Question

Describe the main events leading to the american revolution. which event do you think was the most crucial, and why?

Answer 1

The  French and Indian war (1754-1763), fought between Britain and France, with the British allied with the American colonists and the French allied with many Native American tribes, saw with the conquering of most of the France land.

This led to the Pontiac’s Rebellion: Pontiac was a Native American chief who commands a series of raids in the British new territories. The Pontiac’s Rebellion was lost, but the Parliament tried a moderation with the Native American Tribe with the Proclamation Act of 1763, declaring that American colonist could obtain Native American territories only by purchasing and treating.

Other consequences of the French and Indian War were the  Sugar Act (to tax sugar), the Stamp Act (to tax printed materials) and the Quartering Act (to obligate Americans to guests British troops). In opposition to these series of taxes, several colonials leaders petition Parliament and the King to revoke those taxes. The request was accepted in 1766, but at the same time, the Declaration Act passed, allowing the British to impose taxes on Americans at their convenience.

A year later, another series of taxes were imposed through the Townshend Duties, provoking another series of protests that reached their peak in 1770. At the famous Boston massacre, five colonists died, making things even worse for the British.

In 1773, the Boston Tea Party could be described as the spark of the American Revolution: after the passing of the Tea Act, which granted exportation monopoly to the British East India Company, the trading of tea was almost fully blocked in answer to the unpopular act, with the reaching of its highest point in the Boston Tea Party, where all the shipment of three ships were throw in the ocean.

After this, the British answered by blocking the Boston harbor and making things worse for the colonialist. In the autumn of 1774 there was the first continental congress, with the hope of finding an agreement with the King and boycott the British goods in the colonies.  The second continental congress came only months later in April 1775 with the same objectives. The instances of the American colonist were denied, and so the congress choose George Washington to lead the army in the pursue of reach total independence from the United Kingdom. In the next year, 1776, the Declaration of Indipendence by Thomas Jefferson were drafted. This event is considering as the birth of the United States.    

The event most crucial, in my opinion, is perhaps the Boston Tea Party, especially for its significance and resonance throughout the new born colonies. The event was a historical moment for many reasons, as at the time nobody would dare to go against the British kingdom, one of the most powerful nations. There was also the fact that the new ideas of freedom and equality were circulated in the newborn colonies.