American Revolution: Causes and Timeline

A revolution is defined as a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due to perceived oppression or political incompetence. Independence is defined as the state of being free of the control of some other person, country, or entity. In the case of the Revolutionary War in America, America wanted to be free of control from Britain and gain their independence. Revolutions are all about gaining independence, however, in comparison to the French Revolution and the Haitian Revolution, there are significant differences that question if the Revolutionary War in America was truly a revolution or merely a war for independence.

First and foremost, there are several reasons or causes why American colonists wanted to gain independence from Britain. One cause being mercantilism, Americans were unable to purchase products that weren’t British or from Britain. This lead consumers to rebel by purchasing products from others besides the Britsh.

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This was most likely because they felt that certain products made one an “American” and these such products may not have been supplied by the Britsh. These products created the formation of uniquely American culture. Consequently, the British Parliament established a series of laws that imposed restrictions on colonial trade also known as the Navigation Acts. These laws enforced rules such as that of exports could only be received from Britsh ships and cargo that wasn’t from Britain had to be taxed before landing at the colonies. Another cause was that American colonists wanted to head west and they had a bold claim on expansion.

The British didn’t want any angry Native Americans coming for them so they had developed the Proclamation Line that prohibited westward expansion. Furthermore, the British threatened slavery due to the uprise of the north and this caused the south to join the fight for independence in order to protect their institution of slavery. The desire for independence in America was a product of multiple influences.

Comparing the French Revolution with the Revolutionary War in America, the most significant difference is the level of violence. The French Revolution was the people versus the monarchy and the revolters eventually overthrew the monarchy and took control of the government. During the French Revolution there occurred many killings and beheadings, they even beheaded the king. Another revolution that can be compared is the Haitian Revolution, this revolution was also very violent and ultimately was a massacre of the French. The Haitian Revolution was a successful anti-slavery and anti-colonial insurrection by self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule. By comparison, it’s obvious that the Revolutionary War of America lacked the violence that occurred in the French and Haitian Revolutions.

After declaring their independence from Britain, the Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States. Today, the constitution consists of the Preamble, where the notable “We the People” originated, a refined version of the Articles of Confederation, and the Bill of Rights along with other amendments. The primary purpose of the Constitution is to provide a sense of direction to the organization of the three branches of the U.S. government. It outlines the individual and combined powers of each branch while reserving the rights of each individual state. It also defines the importance of jury trials, civil liberties and duties, and the accountability of the government. In simple words, the constitution was actually created for the states by the states and basically says how the government should behave. It somewhat restricts the powers of the government, says how it should be run, protects minorities from the possible abuse of majority rule, and protects the privacy and property rights of the people. Even though independence was achieved, the same class structure remained.

Following the Revolution, the U.S. wanted to remain neutral and continue trading with other countries. They even developed “Freedom of the Seas” which was an agreement that allowed them to trade in international waters without interference. It stresses the freedom to navigate the oceans both in war and peace.

In conclusion, deducted from this reasoning it goes to show that the Revolutionary War was merely a separation from Britain. Although the colonists had the intention of it being a revolution, there was an absence of disturbance that goes hand in hand with revolting.