As we have seen in this unit, the origins of the American Revolution were complicated. While the Declaration of Independence has long been viewed as the beginning of the Revolution, in reality, the storm had been brewing for decades by the time Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

In this essay, you will be analyzing and evaluating the causes of the American Revolution using both primary and secondary sources.

In the process, you will be practicing one of the key skills in the historical thinking: evidence-based argumentation. Learning to make a clear argument that is supported by specific evidence is essential to the kind of critical thinking that your time in college should help you develop.

Task

Please ensure you read the following from the content of this unit:

Assigned Readings:

American (pro-Revolutionary) perspective
Resolutions Stamp Act Congress
The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved
British (anti-Revolutionary) perspective
Declaratory Act
Soame Jenyns and Samuel Johnson
Then, in an essay of at least 5 paragraphs and 1000 words, answer the following question:

In this unit, we explored the coming of the American Revolution. Using at least 3 of the primary sources provided in this unit, you should analyze both the long-term and short-term causes of the Revolution.

Expectations and Criteria for Success

You should base your discussion with the information in the course content, though outside research is allowed if needed. DO NOT use Wikipedia as a source. As always, be sure to keep track of where you find your information so that you can provide citations in your final essay. Citations must be formatted according to the MLA guidelines, including both in-text and a final source page.  Guidelines for MLA can be found using the Purdue Owl or you can reference the Citation Help.pdf from the Start Here Module of the course.

Essays should be typed in 12-point font with a simple, clean font such as Times New Roman or Arial. Use 1″ inch margins on all sides and double-space the text. Your essay should be around 1000 words. 

Successful essays should be carefully organized, with strong thesis statements and specific evidentiary support.  Your introduction should include a clear statement of what you will argue in the essay (thesis statements are never questions).  The body of the essay will include at least three paragraphs (though you can write more).  Conclude by discussing the key conclusion you reached and why (remember not to use the first person in formal academic essays).  Be sure to revise and edit carefully.