Many people mistakenly believe that the American Revolution occurred because the British colonists no longer wanted to be British citizens. This may have been the case for a select few, but many British colonists wished to maintain their status as colonists and British citizens. The main reason why the colonists began protests, boycotts, and petitions against the British was because they believed that their inherent rights as British citizens were being violated. The American Revolution occurred due to a chain of events and a complex set of intertwined reasons. One of the reasons the colonists wanted to separate from Great Britain was that people in the colonies had begun to see themselves as small, separate nations like North Carolinians, Virginians, Pennsylvanians, and so on. This began to give them an identity separate from Britain, but in many ways the colonists still considered themselves British. Since the colonists continued to see themselves as British, the fact that people in each colony were developing new identities had little impact. Another factor that contributed to the American Revolution would be the tax collectors. Many people fled to the colonies because of debt and tax collectors followed them to collect the debts these people owed them. This reason is given a little more weight than it should because, in the mid-18th century, most of the population were not first- or second-generation settlers. Tax collectors would not be able to collect on individuals if surnames changed or the surname died. Royal governors are another small reason why people would like to be free from British rule as they were constantly reminded of British rule over the colonies. However, because of this… midway through the paper… the colonist was taxed and oppressed by the British government. It would be impossible to list all the reasons why the colonists had to start a war with Great Britain, but the main reason was that the English taxed and oppressed the colonists. Without the taxation of the colonists, the American Revolution would never have begun, and perhaps the world would look very different today. Works Cited “British Taxes in Colonial America.” American firearms. Np, July 7, 2011. Web. September 29, 2011. “Declaration of Independence.” History of the United States. Np, 1991. Web. 29 September 2011. "The Boston Tea Party, 1773." Eyewitness on History.com. Np, nd Web. 29 September. 2011. ..