Was the American Revolutionary War a justified war against a tyrannical
leadership OR a civil war of radical rebels against their official government?
Good question. I believe that it was a justified war because Britain was bringing in all their problems to
the Americans like if they needed more tax money they would tax only the Americans. Also they were
not giving any power to the people that lived there at the time, and the British started to take advantage
of all the power they had over them. But let’s talk about the story of the of finding America. It all started
with the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia on May 24, 1607 being the first permanent settlement in
America. But the fort didn’t stay for long due to disease and starvation, causing over 80% of the
colonists to die from 1609-1610. But 10 years after the fall of Jamestown the Mayflower pilgrims arrived
in America in search of a land where they could live in peace. And when they found the shore of
Massachusetts they landed on a rock known as the Plymouth Rock and started the town of Plymouth.
This is also where New England was first established and it’s known as America’s hometown. And after
several more great settlements things started to go sour.
Now I am going to tell you how things went sour. On October 7, 1763, King George III issued a royal
proclamation that created a border which forbade American colonists from settling west of the
Appalachian Mountains. This prevented people that had land over the line to go to it and farm it and for
this reason it would be justified to go against Britain because if they just paid for the land and then just
be told you can’t go to it and the government doesn’t even give you some money because you lost it on
the land. But this did have a good side to it this lowered the chances of natives going to war with the
colonist. On April 5, 1764 British government assessed methods for generating funds, it was decided to
levy new taxes on the colonies then the idea came of the Sugar Act placed a tax of three pence per
gallon of molasses as well as listed specific goods which could be exported to Britain. When this tax
came into place colonial leaders claimed it "taxation without representation," because they had no
members of Parliament to represent their interests this tax so they had reason to go against it. Also in
the mid 1600’s British trade had been regulated through a set of laws known as the Navigation Acts.
These laws required that all trade between British territories had be carried on British ships and routed
through Britain to ensure that proper duties were paid. It also forbade Americans from trading with any
other country than Britain but they had to sell it for really cheap so small businesses lost lots of money.
And Britain would sell their products for a profit. These laws were hated by colonial traders who wanted
to reduce costs and shipping time because they had to pay extra money just so Britain could make sure
duties were paid and because they didn’t even get a share of the profits that Britain was making. And if
Britain wanted to be fair they should have paid the extra cost for the shipping and gave back a share of
the profits and have the Americans sell it for normal price. So that is why this is one more reason it was
a justified war.
After the sugar act in 1760’s-1770’s the economic situation in America got much worst. And then the
currency act came forth. This act prevented Americans from printing paper money. When many
American businesses went looking for credit, they were shut down when financial crises reached London
many British merchants were forced to pay in their debts or be imprisoned. Unable to generate any new
form currency, most American businesses were ruined and the colony’s economy was severely
damaged. This ties in with the reason go against the sugar act because it was supposed to help economy
but it only destroyed small businesses and damaged the economy worst. Because Britain had no money
to house and feed troops due to the economy damage they created the quartering act. This act required
colonial citizens to house and feed British troops. This act is yet another reason to go against Britain
because of economy damage people could barely feed themselves and having to feed the troops cause
people to die of starvation because they couldn’t feed themselves and only fed the troops. On March
22, 1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act which called for tax stamps to be placed on all paper goods
sold in the colonies. This act made the merchants that were selling paper goods have to pay more
money to get a stamp on their paper so it could be legally sold and if they were selling products without
the stamp they would be imprisoned. The colonists reacted to this with a massive boycott of British
goods causing colonial imports to fall from £2,250,000 in 1764, to £1,944,000 in 1765. In several
colonies new protest groups, known as the "Sons of Liberty" formed. This act did help restore a small
amount of the economies damage but the Americans were mad because this act was put only on them
and this showed unfairness and it made sense to go against because it showed the Americans that if the
British didn’t care and treat them like people living in Britain just as second class people. That October,
delegates from nine colonies gathered in New York the congress wrote up the Declaration of Rights and
Grievances which said that the colonies had no representation in Parliament, the tax was wrong and
against their rights as Englishmen. Parliament repealed the stamp act, but issued the Declaratory Act on
March 1766 that stated that they have the power to tax the colonies. This proves my point in my
interdiction that they use their power they had over the colony is bad ways so this is another reason it
was a justified war against Britain. When Britain was still seeking a way to generate revenue, on June 29,
1767 Parliament passed the Townshend Act. An indirect tax, the acts placed import duties on
commodities such as lead, paper, paint, glass, and tea. Like past taxation attempts, the colonists
protested with claims of taxation without representation. While colonial leaders organized boycotts of
the taxed goods, smuggling increased. This is another good reason why you should go against them
because they are taxing without hearing what the people want and once again treating them like second
class people. But if you think this is the end of Townshend act no things only got worst. On the night of
March 5, 1770, when angry colonists began throwing snowballs and rocks at British troops guarding the
Customs House in Boston. Right away the British troops opened fire on the mob, killing three
immediately. Two more colonists died a short time later from their wounds. After this with tensions in
the colonies reaching its breaking point, Parliament pulled out most aspects of the Townshend Acts in
April 1770, but left a tax on tea. This showed that once again they were like second class people to
Britain and that the British were ruthless people that hate the Americans. On May 10, 1773, Parliament
passed the Tea Act with the goal of helping the struggling British East India Company. Because all other
ships had to go to London to be taxed and pay duties. The east India Company would be allowed to sell
their tea directly to the colony without the extra cost. As a result, tea prices in America would be
reduced, with only the Townshend tea tax to pay. But in Boston, the situation climaxed in late
November 1773, when three ships carrying East India Company tea arrived in the port. The members of
the Sons of Liberty dressed as Native Americans and boarded the ships on the night of December 16 and
tossed 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. I couldn’t see why the Americans did this they could have
bought a tea for cheaper but I guess they got mad because they weren’t doing this with other
companies making it unfair. In the early 1774 parliament passed a bunch of punitive laws in response to
the “Boston tea party”. The first one of these laws was the Boston Port Act it closed Boston to shipping
until the East India Company had been repaid for the destroyed tea. A long with these laws was a new
Quartering Act that allowed British troops to use unoccupied buildings as quarters when they are in the
colonies. It wouldn’t make sense to go against this act because they brought it on themselves for doing
what they did. In the spring of 1775, Gage made a series of raids with the goal of disarming the colonial
militias. Now that you know what cause this Great War to break out let’s have a look at some of the
battles that happened.
On the evening of April 18, Gage ordered some of his troops to march to Concord to take their weapons
and gunpowder. The next morning, British troops encountered a colonial militia in the village of
Lexington. While the two forces faced off, a shot went out. Though the source of the shot is unknown, it
touched off eight years of war. On April, 21, 1775 after the redcoat’s terminated the militia of Lexington
they were on their way to take the weapon stock of concord only to find it has been removed. What
they didn’t know is that back in Boston the Massachusetts militia was make an army of their own. The
British’s actions were not justified to kill 8 of the 75 men and for technically nothing because the
weapon stock was empty. May, 1775 just as planned the 56 delegates gathered back in Philadelphia for
the Second Continental Congress to discuss the ways to fight back and get back British held Boston. The
idea came of an American volunteer army but they need a commander to take over the army and after a
long negotiation it fall on to Gorge Washington. Because he has his own past military successes to
recommend him. This showed justified actions to make an army because the British had an army that
was killing people and they needed away to stop them. On January, 2, 1776 Gorge finds a vantage point
called Dorchester Heights witch is not being defended by the British. It’s looking over the south harbour
of Boston. During the night of 4 March 1776 Washington moves his cannons up the slopes of this hill.
From this over-powering position Washington could now make the harbour unsafe for British naval
vessels. The moved proved right. On March, 17 the British left the city leaving behind two hundred
cannons and a large number of muskets with their ammunition which is now a valuable additions to the
American arsenal. This move proved justified because when the British held Boston people would get
imprisoned or killed for all most anything and when they got Boston back more people wanted to join
the army to fight for what they want. On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was announced
and said that they regarded themselves as an independent state, and no longer a part of the British
Empire. Instead they formed a union that would become a new nation which is the United States of
America. John Adams was a leader in pushing for independence, which was unanimously approved on
July 2. A committee had already drafted the formal declaration, to be ready when Congress voted on
independence. I believe this was the right thing to do because meant that the Americans didn’t have to
deal with the British anymore and the British didn’t have to deal with the Americans so it would be a win
win but the British didn’t give want them their independents so war continued. After more losses for the
Americans and with the spirit of the army down Washington thought the all way lost but came up with
the idea of a surprise attack on Trenton on Christmas day with the hopes that the army would be drunk
and hung-over from the Christmas celebration. His hopes proved right he crossed the icy Delaware and
marched to Trenton and won the battle this being America’s first victory and being what is known as the
wars turning point. His moved were justified because if they didn’t win a battle the soldiers would have
given up leaving all their hard work to nothing and having to still sit at the mercy of Britain and their
acts. On September 19 and October 7, 1777 the Battles of Saratoga conclusively decided the fate
of British General John Burgoyne's army in the American War of Independence and are generally
regarded as a turning point in the war. Two battles were fought eighteen days apart on the same
ground, 9 miles south of Saratoga, New York. After the second battle Britain realized that the Americans
were much stronger even after a victory in the first battle they surrendered. And with this victory France
decided to come into the war and help the Americans bring in men, supplies, ammunition and guns.
Their moves proved justified because if they didn’t win France wouldn’t have brought in the troops and
supplies they really need and without it they may have lost the war. On October 19, 1781, was a big
victory by a combined force of American Continental Army troops led by General George
Washington and French Army troops led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded
by British lord and Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis. The siege proved to be the last major land battle
of the American Revolutionary War, as the surrender by Cornwallis, and the capture of both him and his
army, prompted the British government to negotiate an end to the conflict and a given independence to
the united states of America. These actions proved to be justified because it ended 8 years of war and
gave the Americans what they wanted which was independence from the British Empire if the
Americans didn’t win war would have continued and many more people would have died. After several
battles, ups and down it proved to pay off the Americans got independence and now their own country.
Now let’s see what happened after the war.
After the war they were now their own country but now they had to make a country out of what they
have. If you think things got better they did but there was a lot of problems one being the creating of a
constitution. I know it sounds like a good thing but it made power in America to spread out like every
state governs themselves so the central power really couldn’t do anything also if America wanted to do
something all states had to agree say if they wanted to go to war and all states but one agreed they
couldn’t go to war. And another thing was that the northern states had the most power over the
southern states. One other consequence they had from separating from Britain was losing 25% of their
population because that 25% were loyalist witch meant that they were loyal to Britain so they left the
country and headed to Canada. Losing this amount of people hurt the country because they needed as
many people as they could get so they could open more land to America. Also after starting their own
government some people said things got better others say it didn’t because there was no main power so
things were all over the place and because there was almost no taxation go on no money was flowing
thought the country and they were starting to go broke and the country was failing. Their leader ship
was better because it made the people happy but it did draw them away from running a country so it
had its ups and downs but in the end they became a very strong and powerful country.
Now after reading this you can see in my eyes how the British were being over powering and unfair with
all their taxes and laws. But after then they had their problems but in the end you can now see how the
Americans fought for what they wanted and what the British were denying and after battles and fights,
ups and downs they got what they came for and became strong and free.