Leading Causes of The American Revolution

QUESTION

Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapter 5, 6
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook)

Initial Post Instructions

For the initial post, pick two (2) of the leading causes of the American Revolution.

The Proclamation Act of 1763
The Navigation Acts
The Stamp Act
The Declaratory Act
The Townsend Act
The Boston Massacre
The Coercive Acts

Then, address the following for your selections:

Analyze the cause and effect of two acts passed by the British Parliament on British North America. Which of your two selections do you consider the most significant and why?
Examine and explain the significance of the Declaration of Independence to the development of the American Revolution.

ANSWER

The Townshend Act versus Coercive Acts

The Townshend Acts were enacted to raise revenues from the colonies. Townshend Acts include The Townshend Revenue Act of 1767, the Restraining Act of 1767, and the Indemnity Act of 1767 (Corbett et al. 2016, p.123). The primary goal of these legislations was to increase the revenues of the mother country. For example, The Townshend Revenue Act [TRA] of 1767 raised taxes for imported consumer goods such as paper, lead, paint, glass, and tea. These revenues were paid directly to Britain, helping it increase its revenues.

The consequences of these legislations are colonial resistance against the British Parliament and increased corruption. The primary reason for the protests and controversy were increased taxes and deprivation of colonists’ liberty of representation (Corbett et al. 2016, p.123). The legislation also took power away from colonial legislatures. Traditionally, the colonial leaders were responsible for the salaries of royal officials; hence, they could withhold their wages. However, the Restraining Act stripped them of this power because the royal officials now depended on its revenues, not the colonial leaders. These issues led to protests, with colonists arguing that the Parliament had no right to impose internal or external taxes on the colonies. Corbett et al. (2016) report that corruption in Parliament also increased, primarily due to the Indemnity Act (p.123). The Indemnity Act exempted some companies from paying tax, a practice most colonists viewed as corrupt. Also, most of the TRA revenues paid salaries of governors, judges, and other royal judges and not the British Army as intended.

Coercive Acts were enacted in response to colonists’ reaction to the Tea Act of 1773. The Tea Act allowed a British Tea Company, the East India Company, to sell their tea at a lower price than the colonists’ smuggled tea (Corbett et al. 2016, p.129). The colonists responded to this legislation with hostility because it reduced their profits and threatened their businesses. They boycotted the Tea Act by preventing British ships from offloading the tea or withholding it in warehouses until it spoiled. In December 1773, the Protestors destroyed British tea worth one million dollars in today’s currency (Corbett et al. 2016, p.130). These actions led to the enactment of the Coercive Acts.

The effect of the Coercive Acts are: the closure of Boston Port, expansion of tolerance of Catholicism, allowed colonial leaders to be prosecuted in England or another colony, and changed the government of Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Massachusetts Government Act allowed crown officials to control and approve the affairs of Massachusetts directly. The Quebec Act allowed British troops to occupy unused buildings in the colonies. Corbett et al. (2016) reveal that the British officials created the Coercive Acts to punish only one colony: Massachusetts. However, the resulting consequence was that all colonies mobilized to support Massachusetts.

The Coercive Acts were more critical than Townshend Acts because they inspired all colonies to unite and rebel against the British government. The Tea Act already angered the colonies, and the Coercive Acts only exacerbated the situation. Corbett et al. (2016) report that. “The Tea Act of 1773 triggered a reaction with far more significant consequences than either the 1765 Stamp Act or the 1767 Townshend Acts” (p.128). Another author, Mohanty (2013) stated “Only after the imposition of the Coercive Acts did the colonists begin to strongly put forth their contention with the British Parliament.” Because the Coercive Acts worsened the situation, it is logical to argue that it was more important than the Townshend Acts. Additionally, the Coercive Acts united all colonies against the British mercantilist laws and British rule. The Townshend Acts did not trigger such unity; therefore, the Coercive Acts were more critical than the Townshend Acts.

The Stamp Act versus the Navigation Acts

The British Parliament enacted the Stamp Act to regulate trade and increase revenues. The government had incurred massive debt from the war. Corbett et al. (2016) indicate that the loan interests alone consumed nearly half of the nation’s burden (p.115). Additionally, the government needed to increase revenues to sustain the nation’s military in America (Corbett et al. 2016, p.115). The British Prime Minister, George Grenville, decided to minimize government spending and ensure American colonists played their part in paying off the debt. The reasoning behind this argument is that the colonists benefitted from the war; hence, they also had to share the debt burden.

The Stamp Act required colonists to pay taxes to the British Parliament, not the customary colonial government. It needed everyone who printed anything on paper to buy revenue stamps. The main effect of this legislation is colonial protests. Mohanty (2013) asserts that, “the Stamp Act crisis galvanized the feelings of the American colonists against the oppression of Great Britain and helped in ushering in the American Revolution.” The colonists believed taxation without representation violated their constitutional rights. The British Constitution postulated that only representatives whom subjects voted for had taxation rights. The British Parliament did not have actual representation, yet it collected taxes from the colonists (Corbett et al. 2016, p.118). This practice meant that the Parliament violated the colonists’ rights. Consequently, the colonists formed groups to protest against the British Parliament’s exploitation and disregard of their constitutional rights.

The Navigation Acts were also enacted to create more wealth for the British Empire and control the trade of American colonies. The 1651 Navigation Ordinance, one of the Navigation Acts, allowed only British ships to transport goods between the colonies and England. Another Navigation law was the 1663 Staple Act, which prohibited colonists from importing goods not made in England. This Act gave England a monopoly on all imported goods. The Plantation Duties Act increased taxes for colonies that imported molasses from West Indies and French Islands.

Between the two legislations, the Stamp Act was more important. Corbett et al. (2016) state that the Stamp Act gave rise to the first serious protest against the British Empire (p.116). Although both legislation favored the British Empire, the Stamp Act resulted in the most significant reaction. Major protests followed its enactment. In contrast, the colonists’ continued with their business practices even when the Navigation Acts were enacted (Gilje, 2016). Corbett et al. (2016) reveal that the England mariners continued to smuggle goods from the Dutch West Indies and French at a lower price from non-English Nations. (p.92). The Navigation Acts had prohibited this practice, but the businesspeople disregarded them. Colonists continued to build their ship fleets despite the 1651 Navigation Ordinance restricting it (Corbett et al., 2016, p.91). The taxes imposed on colonists also did not change because Great Britain’s tax control was lax (Corbett et al., 2016, p.92). The colonists’ response to the Stamp Act was different because they protested violently against this law. Therefore, it can be surmised that the Stamp Act had a more significant impact on colonies and British Empire than the Navigation Acts.

The Proclamation Act versus the Declaratory Act

The Proclamation Act was enacted in response to colonists’ expansion to the West. After winning the war, the British believed they had the right to expand westward. They had a new quest for fresh land because the fertility of their land had been exhausted due to intensive tobacco farming. However, Native Americans resisted this expansion, leading to deadly conflicts between the two groups. The British government created the Proclamation Act, which prohibited the colonists from expanding past the Proclamation Line. This legislation was designed to prevent further bloodshed and secure the frontier. The colonists viewed it as a setback.

The Declaratory Act stated that any legislation that the colonies passed to govern themselves was void if it countered the parliamentary law. Colonists’ reaction to the Stamp Act was the main driving force behind the enactment of the Declaration Act. According to Corbett et al. (2016), the violent reactions against the Stamp Act forced the British Parliament to repeal the legislation. However, some officials were against the repeal, fearing it would weaken Parliament’s power. Therefore, Rockingham created the Declaratory Act to secure the authority and supremacy of the British Parliament over the colonies. Many thought the British government had repealed the Stamp Act, but this legislation reinforced its principles. The effect of this legislation is increased authority and supremacy of the British Parliament.

Both the Declaratory Act and the Proclamation Act contributed to the American Revolution. The legislations caused the colonists to resent the British government. Landowners deemed the Proclamation discriminative against colonialists seeking to ease personal debts. McCutchen (n.d.) indicates that the Proclamation Act “marked the beginning of a clear ideological break with the mother country.” The Declaratory Act also contributed to the Revolution. It gave the British Parliament absolute supremacy and authority over the colonies, something the colonists fiercely opposed. Corbett et al. (2016) indicate that the British Parliament started exercising its power immediately after the Declaratory Act was passed. The colonists overlooked the Declaratory Act initially because they were celebrating the repeal of the Stamp Act (Schrader & Magazine, 2017). However, these celebratory sentiments were short-lived because the colonists soon realized the Declaratory Act helped reinforce the Stamp Act (Corbett et al. 2016, p.22).

Although both legislation curtailed the rights and interests of the colonists, the Declaratory Act was the most important. McCutchen (n.d.) indicates that the Proclamation Line was a temporary solution to calm Native Americans, explaining why Pontiac’s rebellion continued even after the Proclamation Line was established. Additionally, the colonists defied the Proclamation and continued to expand westward (McCutchen, n.d.). George Washington and other privileged landowners also started advocating for the Virginia government to release the land promised to Indian War veterans and the French (McCutchen, n.d.). They also lobbied the Crown to allow westward expansion. Their advocacy efforts succeeded when the Treaty of Lochaber and Treaties of Fort Stanwix and Hard Labour were enacted (McCutchen, n.d.). These treaties fixed the boundary lines, allowing westward expansion (McCutchen, n.d.). Even though the Proclamation Act was passed, westward expansion continued, Pontiac’s Rebellion persisted, and future treaties allowed the boundary lines to be moved. For these reasons, it is logical to argue that the Proclamation Act did not significantly impact the colonies or Native Americans in the long run. In contrast, the Declaratory Act’s impact was significant because it curtailed the rights and liberties of the colonists (Bruschi, 2015). The British Parliament’s disregard for their liberties was the primary driving force behind the colonists’ rebellions.

Examine and explain the significance of the Declaration of Independence to the development of the American Revolution.

The Declaration of Independence put forth three main ideas:

All men were created equal and had the inalienable right to liberty, life, and pursuit of happiness.
The main objective of a government is to protect these liberties
People are entitled to revolt if the government fails to protect these rights.

These phrases set the groundwork for political and social democracy in America, which differed significantly from British rule. The declaration claimed the British Parliament did not have legitimate sovereignty over the colonies, and King George III had violated the agreement he had with his subjects. The content of the Declaration was spread far and wide to all colonists. It also helped unite the colonies in against Great Britain.

By issuing the Declaration of Independence, America cut all political ties with Great Britain. It made clear the colonists’ goals of being independent. Bruschi (2015) stated, “the Declaration of Independence was soon to sound the death knell for any hope of reconciliation,” demonstrating the colonist’s intention to severe ties with Britain.

Another important effect of the Declaration is the colonists’ alliance with the enemies of Great Britain. Corbett et al. (2016) reveal that colonists’ leaders sent copies of the Declaration to Spain and France, hoping to gain their support. France’s involvement in the American Revolution started in 1776 with the French supplied the American colonies with war supplies.

References

Bruschi, U. (2015). A business somewhat delicate”. Edmund Burke and the American revolution: from the stamp act’s repeal to independence/” A business somewhat delicate. Journal of Constitutional History, (29), 89-116. https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA422778542&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=15930793&p=AONE&sw=w

Corbett, P. S., Janseen, V., Lund, J., Pfannestiel, T., Vickery, P., & Waskiewicz, S. (2016). US History. OpenStax.

Gilje, P. A. (2016). Citizen Sailors: Becoming American in the Age of Revolution. Harvard University Press

Mohanty, M. (2013). The Coercive Acts and The American Revolution: From supplication and appeal to resistance and discovery. An International Refereed e-Journal of Literary Explorations. 1(2). http://www.researchscholar.co.in/downloads/1-mohanty.pdf

Mohanty, M. (2013). Writings during the Stamp Act Crisis and the Beginning of the American Revolution. International Multidisciplinary Research journal, 2(3), https://www.galaxyimrj.com/V2/n3/Mohanty.pdf

McCutchen, J. (n.d.). Proclamation Line of 1763. George Washington’s Mount Vernon. https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/proclamation-line-of-1763/

Schrader, D. E., & Magazine, S. A. R. (2017). 250th Series: The Declaratory Act. The Massachusetts Society Sons of the American Revolution. https://www.massar.org/2017/09/26/250th-series-the-declaratory-act/