Factors that led to the American Revolution.

1. 8 Factors that Sparked a Revolution
By: M. King, T. Mcgillivray, J. Cronin & B. Bricker

2. Actions Leading to a Revolution in the Colonies
• Research shows there are many factors that contributed to the
revolution in the Colonies. Below are a list of 8 that will be further
outlined.
• French and Indian War
• Mercantilism
• Stamp Act of 1765
• Sons of Liberty - Founded 1765
• Boston Tea Party - 1773
• Townshend Acts – 1767/1768
• Bullying of Colonists by British Troops
• Boston Massacre – 1770

3. Mercantilism
• Britain used Mercantilism between roughly 1500 to 1800. It advocated that the colonists should export more than they
import and accumulate bullion (especially gold) to make up the difference. The exportation of finished goods was favored
over extractive industries such as farming.
• Mercantilism was established as a reaction against the economic problems of earlier times when the colonies were too
weak to guide their economies and when every town or principality paid tax to Britain on goods passing through their
borders to Britain.
• Underlying this theory was the belief that wealth was finite. If one nation hoped to grow richer, it had to do so at the
expense of some other nation.
• The development of colonies became very attractive during this era. Wealth could be kept by a nation if its colonies
provided raw materials to the mother country and the mother country could sell finished goods to the colonies.
• This was one of the leading factors of the American Revolution. The colonies wished to trade amongst each other be able
to export to Britain and other countries without British interference.

4. French And Indian War
• In a way this war was one of the main catalysts for the American
Revolution as it spurred a number of the other issues discussed in this
presentation. The reason this is such a critical event is that it resulted
in the British Empire amassing a large amount of debt, which they
looked to recover from the colonies. It was the decisions by the
British to seek to control lost revenue in trade in the American
colonies that started the spark of seeking independence. From the
Navigation Acts to the other import and export taxes that were put in
place frustration with the British crown began to build and it was the
thought of the British that this was a fair way to recover the costs
associated with the French And Indian War.

5. Stamp Act
• The Stamp Act was one of a number of British legislation that sought
to raise revenue for the crown by taxing legal documents such as bills
of sale and any type of contract. This wide reaching act caused all
different types of colonists to be impacted resulting in a larger group
united in standing against it. It was these acts that eventually would
lead to the questioning, does the British Parliament have the right to
impose its will on the colonies without representation? In seeking to
answer this question the Revolution was sparked.

6. Sons of Liberty
• A group of artisans and printers, organized in opposition of the Stamp
Act.
• Originally called the ”Loyal Nine”
• Ultimately led by the likes of John Adams, Samuel Adams, Paul Revere
and James Otis.
• Emerged as leaders of the Revolution
• Orchestrated “Mobs” throughout Boston to protest the Stamp Act.
• " The mob formed a blockade in front of Governor Thomas
Hutchinson’s mansion, demanding that he denounce the Stamp Act in
his official letters to London.”(R. Brooks)

7. Sons of Liberty
• A few weeks Later, the mob returned. Now known as the Stamp Act
riots.
• The group attacked the homes of William Story (deputy register of the
Vice-Admiralty Court), Benjamin Hallowell (Comptroller of Customs)
and Hutchinson.
• Hutchinson and his family escaped before the mob arrived. They
destroy his house and took his valuables.
• Years after they would celebrate the anniversary of the riots.
• “By the end of 1765, Sons of Liberty groups had sprouted up in every
state in the colony.”( R. Brooks)

8. Sons of Liberty
• Women joined the group, forming chapters of the Daughters of Liberty.
They would spin cloth and supported the boycott of British imports.
• “In 1769 women in Little Middletown, Massachusetts wove 20,522 yards of
cloth, and throughout the colonies women signed the nonimportation
agreements.”( J. Oakes)
• The organized groups horrified conservative British observers.
• Being a secret society, they did not keep an official record of membership.
• ” Newspapers across the colonies praised the Sons of Liberty, calling
them “the only guardians and protectors of of the rights and liberties of
America” and encouraged them to continue their activities.” (R. Brooks)
• Not all of the citizens felt the same. Many Americans were alarmed by their
actions and viewed them as dangerous.

9. Sons of Liberty
• ” Newspapers across the colonies praised the Sons of Liberty, calling
them “the only guardians and protectors of of the rights and liberties
of America” and encouraged them to continue their activities.” (R.
Brooks)
• Not all of the citizens felt the same. Many Americans were alarmed by
their actions and viewed them as dangerous.
• The group was victorious in aiding the repeal of the Stamp Act.
• “The Sons of Liberty helped to establish and enforce a boycott on
British goods, causing trade to dry up. It was not long before the
British merchants stepped in on behalf of the colonies and the
Townshend Acts were repealed in 1770.”(R. Brooks)

10. Sons of Liberty
• Famed for fighting the Tea Tax and the start of the “Boston Tea Party”.
• Lead negotiations with Hutchinson to repeal the Tea Tax.
• Blocked ships from offloading their cargo in the ports of Boston and
Philadelphia.
• Sons of Liberty remained active until the end of the Revolutionary
War.

11. Townshend Acts
• Named after Charles Townshend, Chancellor of the Exchequer (Treasurer of
the British Empire).
• Passed after the repeal of the Stamp Act, they put custom duties on
imports, of glass, lead, paints, paper and tea.
• Acts created a customs commission to enforce the new taxes.
• British troops were also sent to American to aid in the collection of taxes.
• The New York Restraining Act was passed to punish New York and enforce
the Quartering Act of 1765.
• Townshend Acts are to blame for the protests that led to the Boston
Massacre.

12. Bullying of Colonists by
British Soldiers
• As a result of the colonists rebelling to the taxes implemented by British parliament, Britain sent thousands of soldiers over to
the colonies to control its residents and to ensure they were following the laws and paying the taxes. The British soldiers
would bully the colonists and treat them unfairly.
• In the late 1760s the tension between the King's soldiers and colonists grew, often reflected in street fights even though the
organized resistance movement relied on nonviolent struggle and colonists sometimes tried to control outbreaks of random
violence. There was a notable scarcity of violent attacks on governmental officials, even those trying to enforce hated
measures like the Stamp Act.
• To pay for the stationing of soldiers in the colonies, many colonists had to house and feed soldiers. Soldiers' pay was reduced,
which encouraged the soldiers to enter the local labor market and compete with unemployed colonists for jobs. Soldiers,
securely housed and fed, often offered to work for less than the living wage, arousing resentment among working class
colonists.
• The Boston Massacre was a street fight that occurred on March 5, 1770, between a "patriot" mob, throwing snowballs,
stones, and sticks, and a squad of British soldiers. It resulted in 5 dead patriots, and 6 injuries. Reactions were swift and angry,
so it became one of the greatest contributing factors to the War for American Independence.

13. Boston Massacre
• Boston, 1770: Over 2,000 British soldiers occupy the city- outnumbered by angry
Colonists by 8:1.
• Tempers flared over newly enacted taxes levied by the British government such as the
Tea Tax.
• Small skirmishes between the two became more widespread and violent.
• March 5, 1770: Colonists face off with British soldiers, led by Capt. Thomas Preston.
• Harassment in the form of snowballs and jeering quickly escalated into clubbing and
beating.
• In the panic, one shot was fired, which led to more gunfire- leaving five dead Colonists in
the streets.
• Preston and his men were arrested, eventually being tried several months later.
• The Boston Massacre sparked an even stronger hatred for the British: this hatred helped
bolster the growth of the Rebellion five years prior to the Revolution.

14. Boston Tea Party
• The mid 1700’s proved to be financially straining for the British government. They imposed new taxes on the
American colonies on most goods and services.
• After the Boston Massacre, Britain repealed all but the Tea Tax, which proved too valuable to do away with.
• The infuriated Colonists fought back by boycotting all tea sold by the British East India Company, resulting in
financial ruin for the Company.
• To further the financial strain for Britain, the Colonists began smuggling tea to evade
• taxes.
• Orders from the Sons of Liberty required ships bearing British Tea to be held at the wharf indefinitely, unable
to unload their precious, taxable cargo.
• December 16, 1773: A large group of Colonists board the ships, and throw hundreds of tea chests overboard.
• The Boston Tea Party proved to be controversial between the Colonists, but is undoubtedly a milestone in
the events preceding the Revolution.
• More important than the Tea Party itself, was the retaliatory legislation passed by King George III known as
the “Intolerable Acts.” These acts further angered the Colonists.

15. References
• “American Colonials Struggle against the British Empire, 1765 - 1775.” Global Nonviolent Action Database,
nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/american-colonials-struggle-against- british-empire-1765-1775.
Accessed 7/20/18
• Brooks, J. (2018, January 01). The Sons of Liberty: Who Were They and What Did They Do? Retrieved
from http://historyofmassachusetts.org/the-sons-of-liberty-who-were-they-and- what-did-they-do/
• “British Reforms and Colonial Resistance, 1767-1772 - American Memory Timeline- Classroom Presentation
| Teacher Resources - Library of Congress.” Apple Computers: This Month in Business History (Business
Reference Services, Library of Congress), Victor,
www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timel
ine/amrev/brittwo/brittwo.html. Accessed 7/20/18
• History.com Staff. History.com. “Boston Massacre.” Published 2009.
www.history.com/topics/american- revolution/boston-massacre. Web. Accessed 20 July,
2018.
• History.com Staff. History.com. “Boston Tea Party.” Published 2009.
www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/boston-tea-party. Web. Accessed 20 July, 2018.
• Oakes, J. (2017). Of the people: A history of the United States. New York: Oxford University Press.

16. Credit
• Mercantilism & Bullying. By Teresa McGilivray
• French/ Indian War & The Stamp Act. By Jason Cronin
• Boston Massacre & Boston Tea Party. By Ben Bricker
• Sons of Liberty & Townshend Acts. By Michael King