Social Vs. Political Causese of the Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War was a fight for colonial independence from the suffocating grasp of British control. While there were many crucial events that led up to the war itself, the war resulted primarily from political causes. Although social causes played a role in the coming of the war as well, parliaments ever growing desire for control over their colonies was the driving force behind the American push for independence.

The war was not a result of a single political act but rather a series of events over a number of years that strengthened American resolve to fight back. The events leading up to the American Revolution date back to the French and Indian war in 1756. The British Empire fought alongside the colonists against the French and their Indian allies for control over North America. Even before the war was over the British began putting limitations on what the colonists were and were not allowed to do. The Writs of Assistance, issued in 1760, prevented the trade between American merchants and the French. This angered Americans, notably James Otis, as they saw it as a violation of the British constitution. This early act of questioning the acts of Parliament started a trend that would only continue in the years to follow.

Eventually the British won the Seven Years War in 1763 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. The war caused massive debt for the British Empire and since Parliament believed that the colonists enjoyed the benefits of winning the war as well, they should be expected to help pay for the damages. Parliament went about making the colonists help pay for the war by implementing a series of taxes on the American people. The Sugar Act of 1764 was important because it was the first imposed tax on the colonists that was heavily enforced. It was an attempt to end bribery among merchants in America and help raise money for the British war debt. The Sugar Act also disregarded rules regarding a fair trial for those who were caught smuggling non-taxed items into the country. The Sugar Act was enough to aggravate urban merchants in the north. Its resistance was not widespread but it laid the foundation for resistance to future acts.

There were other acts that parliament imposed on colonial Americas that contributed to the growing movement of resistance. The Stamp Act of 1765 was a tax on all legal documents. The tax included items such as paper, stamps, playing cards and more. The bottom line was that the Stamp Act affected all Americans. The general response of Americans to this dramatic legal act of parliament was outrage. The idea emerged that Americans should not be taxed in the colonies without having some sort of representation in Parliament. In October 1765 there was a meeting known as the Stamp Act Congress. The men who gathered declared that parliament didn't have the authority to tax the colonists or take away their rights to a fair trial. Parliament actually