representation? were reflected. The American society
as a whole changed and was determined to rid itself of Great Britain?s rule,
because the time for freedom had come.