Radical Whigs The Radical Whigs were `` a group of British political commentators '' associated with the British Whig faction who were at the forefront of Radicalism . They played a significant role in the development of the American Revolution , as their republican writings were widely read by the American colonists , many of whom were convinced by their reading that they should be very watchful for any threats to their liberties . Subsequently , when the colonists were indignant about their perceived lack of democratic representation and taxes such as the Stamp Act , Sugar Act , and Tea Act , the colonists broke away from the Kingdom of Great Britain to form the United States . See also Radicalism ( historical ) American Revolution Patriot ( American Revolution ) Whig ( disambiguation )  This article relating to the history of the United States is a stub . You can help Wikipedia by expanding it . Categories : United States history stubs | History of the United Kingdom | Radical parties 