There are many reasons the US went to war with Britain. In my opinion, the top three reasons were as follows: 1. The Intolerable Acts. After the Boston Tea Party in 1773, Britain passed a group of laws in 1774 that came to be known as the Intolerable Acts. The Intolerable Acts contained The Massachusetts Government Act, The Administration of Justice Act, and (most popular) The Quartering Act. 2. Taxation without representation. The Colonies were heavily taxed by Britain due to the cost of the French and Indian War. However, they didn’t even have a vote! Britain believed in virtual representation- “even thought you can’t vote, or do anything really, you still have representation... even though you don’t”. 3. The First Continental Congress. In 1774, representatives from 12 of the 13 colonies met together on the issue of the Intolerable Acts. They sent a petition to the King to repeal the acts, but he never responded. They also decided to boycott British goods at this meeting.