Conflict in the Colonies
It was probably inevitable that once Britain's colonial "children" matured, they would
seek independence from their mother country. After all, the colonists and the British had
conflicting interests in America. Most colonists came to America in search of greater
personal freedom and opportunity. But Britain saw America as something to be exploited
and controlled. So while the colonists wanted to be free from controls, Britain intended
to do just the opposite.
During the first hundred years of colonial development in America, England's
domestic problems and foreign wars diverted its attention from colonial affairs. But
following Britain's defeat of her arch-rival, France, in 1763, Britain decided to begin
stricter management of her colonies. Britain decided to enforce its mercantile policy by
cracking down on colonists who had been illegally trading with countries other than
Britain. Britain also decided to establish control over lands west of the Appalachians
which the French had surrendered to Britain following the French and Indian War (17541763). To accomplish this, Britain declared the Proclamation of 1763 which closed lands
west of the Appalachians to colonial settlement. Finally, and more fatefully, Britain
decided to tax the colonists in order to pay part of the expenses of protecting the colonies
from Indians or other potential enemies.
The colonies deeply resented Britain's new controls. They complained that mercantile
laws hurt their businesses. Colonists wanted to be able to trade as freely as any
businessman in Britain. Colonists also complained that the Proclamation of 1763
violated their colonial charters which promised western lands to them. But it was
Britain's taxation of the colonists that produced the loudest outcry. Parliament's taxes, the
colonists claimed, were illegal because they were levied without the consent of the
colonists or their representatives. This "taxation without representation," they claimed
was a violation of their rights as Englishmen.
Many colonists began to protest against the new British policies. Led by people such
as Samuel Adams of Boston, many colonists harassed tax collectors and boycotted
British goods. Although this political action caused Parliament to repeal most of its
taxes, it maintained a small tax on tea. Small tax or not, the tea tax was still taxation
without representation. Angry colonists, now called Patriots, staged new protests. One
of these was the Boston Tea Party.
The Boston Tea Party marked a turning point in British-colonial relations. Angry
about the destruction of tea and other property, Parliament decided to abandon
conciliation and take punitive action. The British closed Boston harbor and limited the
power of the Massachusetts assembly. Anxious to assist the beleaguered Bostonians,
Patriot organizations in 12 of the colonies sent representatives to the First Continental
Congress. Congress asked colonists to send aid to Boston and join in a massive boycott
of British goods. It also urged Patriots to pressure other colonists into supporting the
boycott.
In Massachusetts, Patriot organizations began to organize and train volunteer soldiers
called minutemen. Determined to crush this military buildup, the British decided to
march on Concord and seize Patriot munitions there. While on their way to Concord, the
British met a band of minutemen at Lexington. Shots rang out. The Revolutionary War
had begun.