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Causes of the Revolutionary War

  • The American people were strongly independent. They wanted to do things for themselves. Great Britain was a long way away. The American people didn't want people an ocean away telling them how to live their lives.
  • The British government decided to make the American colonies pay a large share of the war debt from the French and Indian War.
  • Through the Sugar Act, Stamp Act, and other taxes, the British tried to collect taxes that the American people considered harsh.
  • The American people also thought that they should be able to send their own people to Britain's Parliament or at least vote for Britain's lawmakers.
  • The combination of the harsh taxes and the lack of an American voice in Parliament gave rise to the famous phrase "taxation without representation."
  • Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, and others called for an independent America, colonies free from British rule and interference.

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