The most basic of reasons are, of course, related to a nation's economy. Many wars, even today, are sparked because one country feels it does not have equal trade relations with another and is getting the so-called "short-end of the stick". This occurred over two hundred years ago, between England and the colonies, igniting the flame of freedom in the colonists.

When the colonies were founded, the only goal England had was to increase the amount of gold in its Treasury. To do this, they needed a balance of trade in their favor. To accomplish this task, merchants used mercantilism in their system of trading with the colonies. Mercantilism is based on the belief that if a country possesses more land, than an increased profit can be made. However, England being an island, there was a set amount of land that could be had. In effect, England's citizens and its government had to look elsewhere. The gaze turned westward across the Atlantic Ocean, to the New World. After conquering

Many colonists dismissed these acts and began smuggling. English merchants, in an uproar once again, pressed Parliament to do something. The rulers passed to Townshend Acts to quell the citizens' anger. These acts, in addition to charging additional import taxes on certain goods, provided that the salaries for judges who handed down verdicts would be paid for with British money, instead of colonial. This resulted in more favorable verdicts for the English.

the eastern seaboard, England set about exploiting the natural resources in the colonies. For a time, the colonies shipped raw materials to English factories, who produced goods from these materials, then sold the products to the colonists for an increased price. However, this did not last, as England became increasingly greedy and went about conquering lands in the Far East, such as India, and other islands, such as Australia. England removed much of its influence from the colonies, leaving them with a period of "salutary neglect", enabling the colonies to establish trading with many other countries. During this period of prosperity, England came to the realization that it wasn't making as much of a profit as it had hoped from the New World colonies. England began to meddle in the northern economies, which relied heavily on shipping and trading. Because England also was a land of merchants, it was forced to compete with the north. England did not appr

Some common words found in the essay are:
American Revolution, Navigation Acts, West Indies, Australia England, Stamp Act, Quartering Act, Ocean World, Townshend Acts, Sugar Act, Act Parliament, stamp act, english merchants, colonists colonies, sugar act, navigation acts, trade relations, triangle trade, causing prices, taxes merchants, parliament passed,
Approximate Word count = 963
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)