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.