The years preceding the American Revolution in 1776 were filled with hostility and mistrust between the superpower Great Britain and its North American colony. Feelings of contempt arose from the settlers who felt oppressed and abused by their distant mother country, which manifested into a quest for independence. Many factors contributed to the colonies' determination to secure independence, however three key elements encouraged the settlers to fight for their rights and freedoms. Firstly, Great Britain and America were two very different places at the time; Great Britain was a modernized society with a respected monarchy, whereas America was an agriculturally based nation with radical views concerning government. Secondly, numerous acts and laws were implemented by the British in an effort to maintain control over its colony, however colonists viewed these acts as unfair and an obstruction to their individual freedom. Lastly, the Americans felt a general feeling of unease that their freedom was slowly being taken away and began resisting in order to protect their nation from slavery to the British. These key factors combined agitated the colonists enough that people began to view separation from Great Britain as the only solution to their oppression, thus began to grow the idea of a revolution. .
Between 1680 and 1776 America developed into a politically and culturally diverse nation. However, in doing so, the colonies also became a place that differed dramatically from Great Britain. The largest difference between Great Britain and America was that America lacked the aristocracy plaguing Britain. There was no huge gap between the rich and the poor in the colonies, whereas in England the rich stayed very rich and the poor remained very poor. In fact, America did not have many characteristics of the monarchial society that molded Great Britain; the colonies did not have a collective army force and their tiny governments were often selected by the people.