1 The American Revolution Scott A. Cook OVERVIEW The story of the American Revolution began with a non­ex­is­tent national military and ended with a weak but victorious Continental Army contemplating a refusal to disarm ­until Congress met their demands. Their military ­battles ­ were directly linked to the strug­ gles and joys of their daily lives. As they fought, they ­ were concerned about providing for their families they ­were aware of how po­liti­cal decisions affected their well-­being and they ­ were involved in discussions about equality, justice, and freedom. The first colonials to participate in the conflict con- sidered themselves citizen-­ soldiers fighting for their inalienable rights against an overbearing British Empire. The American soldiers who finished the fight ­ were members of the lower classes of society who ­were beginning to question their role in the newly emerging nation. One of the first sources of tension between the ­ mother country and 13 of her American colonies was the stricter enforcement of a series of laws known as the Navigation Acts, which imposed taxes and forbade the colonies from trading with any foreign governments except the ones controlled by the British Empire. ­ These acts ­ were not new, but prior to the French and Indian War, the British Crown sel- dom enforced them. In fact, in the approximately 150 years ­after the colonies ­were first settled, they had grown to enjoy a relatively high level of autonomy from En­glish authority. ­ After the war, the British began to enforce the acts more strictly in an effort to raise revenue a seemingly logical action since the war was fought for the protection of colonial citizens. Both the British and Americans attempted to find compromises during this time. The British reduced and even repealed some taxes, and the Americans sent Benja- min Franklin to London as an emissary. Ultimately, the divide between the two sides was too large for reconciliation, and on March 5, 1770, British troops quar- tered in Boston clashed with local citizens. Three civilians ­ were killed during the confrontation, and two ­others died ­later. A newspaper article from the time described
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