Causes
There are many causes to the Revolutionary War including a massacre of raging Americans and even rebels throwing perfectly good tea into a harbor. Despite these weird reasons, the war was very bloody and led to many new things. Here are a few of those causes.
The Stamp Act of 1765 was created by the British, forcing colonists to pay a tax (in the form of a stamp) on printed documents, various licenses, and other goods. Colonists rebelled and terrorized British tax collectors. The Townshend Acts of 1767 authorized Parliament to issue taxes on in-demand imports such as glass, lead, paint, paper and tea. British soldiers had to be brought into Boston to prevent another uprising. Tension over the presence of British troops in Boston led to the Boston Massacre, the first event which resulted in the loss of life. Four angry colonists were throwing rocks and snowballs at British troops, taunting them. The soldiers opened fire, killing four of the colonists. This was an outrage to Americans and was a crucial cause of the Revolutionary War. Angry colonists known as the Sons of Liberty boarded a British tea vessel dressed as Indians and dumped all of its tea into Boston Harbor in protest of the Tea tax. This event was called the Boston Tea Party. |
Effects
The Revolutionary War led to the creation of many new documents.
The Declaration of Indepence was a document written by colonists, telling the world why America was breaking away from British rule. The Treaty of Paris outlined the terms of the British surrender in 1783. Its ratification officially ended the Revolution, making America a free country. The Articles of Confederation was America's first attempt to creating an organized government. It gave the states too much power and was insufficient to governing a nation. The Constitution was a new document with much better rules and was adopted in 1787. It took over for the Articles of Confederation, and is still in control today. |