Uploaded February 2017 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Causes of the American Revolution, by Professor Jack N. Rakove. This short video examines the Boston Tea Party of 1773 as the critical event which transformed political discussion about British imperial authority into an active source of controversy. By the early 1770s, British and Americans thought differently about the extent of Parliament’s power to legislate for the American colonies. Professor Jack N. Rakove notes that British punishment of Massachusetts for its defiance of the Tea Act precluded a peaceful resolution of the political controversy.
Professor Jack N. Rakove is the W.R. Coe Professor of History and American Studies and professor of political science at Stanford University. Professor Rakove was awarded the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for History for his book, "Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution."
American History Videos are sponsored by the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation. These videos are offered to help teachers, students and the general public learn more about America's founding and the Constitution of the United States. www.jamesmadison.gov.
Causes of the American Revolution, by Professor Jack N. Rakove. This short video examines the Boston Tea Party of 1773 as the critical event which transformed political discussion about British imperial authority into an active source of controversy. By the early 1770s, British and Americans thought differently about the extent of Parliament’s power to legislate for the American colonies. Professor Jack N. Rakove notes that British punishment of Massachusetts for its defiance of the Tea Act precluded a peaceful resolution of the political controversy.
Professor Jack N. Rakove is the W.R. Coe Professor of History and American Studies and professor of political science at Stanford University. Professor Rakove was awarded the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for History for his book, "Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution."
American History Videos are sponsored by the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation. These videos are offered to help teachers, students and the general public learn more about America's founding and the Constitution of the United States. www.jamesmadison.gov.
