The Cause of the American Revolution One cannot say there is one cause to the American Revolution because there were many contributing factors. Historians argue that the revolution was political and the colonists were just trying to preserve their rights. Another view is that the colonists were concerned with economic issues. Others argue that distance and Great Britain's “benign neglect” made revolution inevitable. All are correct but some played greater roles than others. The period known as “benign neglect” took place in the early 1700s before the thirteen colonies were prosperous. England neglected the colonies because it was in their best interest not to interf