Independence Day

I have read many, many accounts of the history, causes and personages of the American Revolution. We all know the stories of how British attempts to impose taxes and more regulations after the French and Indian War [in Europe this is known as the Seven Years' War] were resisted and eventually led to the Revolutionary War and the American Declaration of Independence.

But why did this happen in 1763-1765? Why did the Americans resist? Looking back in the knowledge of the huge taxes we all pay and the regulations we are burdened with, the new British taxes and regulations seem almost inconsequential. Some historical treatments infer or say that explicitly. No doubt the rebellion was led by key people (James Otis, Dr. Joseph Warren, Samuel and John Adams in New England were very early leaders). What could they have been thinking? What was their motivation?

I have a theory on why people like them were motivated THEN - in 1763-1765 - to begin to resist.

For over 150 years, the British government has mostly left the colonies alone. During that time before 1756 when the French and Indian War began, British monarchs had been overthown twice, a Lord Protectorate had governed for two decades, a new royal house had been installed [House of Hanover], the United Kingdom had been formed, rebellion in the Scottish highlands had occurred, the South Sea Bubble burst, and Britain had been governed by the Walpole regime for many years which used patronage, political influence and local politics to rule. During all that time, the Colonies had been left alone with their own Assemblies and a single Royal Governor in many of them. The British Parliament and King had never exercised direct authority.

So in the period 1763 to 1765 when the British King and Parliament did get involved in the Colonies, that was surely very new. And the future leaders of the American Revolution certainly would have reacted to it as very, very new. A thinking man then could certainly see the implications of accepting British Parliamentary authority over their affairs. It began with prohibitions on settlement in the west. That was important as free men in the colonies needed freehold land to avoid being dominated by ... uh ... the rich and powerful. Then trade regulations were imposed on sugar and other commodities. Customs and currency regulations followed. The Stamp Act was imposed in 1765, which was the first direct tax on the American Colonies in their 150+ year history.

James Otis began speaking out in 1764 as a town meeting in Boston. Town meetings - very direct democracy - still exist in Massachusetts. I've been to them and have opened my big mouth a few times ;-)

Being very free for 150 years from direct British authority certainly shaped that attitudes of those free men and women. So seeing that "ethos of freedom" beginning to be degraded and eroded made a big impact, far beyond the details.

I think that is why the American revolution occurred at that particular time. It was the change from the 150 year past that made the difference. Thinking Americans had to choose then between resisting or being entangled forever in more and more British authority and politics. With that perspective, I think there is no question why they were motivated to fight then.

PS: One of my collateral ancestors was an early resister. He "thumbed his nose" at the King's edict and moved over the frontier with his new wife to settle on land in the current West Virgina. That was the far frontier in 1766. He built a small fort for protection against raiding Indians. There are extant stories how people ran to that fort to save their lives when marauding Indians were sighted

PPS: The above's older brother - my great, great, great, great grandfather in my paternal surname line, moved to adjacent land in 1773. He fought in the American Revolution, serving in Continental Line regiments of Virginia.

P^3S: This land was a true frontier. I really enjoy watching the movie, The Last of the Mohicans, to try to understand how these ancestors lived. The father of the above men - my great, great, great, great, great grandfather, was killed by Indians raiding his home in 1764. His wife, my 5th great grandmother was kidnapped but escaped quickly.

P^4S: Of course I have collected modern replicas of the rifles, muskets, pistols and tomahawks of that period :-) Some day I'd like try re-enacting life in that period.

P^5S: My genealogy research does not neglect the distaff [aka maternal lines]. I actually reasearch every single ancestral branch as far as possible and include collateral lines, too, for a generation or two. That helps find relatives and access their information. Note that each of us has 32 3rd great grandfparents. [3rd great = great, great, great]. I have found twelve (12) direct or collateral ancestors who served in the Revolutionary War on the American side. I'm sure there are many more, but much information is not available for that remote time. Is there any wonder I question authority? ;-)