The Point of No Return free essay sample

John Adams, one of the American Revolutions central figures, recalled in his later writings that Americans were committed to independence in their hearts long before war broke out in America in 1775. This suggests that American independence was inevitable; however, this was not the case. Just twelve year earlier in 1 763, Americans cheerfully celebrated the British victory in the Seven Years War, taking great pleasure in their identity as Britons and jealously guarding their much-celebrated rights which they believed they possessed by virtue of membership in what they saw as the worlds greatest empire.Seeing this, few would have predicted that by 1776, a revolution would be developing in British America. On the surface, the recipe for discontent seemed lacking. There was no economic crisis among the colonies; in fact, they were relatively prosperous. Yet, how did everything change in just a few short years? What occurred to make the American colonists set aside their differences, and unanimously declare their independence? Actually a lot happened between 1 763 and 1776. We will write a custom essay sample on The Point of No Return or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The events that occurred during these important years created sharp divisions among he English, among the colonists, and between the English and the Colonists. On the surface, the colonists believed they were unfairly taxed, watched over like children, and ignored when they attempted to address grievances. On the other side, the British found the colonists unwilling to pay their fair share for the administration of the Empire. After all, the English paid more in taxes than was asked of any American during the whole period of crisis. Most historians believe that the American Revolution occurred in three major phases. They refer to the first phase the Imperial Crisis. The Imperial Crisis was the intellectual and political conflict over the constitutional relationship between Britain and the thirteen American colonies. It began with Parliaments passage of the Stamp Act in 1765 imposing a stamp tax on printed documents, such as, newspapers, contracts, and licenses throughout the American colonies.Other acts that led to crisis in the first phase were the Declaratory Act, the Townsend Acts, the Boston Massacre, the Sugar Act, the Tea Act, and the Boston Tea Party. The second phase was the Revolutionary War itself, which began in 1775, when constitutional debate led o bloodshed between the Americans and British at Lexington and Concord, in Massachusetts. General Thomas Gage, the British garrison in Boston knew that the townspeople had been procuring arms, ammunition and training to be able to fight on a minutes notice. However, he believed his army was too small and decided to await reinforcements. Officers tried to convince Gage that Americans would not fight and would actually retreat before any show of force by Britain. Gage resisted the officers and continued to resist when orders came over from England to arrest American rebels, John Hancock and Sam Adams. It was believed that the two were in the vicinity of Lexington. It was only when Gage learned that the Americans had stored a vast supply of gun powder in Concord, which was only eighteen miles outside of Boston that he decided to take action.On April 18, 1 775, Gage deployed a detachment of approximately 1 ,OHO soldiers from Boston on the road to Lexington and Concord. A surprise attack was his intention, but Patriots in Boston were at watch of the British movements. During the night, William Dates and Paul Revere made that historical ride out to warn the villages and farms. When the British troops arrived the next day, they were met by several dozen minutemen and the first shots The shots heard round the world had been fired. The final phase is most often referred to as the Critical Period.This was a time when American leaders faced the new problems of preserving the liberty and independence. It was in this phase of the conflict that made the war truly revolutionary -? not only because it introduced a new kind of combat, but also because it had the effect of monopolizing and politicking large groups of the population who had previously remained aloof from the trudge. In conclusion, the American Revolution was the American peoples defense of their right not to be deprived of their property without their consent.The Stamp Act Crisis was the first of several battles in that defense. It has been argued over time that the point of no return, that specific time in history when relations between the American colonists and the British became so bad that there was no chance Of a reconciliation ever occurring, was the Stamp Act Crisis. Other historians believe it was the shots fired at Lexington or the Boston Tea Party. However, the colonists had already been defied by the Royal Proclamation of 1763.