The Coming of the American Revolution 1763-1776

Following the British success in the French and Indian War, ending in 1763, the British now had to face the problem of being the sole major power on American soil. The two short term problems that the British faced were in dealing with the “Indian” problem and the debt that was accrued in defeating the French and the Indian tribes. The first problem was relieved by a 1763 decree to keep British colonial efforts east of the Appalachians but the second problem was not so easy to contain. Over the next thirteen years, the British went from benevolent colonial rulers to hated colonial overlords, in the eyes of the American colonists.

In addition to the British Parliament’s Navigation Acts (tightening regulations on sea trade and use of the British navy) and the Proclamation of 1763, there were other regulations that were placed upon the American colonists. The Sugar Act of 1764 cut the duty (or tax) on sugar and molasses and strict enforcement of collecting the taxes on such goods. The Currency Act of 1764 prohibited the printing and use of colonial currency, requiring instead that use of the British currency as the sole point of commerce in the colonies.

The Currency Act, in particular, was a frustrating law for the Americans because of the relationships built during the French and Indian War (the colonial defense plan, the Albany Plan, included a provision for intercolonial taxation). The Stamp Act of 1765 taxed all paper items and transactions, which damaged the burgeoning American newspaper industry and other leaders (such as lawyers and printers). The frustration with the aforementioned acts led to the creation of the Sons of Liberty in 1765, led by Sam Adams and Patrick Henry, in an effort to prevent the Stamp Act by protestation.

However, the protest of the Stamp Act and the organization of dissident leaders in the Stamp Act Congress of 1765 was not strong enough to force the hand of the British. While they repealed the Stamp Act in 1766, they established the Declaratory Act, which included a paramilitary function to administrative and enforcement structures within in the colonies. This included more troops to Boston, a hot spot for protest of the Stamp Act. This increase in “red coats” and the volatile nature of American protest led to the Boston Massacre of March 5, 1770. However, following the Massacre, there were two years (1771-1773)where there was a decrease in tension. This did not mean that the American protestors were not hard at work; in fact, the grassroots nature of their protest, led by Sam Adams and other future Founding Fathers, was aided by the two year stand off. Adams and the Sons of Liberty were responsible for spreading propaganda to paint a picture of a tyrannical government taking advantage of the American colonists.

The Tea Act Crisis of 1773-1774 was responsible for the last stage of escalation toward American revolution. The most famous event before the Declaration of Independence is perhaps the December 16, 1773, Boston Tea Party, which was a protest of the taxation and enforcement of duties on tea by throwing tea into the Boston Harbor. The British response was the Intolerable Acts, which closed the Boston Harbor, moved trials for British troops to a more friendly environment in England, and increased the troop presence in Massachusetts. The British also enacted the 1774 Quebec Act, which shifted the borders of Quebec and frustrated colonists at the arbitrary nature of British rule. The First Constitutional Congress met in 1774, and their resolution (the Suffolk Resolution) was to increase economic boycotts and stand up to the lack of representation that the British allowed the American colonists.

Following increased British military activity, including drills throughout the colonies, the American colonists engaged the British in battle in April of 1775, in the towns of Lexington and Concord. However, going against the prevailing myth that independence was declared at the first gun shot, the Americans did not declare independence until July 1776, fifteen months after the “shot heard around the world.” While a significant number of Americans were in favor of independence, there were still many who were neutral and cautious, while a surprising amount of colonists were in favor of remaining a colonial holding.