AMERICAN REVOLUTION: CAUSES, WAR OF INDEPENDENCE, CONSEQUENCES - HISTORY - 2025

The American Revolution or Revolution of the Thirteen Colonies was the process by which the United States achieved independence from Great Britain. This European country had begun the process of colonization during the 17th century and, over the following decades, had established thirteen different colonies on the Atlantic coast.

The relationship between the colonies and the metropolis began to deteriorate after the Seven Years' War, which pitted Great Britain and France against each other. The British need to recover economically caused it to impose a series of taxes on the colonists. These, who did not even have representation in London, began to protest.

Signature Declaration of Independence - Source: John Trumbull

The Tea Mutiny, in 1773, was one of the most significant protests that occurred in the British territories in America. The events in Boston marked a turning point and led to the outbreak of the Revolutionary War in 1775. The rebels declared independence the following year, although the conflict continued until 1783.

The final victory went to the supporters of independence. These, greatly influenced by the ideas of the Enlightenment, promulgated the constitution of the new country in 1787. With it the United States of America was born.

Background

The American colonization by England was promoted by James I, when he founded the Virginia Company in 1606. Since Spain controlled most of the New Continent, the English focused on the Atlantic coasts of North America.

From 1607, when Jamestown, later the colony of Virginia, was founded, the British were expanding their dominions in the area. The result was the creation of the Thirteen Colonies that would be the seed of the birth of the United States.

French colonization

Not only Great Britain was interested in establishing settlements in that area of ​​America. France, one of its traditional rivals in Europe, also tried to seize several territories in North America.

His efforts led to the creation of New France, which ranged from the Gulf of San Lorenzo to the Gulf of Mexico. Likewise, they founded settlements in present-day Canada and in what is now New Orleans.

At that time, the borders between the different colonies were not very well defined, something that caused clashes between the French and British settlers.

The Thirteen Colonies

The Thirteen British Colonies in North America had a different origin. One of them, the economic one, with a multitude of settlers trying to find their luck in the New World. On the other hand, the New England area was inhabited by fled from the religious persecutions that were taking place in Europe.

Typically, experts divide these colonies by their geographic location. In those of the south, for example, an agrarian society based on slavery developed. Almost 500,000 slaves from Africa were in charge of working in the large cotton and tobacco fields.

Seven Years War

In 1756 a conflict broke out that affected several European countries. In the so-called Seven Years' War, Great Britain faced France, with other countries participating as allies of one of the two great powers.

The war had a great repercussion in North America. The cause of the conflict in that part of the world was the clash between the British and French colonizing forces, who were fighting to control as much territory as possible.

After seven years of war, the two sides sealed peace through the Treaty of Paris. The winner was Great Britain, which came to control a large part of the colonies founded by France in North America.

Financial crisis in Great Britain

Despite its victory, the war created serious problems for Britain, especially economic ones.

Having succeeded in expanding their colonial territories, the British had to face increased expenses to be able to administer them. The area he controlled was enormous, having conquered part of Canada and Mississippi from the French and Florida from the Spanish. Defending and financing those possessions became a big problem for the Crown.

On the other hand, the British had had to apply for several loans in order to finance the war. The attempt to raise taxes on its citizens sparked protests on the islands.

Causes

The causes of the outbreak of the revolution and the war of independence were diverse. On the one hand, the elite among the colonists picked up a good part of the ideas of the Enlightenment. On the other, the taxes that the British tried to impose provoked protests and disaffection towards the metropolis.

The American Enlightenment

Among the causes that led to the revolution in the British colonies was, as also happened in Europe, the extension of a new ideological and philosophical framework: the Enlightenment. It was born on the European continent, but its influence reached the different American territories.

The philosophers of the Enlightenment wanted to put man, reason and science at the center of the universe and leave behind a time when inequality and religious dogmas prevailed over everything else.

Among the protagonists of the American revolution was especially influenced by John Locke, author of the theory of the social contract. According to this doctrine, the people and the government had to establish a kind of agreement that the authorities protected the rights of their citizens in exchange for their acceptance of the government system.

Another aspect that Locke emphasized in his works was that the people had the right to start a revolution in the event that the government broke that contract.

Royal proclamation of 1763

A revolt led by the indigenous tribes of the Great Lakes ended up causing the unrest of the settlers to grow. The Pontiac Rebellion, in 1763, meant that the British military had to act to quell it, as the forces formed by the colonists were not able to quell the threat.

The result of this rebellion was the Royal Proclamation, issued by King George III on October 7 of that same year. This rule prohibited settlers from setting up settlements on the edge of the Indian reservation located next to the Appalachians.

The intention of the monarch was to avoid conflicts and begin to trade with the natives, in addition to improving the administration of those lands.

However, the settlers saw this proclamation as contrary to their interests. Not only did it prevent them from expanding their domains, but even some had to abandon the settlements already built. In general, the impression spread that the Crown intended to limit the presence of settlers to the coastal area.

Increase in rates

Undoubtedly, one of the factors that most contributed to the appearance of independence movements in the area was the rise in various taxes. The metropolis, after the war, was in dire need of funding and tried to get the settlers to bear much of that cost.

Among the taxes that were created or increased were those for sugar or stamps, both in the mid-1960s.

The settlers responded to these taxes with protests. Among the leaders of these were some of those who, years later, would lead the revolution, such as George Washington.

Declaratory Law and Townshend Laws

Despite the protests of the colonists, the Crown continued with the same policy. In 1766, she passed the so-called Declaratory Law, which forced the colonists to comply with any legislation passed in the English Parliament.

For its part, the following year the Townshend Laws were passed, which increased the taxes applied to many imported products. On this occasion, the response in the colonies was much more violent and the British increased the number of military personnel in the area.

The tension grew more and more until the so-called “Boston massacre” took place. During a demonstration, the British military killed five people who were protesting. The British government finally eliminated the enacted laws.

The tea riot

Although, in reality, it was just another mobilization of the several that took place in the colonies, the tea riot has gone down in history as the symbol of the beginning of the revolution.

John Hancock, a merchant who had participated in the protests against the Townshend Acts, was the one who promoted, in 1768, a boycott of the tea that the British East India Company exported from China. The success of his initiative caused a large decrease in the company's profits

To rescue it, the government enacted the Tea Act, which lowered taxes to sell this drink in the colonies, hurting local merchants. The protests did not wait. Some were developed in Philadelphia, but those in Boston were the most important.

It all started with the arrival of a ship from the East India Company to the city. There, an organization called Children of Liberty organized assemblies to protest against the arrival of the ship. The meeting called on November 16, 1773 was massive, with almost 8000 attendees.

That same night, a large group belonging to the Sons of Liberty stormed the ship and threw the tea into the ocean.

War of independence

From the 60s of the 18th century, the situation in the Thirteen Colonies was one of discontent against the British authorities. During those years, movements such as Hijos de La Libertad appeared to oppose the policies of the metropolis.

In 1765, delegates from some of the colonies met to draft the Declaration of Rights and Torts. The protests grew in intensity and there were episodes such as the Boston massacre or the tea riot.

The British response to all these events was to order their troops to occupy Boston in 1768. Later, Parliament passed laws to try to reaffirm their power in the colonies and limit their autonomy.

The Thirteen Colonies did not have representatives in the British Parliament, so they did not accept the laws and taxes that were passed without their participation.

Starting in 1772, the "patriots" organized their own secret government. Something similar began to happen in each of the colonies. Despite their almost clandestinity, these institutions were gaining in power and reducing powers to the British government.

On September 5, 1774, the First Continental Congress was held with the purpose of unifying all those institutions of its own. Only Georgia was absent from that meeting.

Start of the war

The War of Independence began with an isolated military incident. British troops in Boston were ordered to leave for Concord on April 19, 1775. The intention was to prevent the colonists from getting hold of the weapons that were stored there.

In a nearby town, Lexington, there was a clash between British soldiers and a group of about 70 settlers. There are no references about who started the attack, but that skirmish became the start of the war.

The English, outnumbered, had no trouble controlling both Lexington and Concord, but on the way back to Boston they were harassed by the people of Massachusetts.

These clashes led to the death of 8 settlers and the mobilization of the militias created by the patriots. The city of Boston, in English hands, was besieged in June by some 10,000 militiamen.

Second Continental Congress

The first time the rebels created a unified government was in May 1775, during the Second Continental Congress. One of his first measures was to appoint George Washington head of the army that fought against the British.

Washington had gained military experience during the Franco-Indian War, and, furthermore, his Virginian status did not cause misgivings among the southern colonies, who disliked the importance of religion in Massachusetts.

The number of volunteers to form the army increased considerably. However, his lack of military training and discipline made Washington's job difficult.

Taking of Boston

The first bars of the war were not favorable for the army of the Thirteen Colonies. The British had better preparation and more combat experience.

The Battle of Bunker Hill was one of the most important of that period. The confrontation took place in June 1775, when troops from both sides collided on the hill of that name, near Boston.

Although the settlers had achieved a favorable position, at the top of the hill, the British managed to take it. However, their victory had a very high price: 800 dead.

After having to leave Bunker Hill, the Patriot army headed for another nearby hill, Dorchester Height. On this occasion, thanks to the presence of several cannons that had been snatched from their enemies, they were able to make themselves strong at the top.

After a time of siege to Boston, on March 17, 1776 the British who still remained in the city had no choice but to withdraw and hand it over to the rebel troops.

Declaration of Independence

One of the most symbolic events that happened during the War of Independence was the Declaration of Independence.

This took place on July 4, 1776. Two days earlier, Congress had approved that "these United Colonies are, and by right must be, free and sovereign states." On the 4th, the Declaration of Independence was approved by 56 congressmen. The document was written by Thomas Jefferson.

From that moment, although the war continued its course, the government established relations with other countries.

This Declaration had a major effect on the morale of the rebels. His proclamation reinforced the unity of the Thirteen Colonies in the fight against the British.

The document, in the ideological aspect, was a precedent of the Constitution that would be approved years later. Thus, he affirmed the equality of all men, declaring that there were inalienable rights, such as liberty or life.

British position

While all this was happening, the British were trying to establish a suitable strategy to defeat the rebels. After evacuating Boston, they established their headquarters in New York. The intention of the English military was to create a wedge that divided the patriotic forces of New England from those of the rest of the colonies.

At the time, the British still trusted the superiority of their military forces. However, despite the fact that the number of troops seemed to prove them right, other factors caused them to be at a disadvantage.

The first, the great distance that separated North America from the British Isles. Communications were very complicated and any decision of the Crown arrived weeks late. Likewise, the breadth of the terrain that he had to defend became an almost insurmountable difficulty.

Battle of Saratoga

The turning point of the war was the Battle of Saratoga, which took place between September and October 1777.

The rebel troops were led by Horatio Gates, while the British were under John Burgoyne. The confrontation took place near the Hudson River, in the Great Lakes area.

The British general, following the established strategy, tried to isolate New England from the rest of the American forces. To achieve his goal, he received the support of a column of Indians from Canada. They were seeing how the settlers were taking their land and decided to help the British.

However, on October 17, after being overwhelmed by the rebel troops, Burgoyne had to surrender.

Foreign aid

One of the consequences of the Battle of Saratoga was the entry of France and Spain into the war. Both countries wanted to recover part of what was lost in the Seven Years' War and decided to support the American rebels.

France did so in February 1778. Not only did it contribute by contributing troops, but it also provided financial aid to the patriots.

Spain, for its part, was more reluctant to intervene directly. However, I do give money and weapons to the Americans. The Spanish wanted to recover some of the territories that the British had taken from them in the Gulf of Mexico and in Central America.

A little later, another European country joined the fray: Holland. It also helped the Americans by providing weapons, supplies, and some warships.

Stagnation in the north

By 1778, the situation in the north of the Thirteen Colonies had stabilized. In late June, the British tried to move their troops stationed in Philadelphia to New York, but Washington launched an attack to prevent it. Despite the fact that the rebels did not lose any of their positions, the English managed to achieve their objective.

Somewhat later, on July 8, a naval squadron sent by France reached the Atlantic coast and attacked British positions at Newport, Rhode Island. The maneuver ended in failure and the situation in the area remained unchanged.

Battle in the South

The war seemed to change its trend between 1779 and 1781. In those months, the Americans suffered several defeats, the desertion of General Benedict Arnold and the appearance of internal disagreements that caused several riots.

The British, in early 1779, took Georgia and, in 1780, they conquered Charleston, South Carolina.

Taking advantage of this good moment, the English troops began a general offensive and defeated the rebels at Camden. This caused the change of the American commander of the South: Nathanael Greene replaced Gates.

The new commander managed to reverse the situation and defeated the British in South Carolina in early 1781.

End of the war

The last great confrontation of the War of Independence took place in 1781, in Virginia, the last area controlled by the British.

An army made up of Americans and French, under the command of Washington, surrounded the almost 8000 British soldiers resisting in the area. In addition, a French naval squad was also in the area.

The British came under heavy siege until they surrendered. After that defeat, the government of Great Britain made a peace proposal.

Paris treaty

The next two years were very uneventful. The war was de facto over, but no talks took place between the contenders.

It wasn't until 1783 that the British and Americans began to negotiate. On September 3, the metropolis recognized the independence of the United States through the Treaty of Paris.

On the other hand, the British signed two other peace agreements, one with France and the other with Spain.

Consequences

Once independence was achieved, the Americans began to organize the new country. This was not an easy task, as there were quite a few differences between the original Thirteen Colonies.

The solution was the formation of a federal government, with great autonomy for each of its member states.

US Constitution

The framers of the Constitution tried to combine two fundamental principles: the creation of a federal government with sufficient force to maintain unity and that the former Thirteen Colonies maintain sufficient autonomy.

The works of drafting the Magna Carta were carried out in 1787. The constituent assembly consisted of 55 members representing all the territories.

The result was a Constitution that established a presidential federal republic. Likewise, it created two chambers with legislative powers.

All the approved constitutional text had strong influences from the Enlightenment and included the inspiring philosophy of political liberalism.

Economic consequences

From the outset, the new country adopted a liberal and mercantilist economic system. This, coupled with territorial expansion, allowed the United States to develop economically to become a power.

Territorial expansion of the United States

With vast, largely unexplored territory to the west, the United States quickly set out to conquer new lands. In a few years, the size of the country multiplied, annexing large areas of land, as well as its wealth.

The expansionist desire of the new nation did not remain only in the western territories. He also began to try to annex the lands to the south, whether they were French, Spanish or, later, Mexican.

Influence on other revolutions

The Revolution of the Thirteen Colonies and the War of Independence had important international repercussions.

In 1789 the French Revolution broke out, which, although with its own characteristics, also collected the illustrated principles for its government.

On the other hand, the first decades of the 19th century saw the Spanish colonies in Latin America starting their own wars of independence. In many of them, what happened in the United States was taken as an example.

Something similar happened with the federal system of government, which tried to reproduce itself in several of the new countries that appeared after defeating the Spanish.

References

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4. Wallace, Willard M. American Revolution. Retrieved from britannica.com
5. The American Battlefield Trust. Overview of the American Revolutionary War. Retrieved from battlefields.org
6. National Park Service. The Second Continental Congress and the Declaration of Independence. Retrieved from nps.gov
7. Digital History. Overview of the American Revolution. Retrieved from digitalhistory.uh.edu
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