Apologies if this has been asked before, I tried searching and didn't come up with exactly the answer is as looking for.
Having been raised in a Christian school, all I ever got was the overly patriotic version of the Revolutionary War history. Complete with movie clips from The Patriot in class, and trips to Lexington and Concord to hear about how the Redcoats were dumb for standing in rows.
Obviously, the revolution was started by different men with different motives, but all I've ever heard about is the men who wanted to throw off the shackles of Britain.
Were there any men or factions with hidden agendas to install a king in America, or who stood to make a lot of money by separating from Britain? Or was the revolution purely motivated by a desire to start a democracy?
I'm also curious about America's supporters in the revolution. I've heard that America got support from France because of the economic blow it would send to Britain, but were there any exclusive trade agreements between the colonies and France that helped cement that aid?
Thanks for any answers!
At this time, Parliament was facing economic issues from wars like the Seven Years War. To combat this, Britain wanted to maintain taxation on the colonies as an effort to pay dues owed. The Sugar Tax, Stamp Tax and the Tea Act are examples of taxes Parliament used to pay off debts and "provide military defense in the colonies." By entering the Revolutionary war, Britain was protecting their claim on a major economic benefactor and future profits.
France stood to gain access to the Americas without having to go through Britain (which held ownership of many trade routes). While the Declaration was being drafted, a group led by Benjamin Franklin was charged with forging an alliance with France for economic and military alliance in the looming war. A little back and forth occurred as when the British retreated from Boston, French Foreign Minister Comte de Vergennes agreed to an alliance. When news of George Washington's defeat in New York reached France, Vergennes stepped back from an immediate alliance. However, France did give the colonies a secret loan at this time.
A major factor in the story that is often overlooked in this is the relationship between France and Spain. In 1777 into 1778 most of France's reluctance to enter a treaty with the colonists came from the fact that they were in talks with Spain. The Spanish Government was not so confident in American independence and also had land claims in the Americas that they wanted to keep ownership of (and profits from).
In February of 1778, the Treaty of Amity and Commerce was signed. This came after news of British Surrender at the Battle of Saratoga reached France in December. In 1779, Spain finally entered into the treaty and in 1783, all three countries signed the Treaty of Paris to formally end the war.
The colonists stood to gain by relieving themselves from increasing taxes set forth by a foreign ruler. This ruler was also becoming increasingly violent and dictatorial over the colonists. In 1774, the First Continental Congress drafted A Declaration of Rights and Grievances which detail this servitude that the colonists felt. My favorite section highlights: "In the course of our inquiry, we find many infringements and violations of the foregoing rights, which, from an ardent desire, that harmony and mutual intercourse of affection and interest may be restored, we pass over for the present, and proceed to state such acts and measures as have been adopted since the last war, which demonstrate a system formed to enslave America."
In this situation, all parties involved had something to gain economically from the Americas. Being a new land full of promise, all of the major players during the time wanted a piece of the proverbial pie - the same could be said today, really.
I'm a historian of Europe, so take this with a huge grain of salt (might have been revised since I learned way back when, please correct me if I'm outdated), but:
The Boston Tea Party was at least in part about colonists seeking to preserve their profits from smuggling. Short version: the Tea Act (1773) kept a recently-imposed-but-widely-hated tax on tea , but allowed the British East India company to export tea directly to the colonies (and avoid certain duties). This made the tea--despite the tax--much cheaper for the colonies (than before, without the tax).
BUT... many of the "patriots" were tea smugglers; cheap East India Company tea would cut into their cash cow. So, over the side it went (dressing up as Native Americans to avoid responsibility.)