When one thinks of the American Revolution, names such as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington probably come to mind. The American Revolution began in 1775 and was the direct result of America wanting freedom from British rule. Many people believe the Virginia elite were the only people responsible for officially declaring independence from Britain in 1776. However, “a web of influences helped push Virginia into the American Revolution: these groups include Indians, debtors, and slaves” (xvii).
The group of Indians that were a major part in the making of the American Revolution lived west of the Appalachian Mountains. The group is mostly made up of the Shawnees and Cherokees. The elite Virginians wanted to profit on the sale of the land west of the Appalachian Mountains, but the Cherokees and the Upper Ohio Valley nations wanted to protect their Kentucky hunting ground (4-5). The Proclamation of 1763 banned American governors from giving land grants “between rivers flowing …show more content…
Tobacco growers and small plantation owners were struggling financially. Some blamed it on the loss of income from not being able to sell land in Indian territories (45). Others thought it was more of a “political conflict and believed Parliament gave the British merchant class favorable policies at Americans’ expense” (45). The policies included commercial, monetary, and immigration rules. “The Navigation Acts gave Britain a monopoly of their trade, restricted their manufacturing, and shaped the Virginians’ bitter response to taxes imposed by British ministries in the 1760’s” (45). Since gentry and many smallholders were burdened by huge debts to merchants, riots and boycotts began to unravel. The House of Burgesses passed a bankruptcy law to ease the disruptive impact of debt, but the Privy Council vetoed it (61). Again, the gentry had lost to British rule
The group of Indians that were a major part in the making of the American Revolution lived west of the Appalachian Mountains. The group is mostly made up of the Shawnees and Cherokees. The elite Virginians wanted to profit on the sale of the land west of the Appalachian Mountains, but the Cherokees and the Upper Ohio Valley nations wanted to protect their Kentucky hunting ground (4-5). The Proclamation of 1763 banned American governors from giving land grants “between rivers flowing …show more content…
Tobacco growers and small plantation owners were struggling financially. Some blamed it on the loss of income from not being able to sell land in Indian territories (45). Others thought it was more of a “political conflict and believed Parliament gave the British merchant class favorable policies at Americans’ expense” (45). The policies included commercial, monetary, and immigration rules. “The Navigation Acts gave Britain a monopoly of their trade, restricted their manufacturing, and shaped the Virginians’ bitter response to taxes imposed by British ministries in the 1760’s” (45). Since gentry and many smallholders were burdened by huge debts to merchants, riots and boycotts began to unravel. The House of Burgesses passed a bankruptcy law to ease the disruptive impact of debt, but the Privy Council vetoed it (61). Again, the gentry had lost to British rule