What were the causes oh the American Revolution?

Answer 1

It was a bundle of political and economic factors -- from the restrictions caused by the British mercantilist system (and esp the British competition with France) to the fact that American colonists who had long been allowed to handle local affairs themselves, including legislating for themselves (something Edmund Burke dubbed "wise and salutary neglect") were suddenly being told, after the French & Indian War, that Parliament was now in charge.

But one overarching issue or set of issues that must not be forgotten is the colonial BELIEFS about their RIGHTS and how they were being usurped -- and what Bernard Bailyn called "The ideological origins of the American Revolution" [see his classic book with that title]

So, here are some ways that worked out --

One writer's suggested list of the "Top 10 Civil Liberties Violations That Helped Cause the American Revolution"

1) Taxation Without Representation
2) No Free Trade
3) Unlimited Search and Seizure
4) Destruction of Colonial Government
5) Oppression of Political Protesters
6) Immunity for Corrupt and Abusive British Officers
7) Direct Control of the Criminal Justice System
8) Guilty by Parliament - no guarantee of trial by jury
9) Forced Quartering of Soldiers
10) Closure of the Boston Port
http://civilliberty.about.com/od/historyprofiles/tp/independence.htm
(the page includes an explanation of each point)

Specific enumerations of the liberties the colonists believed had been violated are found in the various written complaints by individual colonies and by the Second Continental Congress at the beginning of the Revolution. The best known of these is, of course, the list found in the Declaration of Independence (as THE reasons for which they were declaring independence).
http://www.law.indiana.edu/uslawdocs/declaration.html

For some perspective on these complaints, and the history behind the ideas of the people's rights, note the observations about the "Declaration of Rights on 1689" and the declarations of the states (colonies) here:
http://www.saumag.edu/edavis/AmLit/2004/DeclarationofIndependenceMaierNotes.html

There are clearly economic issues involved -- taxation, for instance, can have major economic impact, and the effects of limitations on free trade (esp.since this was a change in practice/enforcement after the French & Indian War) certainly hit the colonists' pocketbooks. But these things were not enough in themselves -- it was the conviction that their prior rights as Englishmen were being trampled on that finally sparked Revolution.
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Actually, if you want the REASONS the colonists gave for rebelling (not identical to "causes", but closely related), you can find their own words, indeed LISTS of their complaints.

The classic example is in the Declaration of Independence. But, in fact, there were a number of documents that did the same thing --and sometimes more clearly. Those include the declarations and constitutions of the states (some written in early 1776), AND the two key documents issued by the FIRST Continental Congress in October 1774.

Take a look at the last set of these at the following links:

Declaration and Resolves
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/resolves.htm

Articles of Association
http://www.constitution.org/bcp/art_assoc.htm

Answer 2

The Stamp Act put a tax on anything paper. Marriage licenses, decks of cards, ships manifests, anything that was paper had to have a tax. It's purpose, as previously mentioned was to help England pay the cost of maintaining troops in the colonies, which the colonists did not want. The Stamp Act was a big part of the problem but it lasted only a few months before it was repealed. Lord North then came up with a series of acts that shut down Boston Harbor, extended the boundaries of Quebec (where the colonist weren't allowed to settle), and took trials for sedition from the colonies to England. These acts became known as the Intolerable Acts and after they were enacted the colonies formed what was the First Colonial Congress to respond to these Acts. Most important? I would say not the Stamp Act itself.

Answer 3

Americans were unhappy with the taxes of England and the deaths of the Boston Massacre.

Answer 4

the british was a pain in the butt in the americans side with taxes that they set up

Answer 5

Research the phrase, "No taxation, without representation".