Revolution Essay

Alex Higham

Period 2A

10-3-11

Revolution Essay

In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to find a water route to Asia for Spain. This led to the discovery of America. Spain, France, and Britain were in a rush to be the first to settle in the newly discovered land. The early colonies were doomed for hardship because they had no knowledge of the land they were living on. After awhile the colonies became prosperous through farming the land and teachings from the Native Americans. After that the colonies flourished in rapid population growth. The French and Indian war, which was between France and Britain, is the starting of the revolution because of the tax Britain puts on the Colonies to help pay Britain’s debt. The Sugar Act (which taxed molasses and sugar), The Stamp Act (which made all legal documents have an official stamp produced by Britain), and The Townshend Acts (which taxed lead, paint and paper), all led to the Boston Massacre through the protest of the taxes on the Colonies. The rally cry of “No taxation without representation” was started at this time. The British react by taking off all the taxes except on tea; which leads to the Boston Tea Party led by Sam Adams and the Sons of Liberty. British response to the Boston Tea Party was that known as the Intolerable Acts which included: closing the ports, suspending town meetings in the Colonies, and sending Britain officials back to Britain to be tried for any crimes; which infuriated the Colonists. Colonists respond to the Intolerable Acts by boycotting British goods and starting militias. The first Continental Congress met and produced the Olive Branch Petition. In Lexington and Concord British troops came to take away the Colonists guns they had been smuggling in. Colonists first fought in Lexington and didn’t succeed; but had stalled the British long enough for the guns to be moved elsewhere. In Concord Gorilla Warfare was the fighting strategy the colonists took on to fight the British troops. This resulted in the second Continental Congress meeting. There Congress created the Declaration of Independence in 1776, which states that we as people have unalienable rights (John Locke’s ideas and the Enlightenment) and the British Government has abused those. This declaration declared the revolution. America wins because of change in war tactics and alliance with the French. British finally surrender in Saratoga because of the debt Britain had accumulated and the people in Britain started protesting against the war. The Treaty of Paris officially ended the Revolution in 1783.