There were a number of factors that caused the colonists to rebel and declare their independence from Great Britain; which led to the American Revolution and the United States of America as it is known today. It is interesting to ask whether the colonists really chose to move away from Britain or whether this decision was essentially made for them to react to the social changes they began to see in the years before 1776; when the Revolution "officially" began. A sharp decline in the price Britain was willing to pay for the tobacco trade, a governor who threatened the safety of slave labor, and the establishment of a depreciating paper money system are three major factors that contributed to the motivation to prevent social change by engaging in the American Revolution. The impetus for war was not a matter of personal gratification for the colonists, but rather was a necessary step to continue their original way of life. The largest industry in the colonies at the time was undoubtedly the tobacco trade, and it provided much of Virginia's income. . The price of tobacco fell to historic lows in 1773 due to a lack of demand due to the recession the colonists were facing. The colonists were forced to study ways to raise the price and decided to withhold their crops and not export them to Britain to create more demand for less produce. By not exporting their crops, they put themselves at risk of losing crop storage and legal action for failing to honor contracts that obligated them to supply tobacco to people or businesses. Although their plan was successful, the farmers had to realize the uncertainty of depending on a foreign country to buy the British government that pitted the colonists against each other. The colonists faced a decision to move forward with or without the founding country and ultimately decided they were better off alone. At first glance, it appears that they chose to enter the revolution because they wanted their independence and needed to promote social change, but upon further investigation the colonists may have just wanted their original lifestyles back. The British government forced the change that the colonists did not want by implementing a price drop on the tobacco they purchased from the colonies, gave power to Lord Dunmore who threatened slavery in the south which ultimately led to the devaluation of paper currency. The combination of these factors caused the colonists to resist the change that was imposed on them and to resist the revolt; resulting in the American Revolution.