There were many reasons behind the American colonies' decision to declare independence from Great Britain:
- The colonists believed that they were being taken advantage of and treated unfairly by the British, particularly after many tax laws were passed that negatively impacted the colonists. Additionally, the American colonies went unrepresented in Parliament, meaning that the colonists had no say in the tax laws passed or any other measure that may have affected them.
- The colonists did not like the restrictions placed on them by the British government, particularly the Proclamation of 1763, which prevented them from migrating west of the Appalachian Mountains in order to obtain cheap land. In addition to this restriction, the colonists were made responsible for paying for part of the costs of stationing the troops who enforce this Proclamation.
- The Boston Massacre also incited anger and resentment after five colonists were killed at the hands of the British. This helped kick off a period of resistance that preceded the formal declaration of pursuing independence, including the staging of the Boston Tea Party as a means of protesting the Tea Act. Unfortunately for the colonists, the British tightened their grip with the introduction of the so-called "Intolerable Acts": the Boston Port Act (which closed the port of Boston until the colonists paid for the tea they had destroyed), the Massachusetts Government Act (which revoked Massachusetts' charter and placed it under the control of the British government), the Administration of justice Act (which ensured that royal officials being placed on trial would have those trials take place in Great Britain), and the Quartering Act (which permitted the governor to house soldiers in other buildings when quarters were not provided).
Altogether, the increasing control that Britain attempted to exert over the colonies only backfired, resulting in their insistence upon freedom from what they considered to be tyranny.
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