Select TWO of the following issues. How was each issue a cause of the American Revolution? •
Proclamation of 1763
The Stamp Act
• Lack of representation in Parliament
• British economic policies following the French and Indian War
- The Proclamation of 1763 was a cause of the American Revolution because it limited westward expansion of the American colonies. The British government sought to avoid conflicts with Native American tribes by banning colonial settlement in the newly acquired lands from the French and Indian War. This angered many American colonists who had fought and sacrificed in the war to gain access to these lands. The proclamation was seen as a betrayal by the colonists and highlighted the growing divide between them and the British government.
- The Stamp Act was another cause of the American Revolution as it imposed direct taxation on the American colonies. The act required that many printed materials in the colonies, such as newspapers, legal documents, and even playing cards, bear a British stamp, for which a fee was charged. This act was deeply resented by the colonists, who saw it as a violation of their rights as British subjects. They argued that they were being taxed without their consent and without being represented in the British Parliament. The protest against the Stamp Act marked a significant turning point in colonial resistance to British authority and set a precedent for future revolutionary actions.