Essay, Research Paper: American Revolution 5

The American Revolution of 1776 had its factors dating all the way back to the early 1600's, and its legacy continues still today. Several factors that contributed to the revolt were parliamentary taxation without representation, restrictions of the colonists' civil liberties, the British military measures, specifically in Boston, and the colonists' legacy of religious and governmental freedom.
A key to the American Revolution was the English Parliament. The Parliament had considered the colonies to be subservient, and therefore treated them as such. The idea was to use the colonies as a method of revenue, mainly from taxation. Heavy taxes were levied on the colonists alone, and this spawned the dissent of the colonists. Uprisings, protests, and demonstrations occurred throughout the colonies in response to these taxes. The colonists' view was that these taxes were unfair because they were only charged against them and that they had no representation in the Parliament. The importance, however, is centered around the reactions to these taxes. The colonists proved their willingness to stand up for them selves, started unifying them against the British, and the general feelings of being used. These reactions were key to the revolution because, as Ben Franklin said, "Unite or Die". The taxation helped to unify the colonies, and thus helped to begin the Revolutionary War.
A second key factor of the revolution was the restriction of civl liberties. The colonists were not entitled to the same freedoms as an Englishman, but they considered themselves English. These restrictions, such as the Quartering Act and the Writs of Assistance made the colonists think that, if the weren't being treated as English, then why should they be English. The Writs of Assistance especially trampled on their previous rights because the homes of colonists were now not only open to troops, but they could be searched without a warrant as well. Furthermore, anyone accused of a crime could very easily not be tried by his peers, but rather back in England if the judge ordered it. This would prevent a truly fair trial, which is what Parliament claimed to be trying to grant. These Acts trampled on the fiber of "being an Englishman", and therefore created a desire to identify and be something else, Americans.
Another agent in the American Revolution were the military measures undertaken by the British. In addition to the Quartering Act, which required a colonist to let a militiaman stay in their house, the military did other things. After declaring martial law in Massachusetts, the military took over everything. The tax collectors were protected by the troops, so taxes must be paid. Also, the closing of Boston Harbor incited much dissent because that ruined many businesses and merchants. Finally, the "Boston Massacre" was exploited by the separatists to prove the cruelties of the British troops. This proved to be the "straw that broke the camel's back" because shortly thereafter, the War was begun, with British troops again firing on the colonists.
The last and most important element leading to the Revolutionary War was the lasting legacy of religious and governmental freedom. From the beginning of colonization, The colonies had the opportunity to lead and think as they liked. This idea of self-rule had transcended through the generations, and the colonists felt able to break away from England without having many internal conflicts. Furthermore, Parliament had begun trampling on these ideas in the years shortly before the war. The king began canceling colonial charters and made them crown colonies, under his control. In the colonies that went under the ownership of the king, he declared that they must follow his religion. These two transgressions against the colonies were harsh, and word of what happened spread to the unaffected colonies. This brought about much protest from the colonies to the king for his harsh, "holier than thou" attitude. This was especially a key to the revolution because it proved how both the king and Parliament felt about the colonies, and how they were considered to be minor, complaining subjects of England.
As presented, the American revolution was brought on many several factors, and when these were analyzed by the colonists, the only viable option was to revolt against their native country. In accordance with this, it can be looked on as Parliament and the king bringing on their own misfortune and the demise of the American colonies.