The most significant causes of the American Revolution are the French and Indian War, the Stamp Act of 1765, and Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. These three events led to the separation of the colonies from Great Britain in 1776. In 1763 the Treaty of Paris ended the French and Indian War, a costly war between France and Great Britain. After the war ended, Great Britain expected the American colonies to help pay for the debts incurred during the war. This led to new taxes for the colonists, and they were not happy about being expected to pay for a war they did not start. One tax was the Stamp Act passed in 1765 that required colonists to pay for an official government stamp on paper items. The Stamp Act was the first direct tax ever placed on the colonists. They were angry because they had no representation in the Parliament that placed the taxes on them. This idea of ‘no taxation without representation’ would be a rallying cry for the colonists. The anger over the new taxes found a voice in Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. It was a pamphlet that condemned the monarchy and called for a declaration of independence. Common Sense was very influential in getting public support for independence. Six months later the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, officially separating Great Britain from the American colonies. Great Britain angering the colonists by wanting them to pay for the French and Indian War through taxes such as the Stamp Act and Thomas Paine’s Common Sense giving voice to that anger are the most significant causes of the American Revolution.