American Government Dbq Essay

American colonists should support the Declaration of Independence and the Patriots in the Revolutionary War. Great Britain was taxing the American colonists because of Britain’s great debt from the French and Indian War. Britain made the quartering act, the stamp act, townshend act, and the tea act. This is taxation without representation and it was unjust. The Patriots were angry and rightfully so. The King was making the colonists pay taxes on imported goods to decrease his country’s debt, the Patriots were outraged and wanted freedom.

This can be evidenced by document three, which shows Thomas Paine’s pamphlet called “Common Sense”, and through document six, which shows the Declaration of Independence. In “Common Sense”, Paine states that if the powers of governing remains in the hands of the king, he will have a negative effect over the whole legislation of the continent. He later states that the King has imposed laws on the colonies that have benefitted no one but himself and has caused the bloodshed and slaughter of the colonists, despite having a pretended title of “Father of his People”. The Declaration of Independence displays all the grievances of the colonists toward the King; in other words, all the negative impacts the King has imposed on the colonists. Some of these grievances include: “forbidding his Governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance”, “dissolving Representative Houses”, and “quartering large bodies of armed troops”. King George III having little consideration for the colonies is a strong argument for a revolution and independence because the applied to almost everyone in the British colonies, whether it be the colonists, the Africans, or the Native Americans- therefore they could all empathize with the cause. The strongest argument made by those who were against the American Revolution was that the American colonies would be weak without Britain. This can be seen in document nine, which shows the loyalists plead their cause to the King, in which they state that Great Britain will prevent the ruin of “her American friends” because it is in their best common interest since they are also British subjects. They also state that the British have provided them with the aid of powerful and good allies and relief which has helped them in the past.This is a strong argument

The American Revolution was founded on the notion that all men were created equal, and because of that no government could impede upon their inalienable rights. In the early 1700’s, British citizens emigrated to America in search of political, religious and socio-economic equality. England forced unjust taxes upon its former citizens, and, seeking justice, the colonists rebelled against their former homeland. The

The American system was hardly democratic compared to the British who was a monarch and authoritarian, American authority was different than Britain. In England, the king was the ultimate power in the colonies God was the ultimate source of authority.

The Founding Fathers of the Second Continental Congress heavily drew upon Revolutionary ideology in their drafting of The Articles of Confederation because of their loathing of Britain and their desire to create a new country completely contrasting with Britain’s values. The idea of limiting the power of the federal government to counteract corruption and to give states near total control was influenced by American being oppressed by Britain’s highly centralized government. Britain oppressed many individuals by stripping them of many of their rights and freedoms, and this caused the writers of America’s first code of law to create a country where individual rights and freedoms were protected above all else. The structure of the Continental

Not all were in favor of the American revolution and becoming fully independent of America. Charles Ingles believed that the Revolution was not worth the cost and that American would not be able to thrive economically with out Britain’s support (Doc. 6). Although there were loyalists who denied that Britain and the Colonies should separate, there were many Patriots who believed America and Britain should split. Thomas Paine was a revolutionary and a patriot. After the Continental army suffered losses, Paine tried to emotionally invest Patriots and colonists to join the Revolution and serve their country. Paine declares that soldiers who serve their country now deserve the love and thanks of all, and, “Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to tax) but to ‘bind us in all cases whatsoever’” (Doc. 7). Paine is trying to influence the importance of serving as a Patriot in the American Revolution because of Britain’s control over the colonies. The conflicting viewpoints on the American Revolution made people evolve their idea of American independence because of the different arguments and ideas of other individuals and groups. Although there were those that opposed, the American Revolution brought change to that because people began to recognize themselves as Americans, and more groups of people, such as woman, began getting involved in the effort to push out Britain. The view of American independence began shifting towards full independence from

Yet freedom was not the only ideal that motivated Americans (before the American Revolution) because before the ideals of freedom ideals of loyalty were motivating to the colonist this was because they did not want to be separated from Britain the colonist liked having the benefits of being under Britian like protection from the Native Americans. Yet in the wake of the Seven Years' War the burden fell on colonist to regain wealth lost by Britain during the war through taxations like the Stamp Act this was one of the last straws in pushing America to the American

Being a part of Britain involved America in European wars which in Paine's view were of no concern or consequence to the colonists. The distance between the two nations made governing the colonies from London unworkable. Paine observed that if some wrong were to be petitioned in Parliament, it would take a year before the colonies received a response. Paine argued that the New World was discovered shortly before the Reformation and the Puritans had believed that God wanted to give them a safe haven from the religious persecution they faced in Britain. In Paine's view, Britain ruled the colonies for its own benefit, and did not consider the best interests of the colonists. Paine also strongly argues against the British system of government, complaining about having an elected House of Commons and a unelected House of Lords and monarchy in what he called a "mixed state”. It is interesting to note that the British system of government hasn't changed for the last 300 years and the current Queen holds exactly the same constitutional powers as King George III (virtually none). It is a historical irony that the American colonists fought for independence from a democratically elected Parliament and Prime Minister and having gained independence created

From European contact to the end of the American Revolution, colonial America was evidently shaped more by its similarities with England than its differences with England. After all, the people of colonial America came from England, hence their values, government, and family social structures were all so similar to England. Although America may not be directly similar to England (as in later governmental structure and in liberty,) America still developed from England, and in a way, England is their foundation.

Of all the founding fathers, Thomas Paine best represented the mind of the American people before and during the revolution. His pamphlet, Common Sense is a cornerstone of American literature, and the work that sparked the idea of revolution in so many colonial readers. Common Sense perfectly summarized the frustrations of the American people by analyzing government, freedom and the inevitable independence of the American colonies. The grievances brought to light in Paine’s pamphlet created a sense of solidarity throughout the American people, as well as a sense of solidarity amongst revolutionaries across the world. Consequently, Common Sense became a top seller in revolutionary France and is still the best selling American piece of all time. Another of Paine’s works, African Slavery in America, describes the evils of American Slavery-- a national issue of morality that would not boil over for nearly a century after the publication of Common Sense. Both of these works describe, in part, Paine’s vision of a well governed, independent, free American country. Paine’s vision of a free America was way ahead of his time, making him the quintessential revolutionary.

Thomas Paine in Common Sense, argues for American Independence and emphasizes that Independence was the key of American future and not partial representation. Paine emphasis that the colonies are more than capable on their own and with all the natural resources and growing population were more than enough to sustain their own country.

In Common Sense, Thomas Paine argues for American independence from Britain. Paine explains why being free from Britain would help America in the long run and how American independence could affect people’s lives for the better. Also, Paine addresses the problems of current government and the relations with other countries in Europe. Paine responses to the arguments that suggest that America needs to stay under Britain by insisting that America has evolved, and does not need Britain's help anymore. Moreover, Paine reinforces his vision of America through his description of Britain, which shows that Britain failed to protect America as a parent country, and they actually seek only their own profit. As a great supporter of the American Revolution,

It was easy for the colonists to work around the law, but England did nothing to stop it because trade deals were still happening, and everyone was still making money. This caused Americans to think of their government as equally as powerful as the British bureaucracy. England lost major control over the colonies during the Tradition of Neglect, but they didn’t do anything to stop it. Even though the colonies still considered themselves a part of the British Empire, people understood that they could lead themselves.

For centuries, the British had continuously aggravated relations with the United States through the enactment of the Stamp Act, Sugar Act, Townshend Acts, Tea Act, virtual representation, and several other injustices to American freedom; correspondingly, the Declaration of Independence was passed to assure national rights and denounce the king’s violation of those rights, thereby preserving the concept of E Pluribus Unum by maintaining continuity in the emergence of one common ideal: liberty. For instance, amidst the turmoil of

After WWII. Some older democracies deepened the quality of their democratic institutions by extending full civil, and political rights to women and minorities.