There were a number of causes that lead to conflict between Britain and the colonists in America during the second half of the eighteenth century. The question is whether an American rebellion was mostly due to a difference of opinion over how much independence the colonies were entitled to, or whether other reasons such as the difficulties imposed on America by taxation and control of trade were equally to blame.

Certainly, the argument that Britain did not have the authority to deny the basic right of liberty to all of the colonists was a major reason for opposition. American society was favourable to democracy, as there was little class distinction and few wealthy people. Many Americans believed that British legislation concerning the colonies was ignoring the rights and privileges that every man was entitled to. They thought that the taxes and duties imposed by the government of Britain were invading their social and political liberties. Through laws such as the Molasses Act of 1733, which taxes molasses imports from outside the Empire, many

To sum up, American opposition focused on many issues involving financial difficulties caused towards farmers and merchants. Their livelihoods were threatened and this pushed the people into reacting, as shown by the Boston Tea Party. However, people equally objected to British use of authority, which led to a target for the colonists to break away from British rule and in effect encouraged the colonies to unite.

In contrast, it can be argued that the growth of the theory of independence was why opposition increased after the war. The American war leaders, such as George Washington, were able to gain training and experience in the Seven Years War, which may have given the colonists more ideas of breaking away from the power of the British. The war had also caused the colonies to work together under the threat of the French. The Albany conference called in 1754 talked about appointing a president-General as leader of all 13 colonies. They also proposed a council of colonies in which all representatives would decide on common things such as defence, taxes and relations with indigenous people. The war allowed the colonies to work together without too much British influence. When it was over and Parliament attempted to regain tight control through new legislation, the colonists naturally questioned whether Britain should have the authority to do so and for most, the answer was no. In turn, American discontent grew and focused on lessening British authority.

Although years of opposition concerning authority was clearly important. The first major event, which showed how strong American discontent was, concerned taxes. The Boston Tea Party as a result of the Regulating Act of 1773, was the first sign of resistance moving to revolution. L11 000 worth of chests of newly taxed tea was emptied into Boston harbour by a group of Americans led by Sam Adams. They rebelled against British actions, but the most important reason for the rebellion was not British authority. It was the fact that many merchants faced ruins, as did the smugglers of course the price of tea was below the smuggled price. This event acted as a catalyst to other rebellions by merchants and farmers, who had to rebel or loose their livelihoods. Discontent obviously focused on financial grievances and this was the initial reason leading to rebellion, which is why the issue of authority can not possibly undoubtedly be found to be the chief reason for American opposition.

On the other hand, such legislation encouraged the growth of the common opinion that there should be "no taxation without representation". The Stamp tax imposed on newspapers and legal documents in 1764 is a classic example. It was resisted all over the colonies with a

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Approximate Word count = 1846
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)