What were the causes of the American Revolutionary War?

By 1763, a century and a half had passed since the first British colonies were established in North America. The colonies and the mother country were different in many respects, but in 1763 the idea of independence was unthinkable. A series of events between 1763 and 1775 led to the American Revolution (1775–1783) and the creation of the United States as a independent country.
In 1763, France was ejected from the North American continent, and this changed the relationship between the British Empire and its thirteen colonies. The war with the French had been expensive, so the British government sought to raise revenue to help pay for it. The Stamp Act, the Tea Act, and the Townshend Acts taxed the colonists. The colonists resented these taxes because they did not have representation in British Parliament; they believed that taxation without representation was tyranny.
A group of patriots centered in Boston began to challenge British authority during this period. This group included John Adams, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock, among others. This area was also the location of violent incidents: the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party.
By 1775, the war had started with battles at Lexington and Concord. Bloodshed and the publication of Common Sense by Thomas Paine pushed the colonists toward independence, which was declared on July 4, 1776.