Why didn't the American Revolution take place until the late eighteenth century?

Answer 1

Because, during most of the period when the colonies were being founded and growing, England wasn't actually doing too much to try to govern them. England was months away by sailing ship, and was often distracted by foreign wars and a civil war and two revolutions of its own. thus the colonies were largely left alone and developed their own systems of government which were far more democratic than England's. In the 1760's though, when England had settled its own internal troubles and finally settled matters with France, it began passing laws, especially taxes, which supposedly were enforceable in the colonies. That was not the way things had ever been done before. The colonies had always been loyal to and supportive of the king, but they had made their own laws, and taxes, in their own legislatures, the British Parliament had generally not tried to legislate for them. Thus, when it did try to do so, especially trying to tax them, the colonists became very angry and afraid because since they had no representatives in the Parliament, there was no one there to protect their rights. They began protesting the Parliament's actions. Parliament responded by gradually passing harsher and harsher laws to make the colonists obey. This just confirmed the colonists fears about the threat to their liberties. Finally, open warfare and outright rebellion broke out. When the colonists realized that the king was on Parliament's side and not their own, they decided they wanted independence. So, the revolution occurred in the late 18th century because that was when England began passing laws that sought to change the nature of the relationship between the colonies and the mother country that had always existed up to that time.Michael Montagne