American Revolution Causes

Overview

This lecture covers the key ideological and practical causes leading to the American Revolution, emphasizing Enlightenment ideas, British taxation policies, colonial protest movements, and major incidents up to the battles at Lexington and Concord.

Enlightenment Ideas and Colonial Ideology

• The Enlightenment was an 18th-century movement stressing reason, science, liberty, and human rights.
• Philosophers like Voltaire (freedom of speech/religion), Montesquieu (separation of powers), Descartes (rationalism), and Rousseau (social contract) influenced colonial thinking.
• English thinkers such as John Locke emphasized natural rights (life, liberty, property), empiricism (Bacon), and scientific principles (Newton).
• Higher literacy rates and widespread pamphlet distribution spread Enlightenment ideas throughout the colonies.
• Salons and increased education encouraged public debate about government, freedom, and individual rights.

British Acts and Colonial Resistance

• Salutary neglect ended after the French and Indian War, leading to stricter British control.
• The Sugar Act taxed imported goods and targeted smugglers; the Currency Act banned colonial paper money, causing economic hardship.
• The Quartering Act forced colonists to house and supply British troops, increasing resentment.
• The Stamp Act taxed all paper goods, leading to widespread protests and its eventual repeal.
• The Townshend Acts imposed new taxes on everyday goods and increased customs enforcement.
• Colonists objected to taxes for revenue (not regulation) and "taxation without representation."
• Acts unified colonists in opposition and built a shared colonial identity.

Forms of Protest and Rebellion

• The Sons of Liberty formed to organize resistance, with symbolic actions like the Liberty Tree and Liberty Poles.
• Protests included mock funerals for liberty, public gatherings, tarring and feathering officials, and pamphleteering.
• The Regulator Movement in the Carolinas protested corrupt officials and unfair taxation, leading to violent conflict in North Carolina.
• Protests spread across all colonies, not just New England.

Major Events Escalating Tensions

• The Boston Massacre (1770): British soldiers killed five colonists after escalating conflicts; media coverage fueled outrage.
• The burning of the British ship Gaspee in Rhode Island (1772) showed colonial violence was widespread.
• The Tea Act (1773) led to the Boston Tea Party, where colonists destroyed British tea to protest unfair taxes.
• Women participated in boycotts, such as the Edenton Tea Party in North Carolina.

British Retaliation and Colonial Unity

• The Intolerable Acts (1774) punished Boston by closing the port and revoking the colony's charter, uniting the colonies in opposition.
• The First Continental Congress met to create a unified response, agreeing to boycott British goods and establish committees of safety.

The Road to War: Lexington and Concord

• Colonists prepared militias and stockpiled weapons in anticipation of British retaliation.
• Paul Revere and others warned of British troop movements to Lexington and Concord in April 1775.
• The first shots fired at Lexington resulted in colonial and British casualties, followed by further fighting at Concord.
• These events marked the beginning of armed conflict, though historians debate when war became inevitable.

Key Terms & Definitions

• Enlightenment — 18th-century intellectual movement focused on reason, science, and individual rights.
• Social Contract — the idea that government authority comes from an agreement with its citizens.
• Natural Rights — fundamental rights inherent to all people (Locke: life, liberty, property).
• Salutary Neglect — British policy of avoiding strict enforcement of colonial laws.
• Sons of Liberty — secret society formed to organize and lead colonial protests.
• Intolerable Acts — punitive laws passed by Britain in response to the Boston Tea Party.
• First Continental Congress — 1774 assembly of colonial delegates to coordinate resistance.
• Lexington and Concord — sites of the first battles of the American Revolution in April 1775.

Action Items / Next Steps

• Review Enlightenment philosophies and their influence on colonial leaders.
• Read about the Stamp Act, Townshend Acts, and Intolerable Acts in your textbook.
• Prepare for next week’s lecture on the Revolutionary War itself.