Why Did the Revolutionary War Start?

The Revolutionary War started in 1776 when the colonists declared that they wanted to live under a fair law, to receive representation for their taxes and have the right to be represented by people of their own choosing. They announced to England that they were forming their own government and that they were no longer subject to the rule of the British government.

To understand more about the reasons for the Revolutionary War it is important to review a little about the British government and life in the colonies. The British form of government is very similar to what we have in America. During the late 1700s the government was a monarchy with a house of Parliament people. New laws and taxes were approved through the Parliament. The laws and taxes then became law by the signature of the King. This government once ruled over America, until the start of the Revolutionary War.

By the time the revolutionary war started, the American colonies had already been populated for about a hundred years. The colonies were British property and ruled by the King. As such, any laws and taxes levied by the British government were in force in the colonies. The colonies also housed a military force under direct control of the King.

The day-to-day life of the colonists was not tremendously affected by the rule of the King for a long time, but eventually, more and more laws and taxes were put into place. The King and Parliament were enacting these new laws and taxes for the colonies in order to exert their power over the colonies and to remind them that they were still under the rule of England.

The new laws and taxes were making life difficult on the colonists and costing them more than they could afford to pay. In addition, the militia that was housed in the colonies were abusing their power and taking advantage of their distance from England. They could throw people in jail for unjust causes and not have to answer for the actions.

Provincial and Continential Congresses

As their treatment grew worse, in 1772 most colonies began forming their own Provincial Congresses that were meant to replace the rule of the English Parliament and to form a self-governing leadership power.

Over the following two years, each colony formed a Provincial Congress and these colonies and early congresses drew together to form the First Continental Congress. The rejection of British rule and continued pleas by the colonies to the King for intervention with the Parliament resulted in a declaration that the colonies were in rebellion and combat troops were sent to the colonies to put down the rebellion.

The Congress documented the complaints that they had against the taxation without representation and their complaints about the abuses of power being perpetrated by the Army. This document was sent to England and presented to the King, only to be ignored and brushed off.

Things continued to get worse and a 2nd Continental Congress was convened. At the 2nd Continental Congress, representatives charged Thomas Jefferson to draft a document that expressed the reasons that the colonies should not stay under the rule of the King and should instead form their own government. The reasons included the colonist's belief in rights of people to live under fair and just laws and the right to be represented by men of their own choosing.

This document was presented to the Congress on July 2, 1776. The document was debated over the next two days and modified. The final copy of the document was voted on and approved on July 4, 1776. The final statement of the document, which came to be called the Declaration of Independence, was that the colonies were forming their own government and would no longer be subject to the rule of the King and the Representatives in England.

This statement was the same as declaring war on England. Disgruntled citizens immediately began to tear down all signs that this country was under the rule of England. When delivered to the King, orders were given for the British Army to suppress the rebellion.

Shot Heard Round the World

The first engagement of the war was the confrontation of the citizens of Lexington and Concord with the British Army. This was the “shot heard round the world.” The start of the war to declare freedom from England and establish the first democratic government in the world had begun.

Most of the colonies built volunteer armies and they were all placed under the command of General George Washington. The Armies marched against the British Army to drive them back to the sea. After a hard five years, the American army defeated the British and had won their freedom. The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, releasing any claim to the colonies from British rule.