Introduction
The United States proclaimed its independence in 1776, but just a year before that, there were only a few revolutionaries who strove for it. The vast majority of the Thirteen British Colonies, founded in America, wanted their rights back and the canceling of the hard responsibilities imposed by London. It was the initial reason for the war, which started in 1775; however, the situation radicalized quickly as more cruel battles were fought. To understand how and why the initially good relationships between England and its colonies turned into an armed conflict, one should analyze political events that took place in the 1960s – 1970s.
Tensions before the 1760s and the 1763 Proclamation
While tensions and disagreements existed between the British royal government and the American colonial one, they were not critical during most of the 17th and 18th centuries. A governor was a leader of the colony, and each of them was usually adopted by the British monarch, with several exceptions (Farmer 7– 9). Colonies were mostly democratic, at least for those times: all adult white males who owned property had the right to vote to elect local colonial legislatures. A governor, in theory, had full power over the colony; in practice, local governments had much more power than a governor. Colonies experienced rapid economic growth during those times, their population grew steadily, and new territories became conquered and settled (Farmer 11). Thus, relationships between colonists and their parent country were rather good and based on mutual trust.
In 1763, tensions between Britain and the colonies increased as Prime Minister George Grenville issued the Royal Proclamation of 1763. It created a Proclamation Line, which marked the boundary for American colonists to settle: the land west of it was proclaimed as belonging to Native Americans (Farmer 35). While the intentions of this line were seemingly good, to protect Native Americans and minimize conflicts between them and colonists, it caused the anger of colonies that wanted to expand west. However, this tension was rather a minor one, similar to those that were before. There were other tensions that grew after 1763 and worsened the relations to the point of armed conflict, causing the Independence War.
Tensions after 1763 and London’s Problems
After the Seven Wars ended and the 1763 Royal Proclamation was issued, tensions strengthened highly, and neither party did anything to stop or decrease them. Britain gained new territories and increased its power due to the war, but its debt and expenses became higher as well (Farmer 53). It tried to use the colonies as a source of money and, thus, increased taxes on imports, which was the main source of colonies’ income (Captivating History, p. 1, ch. 8). At first, the British government increased taxes on sugar, enacting the Sugar Act, and then on many other goods, imposing the Townshend Act. It enraged colonists, causing the violent actions that followed, in turn, by the more oppressive London acts. Eventually, the situation heated up to the point when the war became inevitable.
Oppressive London’s Policies: Sugar Act and Others
After the 1763 Proclamation, George Grenville issued several acts to ensure that colonies would provide Britain with money. Sugar Act was one of these Grenville Acts: it lowered the tax on molasse and sugar but toughened the law enforcement and responsibility (Captivating History, p. 1, ch. 9). The following Currency Act forbade all paper money in colonies, pushed them to pay in the British pound or other convenient European currency of those times (Farmer 37). Both acts were issued in 1764 and were met with rage and discontent among colonists: they saw the increased intervention of London as a danger to them. The Currency Act was highly unpleasant, as banning paper money in colonies worsened their economic recession and hindered their economic growth. The 1765 Stamp Act introduced a duty to add a stamp on all official colonial documents, charging money for that (Farmer 40). It was seen as a direct sign of oppression, and protests against the Stamp Act were active and widespread.
The 1767 Townshend Acts had similar aims as the Sugar Act, but they imposed much more new duties on the import of products such as wine and tea. While the Stamp Act was resigned in 1767 to reconcile with colonies successfully, those new acts nullified this success (Captivating History, p. 1, ch. 9). Their enforcement was strict, too, and a special trade agency was created in Boston to ensure that duties will be followed. Townshend Act’s duties were relatively light, and their author Charles Townshend thought that they would not cause any objections among colonists and would allow Britain both to earn their money and pacify colonies (Farmer 46). In addition, he added the responsibility for colonial legislatures to supply and support the British troops. While those acts did not follow by immediate protests, the colonists still did not readily accept them. Those acts gradually broke ties between colonies and London: their population started to see Britain not as the motherland but as the oppressor.
Colonial Resistance: The Boston Massacre and Tea Party
Colonies started to resist the increased taxes and duties, believing this violated their freedoms and disturbed their lives. Sons of Liberty was a network of people, mostly merchants and intellectuals, who were united by the idea of fighting for their rights, even with London, if necessary (Farmer 43). Still, initially, they were not aimed at destroying the British administration or fighting for American independence. They wanted to assure that colonists would have their political and economic rights and be able to live honorable lives. Nevertheless, as British taxes increased and their enforcement more severe, their methods became more radical.
The Boston Massacre in 1970 was a bloody confrontation between the Boston people and the British garrison, who eventually fired into the crowd of people. There were protests against the extensive British forces’ presence in the colonies, and in March 1770, Boston soldiers started to shoot at peasants who lamented against their presence (Captivating History, p. 1, ch. 9). This was one of the first armed confrontations that led to civil casualties. It sharpened the relationships and led to the subsequent radicalization of the Sons of Liberty: some of them started to demand independence openly. Along with that, the British government did away with extra taxes imposed by Grenville and Townshend Acts, except the one for tea (Captivating History, p. 1, ch. 9). However, while it pleased the colonists to some extent, it was unable to stop the conflict escalation in the long-term.
The Tea Act was introduced in 1973 and aimed primarily at the East Indian Company to increase their incomes by decreasing taxes. However, it showed the American colonists that their tea taxes would be high and London would not loosen its grasp (Farmer 53). The Boston Tea Party, a radical act of property damage, was the response to those oppressive acts performed by the Sons of Liberty. They dressed as Native Americans, sneaked on several British tea ships, and threw their cargo into the ocean (Farmer 54). The Tea Party enraged the British government to an extreme extent: after that, it was aimed not at simply taxing the colonists but at punishing them.
The London’s Response: 1774 Coercive Acts
These acts were London’s last try to maintain the colonies under its rule: they were severe and aimed at punishing colonies, especially Massachusetts, for their disobedience and property damage. As a result of the Tea Party, Britain lost ten thousand pounds or more than one million dollars at the current exchange rate (Farmer 55). The Coercive Acts were issued: they closed Boston from trading until it would pay completely for the destroyed tea. In addition, they expanded the governor’s rights, allowing him to appoint and remove local officials and control all official and unofficial meetings (Farmer 56). The idea was to isolate Boston and Massachusetts and block it, forcing them to obey and pay for all damage. Instead, it turned all colonies against London, and the effect was much stronger than before: it was a direct act of power against colonial rights. Colonies’ representatives among local officials united in Congress to deal with Coercive Acts and confront them (Farmer 56). Thus, those acts actually united the colonies together against the common enemy and became the premise of their unification as the independent United States.
Summarizing all mentioned acts, one can see that tensions between Britain and the American colonies became much harder after 1763. In 1774, the situation became so severe that London had to use brute force and punishments to bring the colonies to order. On the one side, the British government wanted its colonies to be an integral part of the British empire: pay taxes, support armed forces, and perform other duties. On the other side, colonists wanted their rights to settle on the American land, have their property, trade goods they created or grew on their plantations, and create economic prosperity. They were ready to accept British colonial rule but wanted it to be non-oppressive; however, the British government was determined to bring colonies back to order, even by using force. The war became inevitable, and one possible result of this war was the independence of the colonies from London.
1775 Colonial War for Right Recovery
The war started in April 1775, when the British soldiers were ordered to disarm a group of rebels who openly rejected British colonial rule. It was in Lexington, a town close to Boston: here, soldiers were met by armed colonist militia that put up a resistance (Farmer 65). Several colonists and a few soldiers were killed; after that, soldiers went to Boston but were ambushed by colonist forces. After that battle, the number of deceased was several hundred from both sides, and it was only the beginning. Colonists used their knowledge of the local landscape to seek and destroy British forces while hiding in the woods (Farmer 91). In the next couple of months, thousands of American patriots were mobilized and went to war, motivated to fight for their freedom.
Radicalism grew from both sides as the war became more cruel and aggressive. Only a few colonists intended to gain independence initially, and neither of their leaders aimed at this until 1776, even including radicals such as the Sons of Liberty (Farmer 73). After that, despite the colonists used to perceive themselves as British people, it started to change during the bloody battles of the war. King George III of Britain was firmly assured that colonies should obey the Crown and that no other ways were possible. British loyalists were numerous in the colonies, but unlike American patriots, they did not know precisely the reasons to fight and were mainly passive: Britain had no particular motivation for them (Farmer 88). Royal troops were expected to have supplies from them, but there was almost no support, and it was hard for Britain to maintain full-scale military actions in America. Contrary to that, American patriots found considerable support among colonists as those who defend their rights and freedoms.
The War for Independence: 1776 – 1783
While at first, colonies wanted the restoration of their rights, the rhetoric changed after the aggressive British response. On July 4, 1776, the colonies declared independence and called themselves the United States of America. The difference is that before, they considered their political allegiance British, despite being economically free from it. After the independence, they became both politically and economically separate from London. Debates about whether to start the independence war lasted for several months with slow communication, but prerequisites were present long before this date (Captivating History, p. 1, ch. 9). The decision was made at the Congress meeting: almost all colonies’ representatives voted for the independence, and those that voted against, changed their minds in several days (Farmer 76). After the declaration and the formation of the united government, focused on the war, the situation became more and more in the United States’ favor.
British troops were required to cross the Atlantic Ocean to arrive, while American patriots had full support and supplies at home. In addition, Spain and other countries offered their help to the United States, seeking to weaken Britain. The war lasted until 1783 when the United Kingdom stopped efforts to conquer colonies and recognized their independence as the United States. Leaders of the revolution, such as John Adams and George Washington, stated that they did not want the revolution initially. They wanted to defend the colonists’ rights, and independence was the only way to do this (Farmer 117). The further development of the United States was based on this idea: its Constitution, legal basis, and government were designed to defend its citizens’ rights most efficiently. While all states were different and pursued various goals, this idea united them, and as new states were formed, they embraced it, too.
Conclusion
As one may see, the independence of the United States was quite a surprise for colonists themselves, as it was the result of the repressive politics of Britain toward them. Starting from the 1763 Proclamation, which was almost not oppressive at all, the series of mildly oppressive acts followed that aimed at making more money from colonies. After colonies expressed their discontent with those acts, highly repressive Coercive Acts were enacted, and the tension became so high that even a simple confrontation might cause war. It started by shooting against British soldiers that came to arrest mutineers who openly rejected the king’s oppressive acts, especially the Coercive Acts of 1774. However, after several months of cruel confrontation, most colonists and their leaders changed the rhetoric and eventually proclaimed US independence in 1776. Due to patriotic aspirations, knowledge of the landscape, good support, and Spanish help, the United States won the war and earned its independence.
Works Cited
Captivating History. American History: A Captivating Guide to the History of the United States of America, American Revolution, Civil War, Chicago, Roaring Twenties, Great Depression, Pearl Harbor, and Gulf War. Captivating History, 2020.
Farmer, Alan. The American Revolution and the Birth of the USA, 1740-1801. 3rd ed., Hodder Education, 2020.