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American discontent focused on financial grievances, but the chief reason for American opposition was the matter of authority. How far do you agree with this view? There were a number of causes that lead to conflict between Britain and the colonists in America during the second half of the eighteenth century. The question is whether an American rebellion was mostly due to a difference of opinion over how much independence the colonies were entitled to, …

…it is clear that British authority and the financial problems facing the colonies are strongly linked and are proportional to each other. It is therefore wrong to state that authority is the chief reason for American discontent. A more accurate conclusion would be to assume that financial difficulties are equally responsible for American opposition, and that these two inter-related issues inevitably led to the War of American Independence and the fall of British foreign rule.