In this post and in the related ones to follow, we will take a historical look at the events leading up to America’s independence from the British government in the late eighteenth century. In the end, we will take a biblical look at these events. As we embark on this series, we must be willing to lay aside all long held beliefs and traditions in order to clearly confirm or amend them. We will view through history the documented causes leading up to the American Revolution and, in the end, line them up against biblical doctrines and principals. God, via His word, will be our Guide and Judge. The result will either be an affirmation of various beliefs and traditions or a condemnation of them. Whatever the conclusion, we must purpose in our hearts to side with God and His perspective and to not lean on our own understanding of things nor on that of other men.
So without further delay, let us look at the supposed causes of the insatiable hunger for colonial independence from the English crown, resulting in the American Revolutionary War.
French and Indian War (1754)
“The French and Indian War was a continuation of a series of wars that had taken place between the French and British in North America. The French controlled the Mississippi River and claimed the Ohio River Valley as well. They began building forts in the area. The British started to build their own forts.
“The French expanded into areas that the British had claimed. In 1754, Major George Washington was sent by Virginia's governor to evict the French from Fort Duquesne. Washington came upon a French scouting party and ordered his men to open fire. Washington's men killed 12 Frenchmen and wounded 22. The war was on.
“During the first two years of the war the French and their Indian allies defeated the British numerous times. The period began poorly for the British and their colonial soldiers, when a British force led by British General Braddock tried to capture Fort Duquesne. A smaller French and Indian force succeeded in defeating the British force and General Braddock was defeated.
“The tide of the war changed in 1756 when William Pitt became the British Secretary of State. The British applied more resources into the battle in North America and slowly began to capture French forts. In 1759, the British won the Battle of The Plains of Abraham, which allowed them to occupy Quebec. The next year they captured Montreal, and thus completed the capture of Canada, effectively ending the war in North America.
“The War officially came to an end on February 10, 1763, with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. France officially ceded all of its holdings in North America, west of the Mississippi, while regaining the Islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. The most long lasting effect of the war was not negotiated between the parties; rather, it was the effect the war had on the American colonies. The cost of the war and of controlling the newly acquired territories was high. The British looked to the colonies to help pay those costs. That began the long spiral of events that led to the Revolution.”
British Impose New Taxes (1764)
“The British had 10,000 troops in North America at the end of the French and Indian War. The British felt they had, and were, spending a great deal of money to defend the colonies. These massive forces were needed to protect the Colonists from Indian attacks. By war's end, the British found themselves in debt to the tune of 140 million pounds, an enormous sum for those times. The British tried to address both their problems: governing and protecting the Colonists, as well as, keeping their costs down. First, they issued new proclamations to protect the Indians from further encroachment by the colonists. They hoped this effort would decrease the violence between the Colonists and the Indians, thus decreasing the need for troops. Second, the British government decided to increase the enforcement of existing taxes on the Colonists and impose additional taxes, with the hopes of at least covering the cost of the British troops stationed in North America.
“In 1763, the British issued the Proclamation of 1763. The proclamation tried to protect the Indians from further encroachments by the settlers...The proclamation outlawed the purchase of land from the Indian, unless the land was licensed by the British. The proclamation established a western boundary for colonial settlement, along the Appalachian Mountains. To the west the lands were reserved for the Indians.
“The Colonists responded to the proclamation with a combination of anger and disdain. They were angry with the government for interfering and trying to limit their economic growth. They had disdain for the government, since in their view, there was little chance this proclamation could be enforced. The Colonists felt there was no way any proclamation could stop the natural movement of the Colonists westward.
“The second British action was to pass the Revenue Act of 1764, otherwise known in the colonies as ‘The Sugar Act’. The Sugar Act actually lowered the tax on molasses, a key import of the colonies. The previous tax was seldom enforced. The new act provided strong methods of enforcing the tariff on molasses. It also placed a tax on the importation of additional items, such as silks, wines and potash.
“The American colonists responded with outrage to the new law. They took whatever actions they could to ignore and defy the new laws. Often with the blatant help of colonial officials, molasses and other goods would be smuggled into the colonies without paying the required taxes.”
(Note: Unless otherwise stated, the historical information presented in quotations comes from www.historycentral.com.)
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