Apush Dbq Analysis

During the time period of 1600 to 1776, the relationship between Great Britain and the colonies changed massively. The relationship between Great Britain and the colonies changed greatly because of three main reasons: the relationships that the colonies and Great Britain were built on, the struggles that the colonists faced because of their relationships with Great Britain, and the anger that the colonists expressed because of the ridiculous taxes that they had to pay. Once the colonists realized that they were suffering under British rule, most of the colonists became eager to be independent from Great Britain. The colonists’ Second Continental Congress believed that the acts and taxes created by the British Parliament were unconstitutional, unjust, and unfair towards the colonists and because of that belief, the Declaration signers forever changed our country.

Colonists sought independence from British government for a multitude of reasons. Tension quickly rose between England and the thirteen colonies due to the unjust taxing without fair representation in Parliament, the colonist’s rights to assemble were taken away by the British, and there were many unreasonable Acts and laws put into place in attempt to have complete control over the colonists as well as intimidate them. For these reasons and the suffering that the colonists endured at the hands of the British government, I feel that the colonists had plenty just causes to separate themselves from England.

After the struggles of the 1780s, the U.S most urgent task in establishing the new government was to secure stability. The first President of the Unites States was George Washington. At this time, the Congress worked and quickly passed on the " Bill of Rights", which give the citizens a true freedom in 1789. However, In 1798, the Congress hammered out the Sedition Act and the Alien Acts.

In the late 1700s, people moved to the United states wanting a better life. They wanted to separate from Britain. The United states were running by its first president George Washington. The french helped America do this. The United States borrowed money from the french to pay for the war. They paid the French back later.

By March 1774, new rules were already being setup by the Parliament, including the Boston Port Act, which closed all ports in Boston. This was one of the most crucial parts of the Intolerable Acts. A man by the name of Edward Burkos gave a speech that was against the Boston Port Act. His speech included this sentence,” To make a place Situate on a sea coast, as an inland place, is the heaviest punishment that can be.” This act now affected the people inside and as well as the people outside of Boston. The people inside Boston where now unable to send things outside to other colonies for money, and the people couldn’t send anything to Boston to make their money. Now each place is down a special thing that they need in order for survival. This causes people from both places to know break the law and smuggle in supplies for survival. The Parliament decided that the people of Boston need to pay back the British for their damage from the Boston Tea Party. Because they couldn’t send out any goods for money, they can’t get any money to pay back Parliament, creating a sticky situation for Parliament and for the colonists. Parliament put themselves and Boston up a creek with no paddle.

American colonists were justified after their separation from Great Britain and gaining independence. At first, the colonists didn’t mind being apart of the British colonies. However, colonists were upset at the fact that the British were abusing their power and being unjust. Soon later, with the help of Enlightenment views from several American philosophers, the colonists wanted to break free from the British crown’s chains.

In 1820, a politician by the name of Henry Clay decided to help work out a compromise that would keep the balance the North and South. Clay suggested that Congress should admit Maine as a free state and Missouri as a slave state. The official proposal was passed in March of 1820 and prohibited slavery from any territories in the Louisiana Purchase that was North of 36°30’ latitude. (The American Journey Page 320,437, and 438) Almost thirty years later, a dispute over slavery broke out in Congress because a bill was introduced by Illinois senator Stephen Douglas. Douglas originally wanted to run for president but in order to do that he needed the support of the Southern Democrats. With Douglas trying to win over both northerners and southerners, the Kansas-Nebraska act proclaimed that Kansas and Nebraska territories would have the choice to be a free or slave state. Douglas was basically saying that “they” being Congress would repeal the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and would rely on “popular sovereignty” which is letting the people decide. He figured that because Kansas and Nebraska becoming slave

According to the Americans, the British soldiers fired first at Lexington Green. John Bateman a British soldier said ”I never heard any of the inhabitants so much as fire one gun on said troops” (Document 3). Sylvanus Wood recollected that the British captain said “Lay down your arms, you damn’d rebels Or you are all dead men---fire” (Document 4). The colonist’s description was long and descriptive of what happened before and after nevertheless the fact that a British soldier said that the colonists’ did not fire turns the odds more towards the colonists’. Captain John Parker of the colonial Militia stated “...I immediately ordered my Militia to disperse and not fire”(Document 6). Thomas Fessenden a colonial onlooker recollects “...the second officer, who was two rods behind him, fired a pistol at said Militia, and the regulars kept huzzaing” (Document 1). These other two documents are testimonies that testify that the British fired

In the year 1764, King George III of Great Britain placed taxes on colonial America causing anger to flourish within the colonies resulting in their rebellion from the British. One-third of the colony wanted independence from Great Britain, the Patriots, while another third decided to stay loyal to the British, the loyalists/tories. The Patriots soon went to war with Britain for their independence, but the rest of the colony was reluctant to join the Patriots’ cause for various reasons. The loyalists were hesitant to join the American Revolution because of the nonideal living location and the British protected them when no one else would.

As Democratic-Republicans, Jefferson and Madison favored the strict construction of the constitution. This meant that they were to follow exactly what the documents and the constitution state. During their presidencies, they sometimes desired to do something politically that wasn’t allowed by the constitution, so instead they would favor the loose interpretation to be able to accomplish their political goals. They favor either side that accommodated them most at a specific moment. On the other hand, the Federalist would also change their position on their interpretation of the constitution.

This created unity among most of the colonists as they prepared to declare independence. Richard Henry Lee referred to the colonists as “the Body of the People” and claimed that “America is now most firmly united” (Doc C). Many of the colonist came together as one against Britain’s tyranny, developing American identity. Even though many of the colonists were uniting against Britain, there were still a few colonists who remained loyal to Britain (Doc D). Peter Oliver said, “The generality of the People were not if this Stamp; but they were [weak], & unversed in the Arts of Deception” (Doc F).

There has been a long history between the British Crown and the American colonists that gradually led to the fragmentation between them. Originally, the British Crown is known for the cruel and unfair treatment imposed upon the American colonists. All of the acts imposed by the British were designed to greatly improve revenue and support the British, not so much the English. The British Crown and American Colonists gradually had several cruel and conflicting events that led to the American Revolution and Independence due to the unconstitutional and unfair acts imposed by the British on the colonists; such as the Navigation acts, Quartering Acts, and Intolerable Acts.

The colonists ended up going to war against the British in the American Revolution. Not all colonists supported the idea of fighting again the British and establishes their own countries. Those were called Loyalist, loyal to the British. There are many reasons that motivated the Loyalists to remain loyal to the British. These reasons include fear, opportunity in an already established country (British), strong army and beneficial trade. Fear was explained through the uncertainty that the colonists will win the revolution, especially against the British strong

American colonists mainly originated from England and considered themselves subjects of the English empire. However, acts from the Continental Congress began to question British authority, people of differing cultures freely mixed and the British government increased their taxation policies after the French and Indian War. Therefore, between 1750-1776 colonists increasingly moved away from being loyal to England and developed a unique American identity.

In Britain’s eyes, Colonial America was nothing but another piece of land that earned them money, but as it began to be acknowledged by other powerful countries for its self-sufficient lifestyle, it shaped an identity, ultimately becoming the strong, independent nation, it is today. However, it was anything but easy for America to form in the first place. From 1765 to 1783, the American Revolution took place and was overall, the process used to overthrow the oppressive British and purge them from America. Britain’s establishment of harsh policies concerning many freedoms, political ideologies, and economic rights obligated the colonists to fight for their independence. The American Colonies thought that they were ready and able to create a society with the power of unity, supported by democracy and economic prosperities. The American revolution was eventually instigated by the identity of American colonists of which evolved through the formation of unity, political, and economic influences.