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Why did the American Settlers decide to revolt against England?

User Eudemonics
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Final answer:

American settlers revolted against England primarily because they felt their rights were being ignored and their economic ambitions stifled, especially regarding taxation without representation and westward expansion.

Step-by-step explanation:

Why American Settlers Revolted Against England

The American settlers decided to revolt against England due to a culmination of factors that centered around the themes of governance, rights, and economic freedom.

Discontentment brewed over British policies that colonists perceived as infringing upon their rights. The American Revolution was ignited by a desire for 'natural rights,' including the right to be taxed only by elected representatives. However, the colonies found themselves unrepresented in Parliament and rejected the notion of virtual representation.

The settlers had developed their own legislative institutions and a sense of autonomy. When England tried to tighten control after a period of salutary neglect, particularly through the Proclamation Line of 1763 and various taxation acts, this was seen as an overreach and a direct affront to the colonists' self-governance and economic pursuits.

The limitations on westward expansion and trade imposed by the British Crown further fueled the call for independence.

Many Americans who had been proud subjects of the British monarchy began to view their government as tyrannical and unresponsive to colonial interests, circumstances that fostered the revolutionary sentiment and eventual formation of independent governance as symbolized by the Continental Congress.

User Xun Chenlong
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5 votes

Answer:American settlers wanted to move from second-class citizenship to first-class citizenship on equal terms with their British masters.

Step-by-step explanation:

The American colonies were established by royal charter in the 17th and 18th centuries. After the British gained victory over the French in the Seven Years' War in 1763, tensions and disputes arose between Britain and the colonies over a variety of issues, including the Stamp and Townshend Acts. Resulting British military occupation led to the Boston Massacre in 1770, which strengthened American Patriots' desire for independence from Britain. Among further tensions, the British Parliament imposed the Intolerable Acts in mid-1774. A British attempt to disarm the Americans and the resulting Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775 ignited the war. In June, the Second Continental Congress formalized Patriot militias into the Continental Army and appointed George Washington its commander-in-chief. The British Parliament declared the colonies to be in a state of rebellion in August 1775. The war was formalized and intensified following passage of the Lee Resolution by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia on July 2, 1776, and the unanimous ratification of the Declaration of Independence two days later, on July 4, 1776.

User Zhigong Li
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