The American Revolution of 1776
The historical roots of the American Revolution are complex, making it difficult to identify any one factor as the ultimate cause of the rebellion against British rule. The burdens of taxation, the lack of any political representation, and the desire for freedom were unques- tionably an integral part of the accumulation of grievances that drove many colonials to take up arms against the British Crown. The thirteen British Crown Colonies in America became increasingly disenchanted with high levels of taxation and direct rule from London. The high levels of taxation were a direct result of a hugely costly war in the region during the period 1756–63, in which the British army and navy had managed to put an end to French influence. The British government sought to recover much of the cost of the war from the American colonies.
Yet religious issues also played their part. The “Great Awakening” is seen by many scholars as having created a strong sense of religious values that were hostile to British Crown rule. The growing sense that all people were created equal by God, and that religious faith was a social leveler, helped create a cultural context that was receptive to a Christian republicanism, similar to that found in Calvin’s Geneva in the late sixteenth century.
