FRE: Causes of the Revolution .
In the mid-eighteenth century, differences of thought and interests have developed between the mother country and its growing colonies. As Britain started to enforce their rule on them, the rebels became angry and started the American Revolution. The most significant source of their rebellion was caused due to parliament's constant taxation on them, then the restriction of their civil liberties, followed by British military measures, and lastly the colonists? religious and political ideas.
The most severe problem that led to rebellion was the many parliamentary taxes imposed on them. After fighting in the Seven Years? War, Britain was forced to redefine its relationship with its colonies because it had come into a great debt from all the fighting and needed money from them. The first law ever passed, the Sugar Act of 1764, faced bitter protests from the colonials until its duties were lowered. That same year the stamp act had also been imposed to support the new military force. These acts significantly affected the colonies' economies and thus aroused many colonists to believe in "No taxation without representation" and started colonial assemblies. With a new intercolonial unity, they rebelled with nonimportation agreements until Parliament was forced to repeal it. A year later the Townshend acts were passed to create indirect taxes. The colonists, seeing the real difficulty being any form of tax without representation, eventually came together to form the Association. All of these acts created a rebellious spirit for the colonies and even signs of unity as they came together to deny Britain of power.
The next big factor that caused the Americans to rebel was due to the restriction of their civil liberties. In 1734, "the very liberty of both exposing and opposing arbitrary power" was at stake during the Zenger case. He had openly argued his case and won freedom of the press, which was a small step towards liberty.