American Colonies

The American Revolution can be considered as the most important event within American history . Through this event , a collection of colonies transformed themselves into a unified government and society , one that embarked on the longest and most successful demonstration of democracy in world history

During the 18th century , England and France were embroiled in a series of wars that were ultimately meant to establish one or the other as the dominant European force . The first three wars had no true impact on the colonies , but the last war - the French and Indian

War - would lead to a huge change in the relationship between the colonies and England

During the early years of the war , prior to 1758 , the colonists continued trading with the French while refusing to contribute money to the British war effort . The first problem was solved through the efforts of the William Pitt , Prime Minister of England . He offered to reimburse the latter for part of any war expenses they incurred on behalf of England . The second issue resolved itself through victories the English had in Canada and the Caribbean . Unfortunately , the English did not realize that their war policies would end up putting their realm in severe debt . Once it was realized , however , it opened the door for reform programs that would ultimately push the American colonies to seek independence from England

Following William Pitt as Prime Minister were several men , all of whom tried to enforce strict laws on the American colonies with the goals of replenishing the English treasury and reestablishing English authority over the colonies . The first of these men was George Grenville , who became Prime Minister following William Pitt . Grenville assessed the situation in the following manner : the colonies had an extremely light tax burden as compared to that being endured by the English therefore it would be logical for the prosperous colonies to share in the expenses that had been racked up trying to defend and protect them

Grenville further discovered how lax the royal customs service in the American colonies was . This , combined with the need for England to replenish its treasury , lead to the implementation of several acts that would meet with ever increasing anger and protest on the part of the American colonists . First , Grenville saw to it that the Navigation Acts that had been ignored for so long were now implemented to the last letter . Next was the passage of the Sugar Act in 1764 , which put new taxes on foreign imports such as wine , textiles , coffee , indigo , and sugar . The goal behind this particular tax was to bring in enough money to offset the expenses of defending , protecting and securing (Shi Tindall , 2007 ) the colonies . Following the Sugar Act was the Currency Act of 1764 , which put a stop to the colonies printing their own money

Following the implementation of the Sugar Act was the Stamp Act of 1765 . This act stated that all printed material within the colonies had to had a revenue stamp...