Chapter 1
United States History, Government, and Citizenship
Course: Elementary Education Multiple Subjects 5001
Subject: Elementary Education Social Studies Subtest 5004
Chapter: United States History Government And Citizenship
1. Background and Causes of the American Revolution
Long-term Causes
- Enlightenment Philosophy: Thinkers like John Locke emphasized natural rights—life, liberty, and property—and that government must be based on the consent of the governed. These ideas greatly influenced colonial leaders.
- Geographic Distance from Britain: The colonies were over 3,000 miles from Great Britain, which made direct control difficult. Colonists grew used to self-rule and developed colonial legislatures like the Virginia House of Burgesses.
- Economic Independence: The colonies developed thriving economies. Britain’s mercantilist system restricted colonial trade and required them to trade primarily with the mother country, leading to resentment.
Immediate Causes
- French and Indian War (1754–1763): Britain’s victory over France expanded its territory but left it deeply in debt. Britain began taxing the colonies to raise revenue, ending the prior policy of “salutary neglect.”
- Acts Passed by Parliament: