There are many reasons that caused the Revolutionary War in America. However, the primary cause of the Revolutionary War is Americas way of thinking that significantly differed from that of their colonizer, Britain. Americans thought that they deserved independence, and they should be treated as Englishmen just like the Britons significantly contributed to their rebellion against British rule; they no longer wanted to be subjected to be told what to do. Additionally, the fact that Britain was far away from America was another thing that significantly contributed to the need for independence of America; they never wanted to receive orders from a country far away from them. In this paper, we will analyze the main reasons that led to the breakout of Revolutionary War in America. The Revolutionary War began in America in 1763 and ended in 1783 after the America together with other Britain colonies broke out from the Great Britain. This paper will analyze different articles that examine the Revolutionary period in America. For example, the primary materials include; an article from Rivingtons Royal Gazette titled American Revolution, 1763-1783; Loyalist Tract, November 28 (1781), and The True Interest of America Impartially Stated, in Certain Strictures on a Pamphlet Intitled Common Sense by Charles Inglis. Additionally, some of the secondary sources that we will use in analyzing the primary reason for Revolutionary War outbreak in America include; Patriots and Loyalist by Anne Alden Allan and A world Turned Topsy-Turvy by Michael A. McDonnell.
America together with other twelve British colonies in America was fed up with the rules of their master and they thought that it was time for them to part from the British government and establish their system of administration. Although, this was not taken lightly by other people who alleged their loyalty and service to the King of England, the American taxpayers and other subjects of the British rule were determined to get their freedom from the colonizer. Amongst the main reasons that led to the breakout of the Revolutionary war of 1763 in America include; the intolerable acts that were introduced in the colony. British colonies in America felt that the laws that their master had imposed on them were not fair and were discriminatory. Therefore, they decided that enough is enough, and it was time to make a move to bring the change that they needed. In the article A Loyalist Tract, of November 28, (1781), the British government is accused to have controlled many resources that other countries in America would have benefited from. For example, the government has imposed strict laws on the; subjects who are the Americans in this case, the cities, towns, harbors, shipping, mills and houses. This was not taken lightly by the subjects who felt that the control was too much for them, and they could no longer take it anymore. The British colonies in America felt that the rules were too discriminatory, and they considered them an insult to humanity as explained by the Rivingtons Royal Gazette (1781). The same concern is also expressed by Inglis (1776) in his article The real interest of America impartially States, in particular, structures on a pamphlet intitled common sense that the Great Britain took advantage of the fact that she controlled most of the resources in the world. According to the author, Britain was to blame for the economic challenges that America was undergoing during the period. The author argues that Americas ideology was different with that of the British government, and it was impossible for the two countries to continue under the same rule. For instance, Inglis says that Americans were also the same as British men; however, the difference comes in the political structure of the two countries (Inglsi, 1776, p. 5). He argues that British government would not agree to adopt the democratic regime of republicanism over the monarchical system that they had. According to Inglis (1776), it was the responsibility of the British government to control the war and ensure that there was no bloodshed out of something that could have been prevented; this is because they controlled a lot of resources. Inglis also has attempted to criticize the British rule in America arguing that it would be of the best interest of Americans if they broke away from the British rule. He explains his points by analyzing some of the advantages that an independent America would achieve if she broke away from the British; for instance, the country would benefit from long-lasting peace and reduced cost of living. According to the author, the fact that America continued to buy things from Britain only contributed to their suffering because they paid a lot of money for the service that if they had been free, they would have been buying at a cheaper cost. I think the author is right in this case; most of the countries during the colonial period went through economic hardship while their masters enjoyed their cheap labor. However, we have seen through our history that immediately the colonies broke away from their masters; they enjoyed the privilege of enhanced trade system and reduced cost of services. This is because they could take control of their resources on their own.
Another main reason as to why the revolutionary war in America broke out was because of the issue of loyalty and patriotism. Loyalty played a significant role in contributing to the revolutionary war in America as most of the Americans who had pledged their allegiance to the British government began to withdraw due to the different opinion they developed. There were two types of people in America; those who were loyal to the British government and those who were patriots of their respective countries. The Rivingtons Royal Gazette article A Loyalist Tract of November 28 (1781) extends the blame to the Congress council that they also contributed to the hardship of the Americans. This article blames the lawmakers for continuing to support the British laws that infringed the rights of the Americans on their people.
McDonnell (2004) also expresses the same concern about the cause of the revolutionary outbreak in America. According to the author, the Patriots in America held most of the official positions at the county levels, while the loyalists held most of the state offices. The different opinion arouses between the patriots and the loyalists; as a result, war emerged. The Patriots wanted to promote the agenda of the Americans while the Loyalists supported the Britishs agenda. As a consequence, the Patriots decided to form their local government system as a way of fighting for their independence. According to Ann (1972), the Patriots were many than the loyalists, and this caused more tension to the British because they started forming movements to fight for their rights. Inglis (1776) also explains that most of the Americans who were loyal to the British government were clergymen and those who held the top offices in the Congress. According to Inglis, most of these people held on to the British government despite the hardship that their fellow countrymen underwent because they benefited from the Britishs economy. Inglis (1776) argues that the loyalists continued their support to the British because they feared that they might lose the benefits they receive from the British. Out of this fear, they decided to continue supporting the Britishs agenda and at the same time pretending to be promoting the agenda of their people. Some of the benefits that they would have lost include; the properties they received, and lack of accommodation with the Great Britain if they denounced their allegiance to the British government.
Association that came about from the American Council of congress and France also contributed to the revolutionary outbreak in America. France coming into the war between America and Britain was not taken slightly by the Britons. The British felt that French people were getting involved in something that never concerned them; as it is explained in A Loyalist Tract article, it was a quarrel between a mother and a child and there was no need for involving another party in France. France was accused of colluding with the American colonies council. Since America had established enmity with the British; France coming to support them was not received well by the British. It was a threat for the Britain government to watch her enemies colluding and joining forces; therefore, it created tension on the British colonizers.
In conclusion, this paper has analyzed the main reasons for the outbreak of revolutionary war in America. Amongst the points that we have examined in the paper include; association of France with the American Congress that created tension on the British, loyalist versus the Patriots and finally, the desire to break out of the British rule by the 13 British colonies in America significantly contributed to the outbreak of American revolutionary war of 1763 to 1783. The American revolutionary war was majorly helped by the fact that the country had gained enlightenment, and they no longer wanted to continue working under someones rule as a subject; they wanted to be their subjects and promote their developments. Therefore, fighting for their independence was facilitated by the ideological difference that developed between the colony and the master.
Reference
Primary source
A Loyalist Tract, (November 28, 1781). The American Revolution, 1763-1783; Revolutionary War: The Home Front. Rivingtons Royal Gazete. New York City. (Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timeline/amrev/homefrnt/tract.html. )Inglis, C. (1776). The True Interest of America Impartially Stated, in Certain Strictures on a Pamphlet Intitled Common Sense: By an American.[Ten Lines of Quotations] (Vol. 3). James Humphreys, Junr. The corner of Black Horse Alley Front-Street.Secondary sources
Allan, A. A. (1972). Patriots and Loyalists: The Choice of Political Allegiances by the Members of Maryland's Proprietary Elite. The Journal of Southern History, 38(2), 283-292.
McDonnell, M. A. (2004). A World Turned" Topsy Turvy": Robert Munford," The Patriots", and the Crisis of the Revolution in Virginia. The William and Mary Quarterly, 61(2), 235-270.
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