The major events of the Revolutionary era played a significant role in influencing writers and intellectuals of the time. Starting from the end of the French and Indian War, the British government sought to tax the American colonies to recover the costs of the war and pay for troops stationed in America. However, the American colonies were not represented in the British Parliament. The question of taxation without representation, along with other attempts by the British government to wield power over the colonies (and to restrict self-government in the colonies) led to rising tensions between the colonists and the British government.
Events such as the passing of the Tea Act and the the Intolerable Acts, the Boston Tea Party, and the Boston Massacre aroused general sentiment against British rule in the colonies and led writers and thinkers to view it as harmful or tyrannical in nature. These events also united the residents of different colonies because they perceived a common enemy in the British government.
The development of age of reason ideas in Europe, such as an emphasis on logic and individual rights, also influenced intellectuals in America. Thomas Paine, who became one of the most influential writers of the period, sailed to America from England to motivate Americans to fight for independence. Paine and other writers of the era used strong arguments to push for American independence. Paine was not a wealthy or powerful man, and he was inspired by the fact that ordinary people could find a voice and power during the American Revolution.
