THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

(1764-1783)

  Many books have been written about the American Revolution: the causes, the battles, the politics, the aftermath. Though there is a general consensus of opinion in the United States glorifying the revolution, ...that it was a struggle by freedom-minded "patriots" to maintain their political, economic and social rights...the situation was much more complicated than this simple statement.  There is even an opposing point of view which sees value in the British argument.

   The standard interpretation is that the colonists were resisting taxation imposed upon them by the government in England because they were not voters, represented in parliament. "Taxation without representation is tyranny," was a slogan used. (A Massachusetts political figure named James Otis was credited with adding the word "tyranny" to the already known phrase, "Taxation without representation")

   In 1764, after the conclusion of the French and Indian War (also known as the Seven Year's War on the European continent), England needed to raise revenue to pay their debts incurred by the wars.  They decided to levy a tax on sugar, in the Revenue Act of 1764. The colonists protested this tax on revenue. Though they were willing to

bear the taxes for trade as part of the Navigation System (although these taxes were only haphazardly enforced) they saw the Revenue Sugar tax as something new. In addition, during the 1760's, they protested  what they considered to be illegal

searches of private property, known as the "Writs of Assistance." 

 In 1765, the notorious Stamp Act was passed. This required the colonists to purchase and place stamps on newspapers, legal documents, as well as letters. (The protest against the Stamp Act was so severe that it was never enforced.). In 1767, the Townsend Duties were levied, which further outraged the politicized colonists.  In December, 1773, after another tax on tea was levied, some colonists,members of the Sons of Liberty, dressed up like Native Americans, boarded an East India Company ship and dumped the tea onboard into Boston Harbor. This event came to be known as "The Boston Tea Party." The response from England was the passage of  "The Coercive Acts" which the  some colonists called "The Intolerable Acts."  

  Though the resistance to the measures taken by the government in England steadily increased, most colonists, even some avid opponents of the English tax laws, still considered themselves British and did not want to break from the Empire.   It was

only in 1776, when  Independence was declared that an official severing of ties with England took place.

  Throughout this pre-war period and during  the war, support for independence was not universal among colonists. It is thought that only 1/3 of the population actually supported independence; 1/3 were loyalists--meaning they wanted the colonies to continue being part of the empire; and 1/3 non-committal. There were areas where

"loyalists" were treated badly, and thousands sought refuge in Canada.

  George Washington led the colonial forces. The troops were promised pay, which many did not receive. The French, and some Native Americans joined with the
"patriots" in the fight against England. In 1783, the war ended.  The 13 former colonies were now loosely united under the first constitution known as the Articles of Confederation.  By 1789, the present Constitution was accepted as the law of the United States, and when into effect ( though technically, the Constitution was made the law of the land illegally. That is because the Articles of Confederation required  a unanimous approval by the new thirteen states. By 1789 only eleven had approved).

The songs in this mini-musical are satirical in nature. There is an effort to go beyond the myths and present a more balanced point of view.

The Midnight Ride of Dawes, Revere and Prescott (coming soon)

Don't Tax Me (coming soon)

On the Date We Got Wrong (coming soon)