Origins of American Revolution

Many see the American revolution as a political and imtellectual event but the fact is, that it was a economic phenomenon. The colonists did want to be represented in the British parliament, but what most colonists wanted was to be untaxed, thus making the revolution a economic phenomenon. Arthur M. Schlesinger wrote that "the first many economic desires, many social aspirations were set from the political struggle, many aspects of society profoundly aultered by the forces thus let loose." he also maintained that colonial merchants, motivated by their own intrest in escaping the restrictive products of British mercantalism, aroused American resistance in the 1760's and 1770's. This proves that the colonists were motivated by economic benifits that a revolution would provide.  

The Origins of Slavery

The question of what initially caused slavery can be argued both ways. Some historians like Winthrop Jordan argue that the white Europeans enslaved Africans because of their race. Others like Oscar and Mary Handlin argue the idea that slavery was a way to increase economic productivity, not racism. While race was a way for the white Europeans to simply write off the inhumane treatment of African slaves, it was not the initial reason for slavery. White colonists needed servants to work their fields and while indentured servants worked for a short amount of time, the long term cheap solution were slaves.