Premium Essay

How Did The Colonists Win The Revolutionary War

Submitted By
Words 1676
Pages 7
The American colonist sought to gain more land to be able to settle and to grow financially and have a good standard of living. Into the 1750s, the colonist were able to obtain more land that the British helped them win. Although these colonist were able to obtain this land they were not satisfied with the British and wanted to obtain their freedom. The colonist began to have a stronger urge of freedom as the British began to abuse their powers in the colonies. The constant taxation acts being placed on the colonist led them to revolt against the British and declared war as they desired to obtain their liberty. “Through the military intelligence that the colonist had they were able to win their victory from the British July 4, 1776.”1 Although …show more content…
The war debts were payed off by the taxes placed on the people in the British Empire, however not all of the taxation was equal. “Colonist were beneficiated by the war and were the least taxed in the British Empire, while the people in England were heavily taxed and were not doing so well.”1 The first form of taxation for the colonist was in 1765, when England established the Stamp Act, this act placed a tax on official documents which required an official seal to be considered valid. The colonist were upset with this new form of taxation and feared that they were losing power to the British. Colonist reacted in a negative form towards this and violence struck out in the colonies as a form of protest against the Stamp Act. After a great amount of violence and rebellion, “the Stamp Act was overturned in 1766.”1 The British attempts to continue the taxation did not diminish, in 1767 a tax was placed on glass, paper, sugar, and tea. This tax was known as the Townshend Acts, along with these acts “parliament increased the military presence in the colonies to try and prevent what happened with the Stamp Act.”1 This act however backfired on the British, the colonist decided to boycott the acts economically by refusing to buy products from British businesses. The Acts were overturned in 1770 because the British businesses complained of business loss. Following this act, England granted monopoly to the East India Trading Company. The tea sold by this company was the cheapest tea in the world, however this tea had a tax, however, the colonist refused to buy this tea because they felt as if England was tricking them to pay taxes. As an act of rebellion against this act placed on the colonist, 50 men known as the Sons of Liberty boarded the ships and threw tea overboard on the harbor. This event became known as the Boston Tea Party and cause approximately a ten

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

How Did Thomas Paine Influence The American Revolution

...Thomas Paine was one of the many Founding Fathers in the time of the Revolutionary War. After arriving America, he worked with Benjamin Franklin. That led to him to journalism and writing the pamphlet Common Sense, which inspired the colonists to act out against the British. Later, during the Revolutionary War, Thomas wrote the Crisis Papers. They helped to influence the American revolutionaries and led to them defeat the British. Thomas was born 1737, in Thetford, England. His parents were Frances Cocke Paine and Joseph Paine. Thomas Paine was a sailor and a tax official before he moved to America in 1774. He settled in Philadelphia, the same place as Benjamin Franklin, another founding father. After he moved, he started to write. He used his writing to have a great impact on the colonists. He wrote Common Sense, a popular pamphlet in the Revolutionary time. Common Sense included how the...

Words: 723 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Battle Of Freeman's Farm Essay

...At this point in history, 1777, the 13 colonies were still a part of the British Empire. However the colonists were growing tired of the laws and bills that were being imposed on them from Britain. The colonist sent several petitions such as the Olive Branch Petition asking the King to repeal the unfair laws. The King refused to hear the complaints of the colonist and continued to enforce the laws. The Tea Act and Revised Quartering Acts pushed the colonist over the edge, they had enough and declared their independence from Britain. England decided they did not want lose the colonies and choose to fight the colonists to regain control which began the Revolutionary War . There were many battles fought during the Revolutionary War that lasted...

Words: 846 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Causes and Outcomes of the Revolution

...Causes Complete the grid by describing each pre-war event and explaining how it contributed to the Revolutionary War. |Pre-war event |Description |Contribution to the Revolutionary War | |French and Indian War|Also known as the Seven Years’ War, this New World conflict marked another |The French and Indian War helped lead to the Revolutionary War in two ways. | | |chapter in the long imperial struggle between Britain and France. When France’s | | | |expansion into the Ohio River valley brought repeated conflict with the claims |First funding this war lead to a huge national debt for Great Britain, which they felt | | |of the British colonies, a series of battles led to the official British |the Americans should help pay. Parliament decided to service the debt by passing the | | |declaration of war in 1756. Boosted by the financing of future Prime Minister |stamp act, a terrible failure that angered citizens on both sides of the Atlantic, which | | |William Pitt, the British turned the tide with victories at Louisbourg, Fort |started the rift between Britain and its colonists. | | ...

Words: 3026 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

American Revolution

...away from the British government and form their own independent government. The American Revolutionary War was a result of the colonies being fed up with the laws being passed upon them and how they were being treated by the British government. There were many events that led up to the colonies wanting to break from the British government. Some of the events that led to this uprising, to only name a few, included The French and Indian War (part of the Seven Years’ War), the Boston Tea Party, and the Boston Massacre. There were also many individuals that helped cause the revolution and there were those that helped lead the colonists in their victorious separation from the British government. The French and Indian War was the start of the colonists beginning to become fed up with how the British government was governing them. The war resulted in the British gaining more land in North America, but it also resulted in the British government becoming more demanding and more controlling when it came to the American colonists and their lives (Hewitt and Lawson, 131). During this war, it did not look like the British were going to win. They lost many wars in North America. And when it looked like France would win this war, the British government put a new person in charge of their war efforts, William Pitt. Pitt placed more soldiers and more weapons in North America. With Pitt’s direction, the war began to turn around and with the help of General James Wolfe, the British gained control...

Words: 1122 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Colonial Rebellion Research Paper

...The United States was not always as what is seen today. Before 1776, the United States was merely thirteen colonies that were controlled under British rule. These colonies believed they were not being treated fairly so they began to rebel. These rebellions eventually led to war; the Revolutionary War. The colonists’ victor over Great Britain in the Revolutionary War resulted in independence for the colonies. This essay will explain why the thirteen colonies rebelled against Britain and how they were able to win their independence. Before the United States of America was its own country with fifty states, America was ruled by Great Britain. Under this British rule were the thirteen colonies. As of 1775, the thirteen colonies were British colonies...

Words: 840 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Motives for English Imperialism

...landowners raised rents and seizing land, people were forced to leave their homes. Residents were forced to share smallholdings with multiple families. Living conditions worsen as the years went by. People were getting sick because of the unsanitary conditions in which they lived. In 1950, there were approximately 75,000 people living in London. A century later, nearly 450,000 occupied the streets of London. People began to migrate to the “new world” in hopes of improving their circumstances. Economic expansion was necessary in order for government and private organizations to maximize their profits. The economic expansion demanded cheap labor, the ability to buy and sell products to other countries, natural resources and land. After the Revolutionary War, the government met these requirements by meeting these demands by providing European factories and markets the materials they needed to manufacture products. This allowed imperial merchants to establish trading posts and warehouses, created transportation among these colonies. However, this new trading opportunity also created conflict among the colonies. Imperial colonies often fought with each other over the best potential resources, markets and trades. Imperial nations and citizens wanted to explore other...

Words: 1916 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

History

...Complete the grid by describing each pre-war event and explaining how it contributed to the Revolutionary War. Pre-War Event Description Contribution to the Revolutionary War French and Indian War This is the name American gave this war; this war was between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. This war was also known as the seven year war, in Great Britain it was known as King William's War or Queen Anne's War. With the end of the French & Indian War in 1763, the British government felt that the American colonies should cover a percentage of the cost associated with their defense. So the Parliament began passing a series of taxes designed to raise funds to offset this expense. Sugar Act The Sugar Act was passed in 1764. The British placed a tax on sugar, wine, and other important things. The Parliament wanted the money to help provide more security for the colonies. The Sugar Act made the people in the colonies pretty upset. If they only traded with Britain, they would not be able to sell their goods for as much. Some leaders in the colonies started to boycott, or to quite buying, British goods. Stamp Act The bill was passed on February 17, approved by the Lords on March 8th and weeks later ordered in effect by the King. The Stamp Act was Parliament's first serious attempt to assert governmental authority over the colonies. They need to get some of their money back after the French and Indian War. The colonies boycotted the stamp act...

Words: 1582 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Kool

...America. Upon broad speculation and based off results from history this lore would seem to be proven true. A more in depth look into the militia’s presence and actions during battles and wars reveals a much clearer view. Skirmishes the militia took part in included fighting against the Native Americans, in the Imperial Wars of Britain and France, against the British in the Revolutionary War and War of 1812, and finally the Mexican American War. These events coupled with the militia’s actions reveal much more truth to the myth of the militia than was seen before. Many militia actions show the militia as a force to be reckoned with and feared in some respects. Other actions show the militia as nothing short of a rag-tag group of undisciplined men whose continual goal was to fight, retreat, and drink. Members of the militia were required to supply their own weapons. Usually the men would show up in whatever they had, serving as a local defense or police force for the colonies. The militia was not an incompetent or ineffective force, but the statement of the militia serving effectively as the first line of America’s defense may have more exaggeration than needed. Starting with the very early days of America provide insight into the foundation that created the American militia. When colonists first arrived on the coast of the New World, North America,...

Words: 1634 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Gke 1 Task 3

... A1, B, B1, Aubert Part A, A1 What is colonialism and how did it affect North America? How did the natives respond? Colonialism is the characteristics of a specific colony of people that have established a new territory yet still is under the authority of the parent country that sent them. In 1607, the king of England sent an assembly of employed men to North America with a dedicated purpose to establish new business for increased wealth, first colonized in Jamestown, Virginia. They were greeted by the Indian natives and a peaceful relationship was formed. They established a union of trust and traded goods such as corn, tobacco, metal tools to name a few. As time went on, the Indian natives were apprehensive and suspicious regarding the colonist’s agenda and soon stopped trading. As a result, the colonists began to die for lack of food. The colonists retaliated by force, initiating raids, stealing food, and then burning the native’s homes. English monarchy sent a fleet for reinforcement which led to the massacre of the Indians thus allowing them to take governmental control over the colonized land and bring the English domain to the New World. The Indian Massacre of 1622 is one example of war. This was a war in which both sides tried to annihilate each other. It had begun when the Indians realized that the settlers were mainly concerned with taking all their land away from them. If it did not help the colonist then they would fight the Indians. This continued for several...

Words: 1088 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Thomas Jefferson Declaration Of Independence Analysis

...as their own country. This caused the American Revolution to begin. Thomas Jefferson reached out or dealt with these three audiences: the colonists, King George III, and the British people by writing the Declaration of Independence. In the year of 1776, Thomas Jefferson, a colonist, and 55 other colonists came together to form the Declaration of Independence. This letter was to express the colonists’ frustration about being taxed by King George III without representation: “But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing...

Words: 670 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Charles Cornwallis Revolutionary War

...The loss of the British colonies in the American war for independence came as a major shock to England and the rest of the world. No one would have expected the poorly supplied continental army to defeat the world superpower that was Great Britain. The person that is known in history for surrendering and ending the war is a man by the name of Charles cornwallis. General Cornwallis fought bravely in both the Seven Years war and the american war of independence, served in parliament, and fought for colonists rights before the war.. Even though general Cornwallis is remembered as the man who lost the american colonies, many factors through out the war cumulated into the surrender of Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown. Charles cornwallis led an interesting...

Words: 1974 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

War of Independence

...War of Independence While Acts like the taxations and military occupations only provoked the Americans and started their calls for revolution, Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” showed them that independence is not only possible but also necessary. After the French and Indian war ended the American’s which were proud for being British, got stimulated by their mother country with several Acts which were made to pay back the depts of the war and to control the colonists. It was the 2nd act, the Stamp Act that began the distancing of both sides. The 1st Act was the Sugar Act which was just and invisible act and people didn’t really care about but with the Stamp Act the British had interfered colonial affairs by directly and visibly taxing them and making them feel unfairly treated. For their defense the Americans forced the tax collectors to resign and they met together for the first time, in the Stamp Act Congress, to decide what to do against the Stamp Act tax and the British. The congress ended with the decision of a boycott which could be a reason to end this act. After their successes the Americans felt that they can get what they want if they work together. But the Acts didn’t end with repealing the Stamp Act. Instead even more Acts were created as for example the Quartering Act of 1774 which was part of the Coercive Acts after the Boston Tea Party. Americans felt disturbed about this Act because they had to care about accommodation of British soldiers in their own houses even...

Words: 788 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Why Did The British Victory In The American Revolution

...The United States victory over the British in the American Revolution stated with the idea to stand up for the rights of man, and to voice their opinions to the monarchy that ruled the colonist from across the sea. Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine wrote about independence from British, and diplomats such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson helped the Continental Congress start to challenge the oppressive British rule. The great leader of the Continental Army George Washington was the man who was responsible for leading the army to victory. The political challenges in the revolutionary war political, British government raised revenue to help cover the cost of the French and Indian war by taxing the colonies with the Stamp Act of 1765. The British thought it was fair to issue the tax on the people it spent all the money to protect. However, the speech in March of 1775 by Patrick Henry who said, "Give me liberty, or give me death!" encouraged the colonist to stand up for their rights. The British later repealed the acts, to try and appease the unrest in the colony. However, the British still needed money to pay their war debt, so the Townshend Tariffs of 1767 placed a tax on glass, lead, paints, paper and tea imported into the colonies. Again, the colonist were unhappy, so in...

Words: 1176 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Boston Tea Party Research Paper

...Even before the Boston Tea Party started, a lot of Loyalists were tortured by the Patriots. Patriots kept a close eye on Loyalists and did not tolerate them who actively sided with the British Empire and calling them to destroy the Patriots. A lot of their properties were burned and incinerated by Patriots. In 1765, when the Stamp Act was imposed, a huge number of colonists in Boston thrashed and tore down the spectacular houses of Lieutenant Governor Thomas Hutchinson and Andrew Oliver, who were both Loyalists. Patriots barged into the doors with broadaxes, tore down the furniture, stole the cash and jewelry, throw away the books and papers, getting drunk from the wine in the cellar, and then took apart the roof and walls. Both owners barely escaped from their own houses. Then, after the Boston Tea Party, a lot of colonists’ anger spread throughout the 13...

Words: 496 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

American Revolution

...The American War for Independence: Sea Power, Joint and Combined Operations: Question 7. Given the overwhelming British victories in New York and New Jersey in 1776, how was General Washington able to avoid catastrophic defeat and eventually win the war? By Julie Moss A paper submitted to the Faculty of the Naval War College in partial satisfaction of the requirements of the Department of Strategy and War. The contents of this paper reflect my own personal views and are not necessarily endorsed by the Naval War College or the Department of the Navy. Signature: /JKM/ BACKGROUND Following the French-Indian War, The American Revolution began between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the former British colonies in North America. The British power was trying to overwhelm the colonists of New America with many acts, such as the Stamp Act, the Sugar Act, and the Intolerable Acts, all of which were deemed illegitimate by the colonists and in violation of the rights as Englishmen. For the most part, colonists were trying to reject the oligarchies that were common in Europe and started to believe in Republicanism based on the Enlightenment. Many leaders took part in this Revolution; one of the most important of whom was General George Washington. His role was vital in the victory for Americans and their freedom from the power of Britain. As the war for independence approached, Washington was known throughout the American Colonies for his courage and military exploits...

Words: 2943 - Pages: 12