Major Events Of The American Revolution - 1649 Words

When one considers the AMerican Revolution, there is much emphasis placed on the major events of the period. Major battles, major players and major events are at the forefront of the discussions. Names like George Washington, John Adams and George III come into play. Talks are highlighted with governmental proceedings such as the â€Å"Stamp Act† or with tragic events such as the â€Å"Boston Massacre.† While general histories of the American Revolution tell us that the calls for separation from Britain were not universal, relatively little information is given as to the nature of the situation between colonialists of differing opinions. This work is a meager attempt to place a greater emphasis on the differing views of the Patriots who called for†¦show more content†¦Britain’s main policy leading up to the French and Indian War had been a policy of mercantilism. Under mercantilism, Britain promoted whatever policies and procedures would most allow it to build the national treasury. Raw materials from the American colonies were bought at cheap prices and sent to Britain. In Britain, these raw materials would be fashioned into goods which would be sold back to the colonies for a higher profit. As long as this system allowed England to expand its treasury, the American colonists were allowed to pretty much do what they wanted. Relatively little restrictions or regulations were placed on the colonies. Usually when regulations were placed on the colonials, those regulations were in order to protect practices that the colonists had been doing already and greatly benefited British mercantilism. Even restrictions that were placed on the colonists that could have had a negative effect such as the Molasses Act of 1733 were not heavily enforced. But that all changed after the French and Indian War. During the war, Britain had incurred huge amounts of debt to pay for the war effort. This debt played an integral part in many of the policies of the British government in these years, in particularly in regard to the American colonies. Although for years there