War can be seen as a pillar of the American tradition. We are a nation born of war - our Revolution - and defined by war - our Civil War.

There were a number of circumstances that led to the colonists' rebellion against England and the monarchy. Tensions began to rise when King George III issued the Proclamation of 1763, banning English settlements west of the Appalachian mountains and ordering anyone in those regions to return east.

In 1764, the Sugar Act was passed, increasing duties on imported good, and established a court to deal with custom matters.

The Currency Act prohibited colonists from issuing paper money as legal tender, thus, destabilizing the colonial economy, and colonists called for a boycott of British luxury goods.

The Stamp Act of 1865 ordered colonists to pay tax directly to England and the Quartering Act ordered colonists to house and feed British troops....
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