Why did the Thirteen Colonies revolt?
The American colonies revolted over what they perceived to be a lack of disrespect for their rights as British subjects. Britain practiced salutary neglect towards the colonies for years, thus granting them a bit of self-rule unofficially, as the colonists often found ways around following the British navigation acts and British taxation laws. After the French and Indian War, Britain sought to tighten its controls on the American colonies in order to strengthen the treasury. The colonists revolted as they stated that they were not represented in Parliament. Parliament countered that they were not a representative body and that they had a rightful duty to tax British subjects wherever they lived.
The American colonies also revolted against British punishments. After the French and Indian War, violators of the Navigation Acts could now be tried in front of Admiralty courts. This meant the lack of a jury trial. Britain also closed down the port of Boston and stationed troops there with the Quartering Act in retaliation for the Boston Tea Party. By the time of the Revolution, the colonists viewed Britain less as a benevolent mother country and more as a controlling government that did not have their best interests at heart.
There were several reasons why the colonists revolted against Great Britain. The three most important factors were taxes, control, and bloodshed.
TaxesThe British Parliament passed two tax laws that upset the colonists. Both the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts violated the rights of the colonists, in their opinion. They believed that they needed to have representatives in Parliament who could speak about and vote on proposed tax laws. The colonists didn’t have representatives in Parliament. As a result, the colonists believed their rights were being violated.
ControlWhen Parliament passed the Proclamation of 1763, the colonists weren’t allowed to go to the lands that Great Britain gained from France in the French and Indian War. The colonists weren’t happy about this. To make matters worse, the colonists had to provide housing and supplies for the British soldiers that were enforcing this unpopular law.
BloodshedAt the Boston Massacre, five colonists were killed. For some people, this was an important turning point in the relationship with Great Britain. After the Boston Tea Party, the British passed the Intolerable Acts, which the colonists refused to obey. When the British moved their troops to Lexington and Concord in April 1775, soldiers on both sides were killed. For many people, it was only a matter of time before the colonists would declare their independence from Great Britain. With the publication of Common Sense, a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine explaining why the colonists should declare their independence from Great Britain, more people were convinced that independence was justified.
There were many reasons why the colonists rebelled against Great Britain.
https://dailyhistory.org/Why_Did_American_Colonists_Become_United_Against_England%3F
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