Why did the colonists fight the British?

The primary reason the colonists fought the British was indeed taxation without representation. This phrase encapsulates the core grievance that drove the colonists to seek independence. They were subject to various taxes imposed by the British Parliament, such as the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts, without having any representatives in that body to voice their concerns or interests. The colonists felt that it was unjust to be taxed by a government in which they had no political say. This lack of representation fueled a desire for self-governance and ultimately led to a call for independence from British rule.

While some of the other answer choices touch on aspects relevant to the larger context of the Revolutionary War, they do not align as closely with the specific motivations behind the initial conflict. For example, gaining independence from Europe is a broader concept and not the singular cause of war. Likewise, while the desire to establish trade agreements may have been a consideration post-independence, it was not a driving factor for the Revolutionary War. Finally, the spread of democracy, as understood today, was not a primary aim of the colonists in their fight against British colonial rule. Their immediate goal was to rectify what they saw as a denial of their rights as Englishmen, primarily through the lens