Stamp Act of 1765. The single event most contributory to the American Essay

Stamp Act of 1765. The single event most contributory to the American Revolution - Essay Example The successful outcome of the war for the colonials also showed a great military power can be defeated by the ragtag guerilla army composed mostly of militia members who were essentially farmers and ordinary citizens. This is an event that could have been prevented only if the British monarch at that time used common sense and listened to the voice of the colonial people and the war could have been averted. It is not hard to imagine how a disciplined British army could be defeated by irregulars or part-time soldiers raised by George Washington and taught in the use of hit-and-run guerilla tactics learned from the native Americans or the red Indians. The American Revolution was in fact a war for independence because the American people already had more than enough of all the accumulated grievances and aggravations they suffered under an autocratic British monarch. The Americans got tired of always complaining and not being heard; their previous grievances were all practically ignored and they were looked down as second-class citizens with little or no rights at all to demand what is due them in a supposedly reasonable form of enlightened rule. It is an amazing turn of events because the two combatants were not equal in power in terms of men, war materials, experience, and logistics but the American Revolution is an example of what is called as an asymmetric war. The two belligerents did not have the same war strategy or military tactics either. It was the Stamp Act of 1765 passed by the British parliament which had contributed significantly to the outbreak of hostilities in the American Revolution. Discussion There were already many grumblings from the American colonial people prior to the actual start of the American Revolution and the British monarchy could have taken heed of these complaints but it chose not to hear these valid complaints but instead chose to ignore them. It is a twist of fate that the Stamp Act of 1765 could be the so-called â€Å"final str aw that broke the camel's back† as the old adage goes, because prior to this onerous or burdensome new tax, there were a good number of British official acts which drew anger and adverse reaction from the Americans. Among these previous laws were the series of Navigation Acts which restricted shipping and the resulting trade between British colonies and other countries, the intent being to force a business relationship that is mainly favorable to England only, the Molasses Act of 1733 which imposed a six pence tax per gallon of imported molasses, and followed by the Sugar Act of 1764 imposing a lower three pence tax per gallon of imported molasses to ensure a better tax compliance. All these parliament acts were intended not only to raise much-needed revenues for the government expenses associated with maintaining its various colonies but also to ensure that its monopoly on trading with the colonies is tightened as it is a very lucrative business indeed and England does not wa nt other foreign countries as competitors. The Stamp Act of 1765 was really a way to raise new taxes for the maintenance of a standing army in North America just in case a new war breaks out and this army was intended as a deterrent. This latest act of 1765 imposed a direct tax on most printed materials used in the American colonies like on all legal documents, in newspapers, magazines, and books by requiring the use of a special paper embossed with a logo of the British revenue stamp. In effect, this new act was a form of direct tax on the colonies. The Stamp Act o