The American Revolutionary War was the result of Britain’s excessive taxation and colonial expansion policies in the 18th century, as well as its struggle for supremacy with France, and the failure of British foreign policy that eventually led to American independence.
In the 18th century, European powers were gradually expanding their colonies and reaching the peak of imperialism. In the American Revolutionary War, the 13 colonies along the eastern seaboard of the United Kingdom broke away from Britain and founded the United States of America. The independence of the United States changed the international situation not only then, but also today.
The American Revolutionary War was fought for two main reasons. First, Britain’s excessive taxation policy was a problem: the American colonies were not bringing much economic benefit to Britain, and facing financial limitations after the Seven Years’ War, Britain decided to increase the financial burden on the United States. The Sugar Act of 1764 imposed a tariff, but this was an indirect tax that was also in place on the British mainland, so there wasn’t much backlash. The Stamp Act of 1765, however, was problematic. It imposed an internal tax on all publications, which sparked a huge backlash from the colonies. At the time, the American colonies were not allowed to send representatives to the British Parliament, so they reacted with the slogan “No taxation without representation!” Eventually, the Stamp Act was repealed because it was incompatible with British taxation principles. However, the Townshend Act of 1767 imposed tariffs on glass, lead, paper, paint, and tea imported from the American colonies.
Another cause of the American Revolutionary War was the establishment of Indian reservations. The colonists were looking forward to expanding into the fertile Midwest, but the British established Indian Territory, which prohibited them from going west of the Appalachian Mountains and restricted trade with Indians. This was because the British feared that colonists moving into the area would cause friction with Indians, force them to send troops, and create armaments problems. However, when the Indian Territory was not adhered to, in 1769, the British implemented the Quartermaster Act, which required troops to be sent and colonists to pay for their presence. The backlash was strong, and on March 1, 1770, as British troops marched through the city, citizens booed and threw snow at them, and the situation escalated into a gunfight that resulted in civilian deaths. The incident became known in the United States as the Boston Massacre.
The British later repealed the Townshend Act but kept the tax on tea, which led to the Boston Tea Party and sparked the American Revolutionary War. In exchange for the purchase of government bonds during the Seven Years’ War, the East India Company was granted the right to sell tea in the United States, which led to the establishment of tea houses that disadvantaged existing tea merchants. To foment conflict between the British and Indians, they dressed up as Indians and threw tea into the sea. In response, the British closed the Boston harbor in 1774 and demanded compensation.
In response to this incident, the First Continental Congress was held in Philadelphia in September, bringing together 12 states, excluding Georgia. In 1775, the Revolutionary War began when colonial militias raided a British arsenal in Lexington, and on July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was issued. Throughout the war, Benjamin Franklin’s role was highlighted by his fluency in French, which helped him enlist the support of France. France, which was in poor financial condition at the time, only sent militia troops, but after the victory at Saratoga in 1778, the French-American alliance was formed, and France entered the war with naval support. In 1781, the Americans won the Battle of Yorktown after the French navy blockaded the main Virginia army. The Treaty of Versailles in 1783 forced the British to recognize American independence, the first British defeat since the Hundred Years’ War.
Twenty years earlier, in 1763, in the Seven Years’ War between Austria and Prussia over Schlesien, the British supported Prussia and defeated France, which supported Austria, to take the lead in North America. Twenty years later, however, Britain’s defeat in the American Revolutionary War in 1783 can be seen as a failure of foreign policy. In 1763, Britain was able to win due to superior military command and financial superiority, but in 1783, there was no country that could stand up to France. Russia and Prussia were focused on the partition of Poland and were unable to get involved in the war between the United States and Britain. This allowed France to avenge its 1763 defeat and balance the balance of power for a future challenge.
