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What were the major causes of the American Revolution?
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American Revolution
The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis (at Yorktown, Virginia, on October 19, 1781), oil on canvas by John Trumbull, completed in 1820; in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, Washington, D.C. The painting captures the moment when major fighting during the American Revolution ended and the colonies achieved independence.
The American Revolution was primarily driven by colonial opposition to British efforts to exert greater control over the American colonies and to compel them to contribute to the costs of their own defense following the French and Indian War (1754–63).12
Key factors contributing to the conflict included:
- Taxation and Representation: Britain imposed a series of unpopular taxes, such as the Sugar Act (1764) and the Stamp Act (1765), to raise revenue. Colonists resisted these measures, arguing that as Englishmen, they could only be taxed by their own consent through representative assemblies.13
- Imperial Administration: Following the war, Britain sought to tighten its administration of the colonies. The Proclamation of 1763 restricted westward settlement, which frustrated colonists who viewed it as a loss of power and opportunity.4
- Escalating Tensions: Subsequent measures, including the Townshend Acts and the punitive Intolerable Acts (1774)—passed in response to colonial resistance like the Boston Tea Party—further alienated the colonies and justified the convening of the First Continental Congress.156