Reasons for a Revolution essays

Reasons for a Revolution essays With the famous rallying cry, No taxation without representation, many believe the American Revolutionary War was fought for strictly political reasons. However, the incentive for independence might have been the avoidance of the British regulation of colonial trade. The colonies were protected against foreign invasion by the British military. They received this protection with very little taxation compared to taxes in Great Britain. They engaged in homeland economic activities with very little interference from England. Basically, the only point they were asked to adhere to were the regulations concerning foreign trade. Now, Im not saying that the colonists werent justified in the revolt, only that their reasons differed from their rallying cries. The first change in taxation came with the Sugar Act of 1764. The act lowered tariff rates on non-British products from the West Indies, and the hope was to reduce smuggling in order to increase their tariff revenue. The problem the colonists had was not with the lowered tariffs, because that actually made it cheaper, but that it was taking their business away from them. The colonists were the smugglers. The British werent allowing them to conduct business the way they wanted, which was free from government meddling. They saw this interference as a form of theft. Simple boycotts of all English imports proved enough for the repeal of the Sugar, Stamp, and Townshend Acts, along with the non-renewal of the Quartering Act. Three year later, the British East India Company fell on hard times. In order to lift the financial burden, the English Parliament passed the Tea Act of 1773. Many believe this was a hefty tax placed on a much loved beverage, but this is a common misconception. This act allowed the East India Company to ship tea directly to the Americas, where they once were required to go through Great Britain and typically a Colonial middle...