Evaluate The Relative Importance Of The Following As Factors Prompting Americans To Rebel In 1776

Soon the Quartering Act was passed, directing the colonies to provide quarters for British soldiers. Americans found this oppressive because it meant that soldiers were placed in colonial homes. In 1764 Parliament passed the Stamp Act, putting a duty on most printed materials. This was a normal tax for the British as it had been going on in Britain for a long time, and it made sense that the rest of their empire would pay the same tax. This placed a burden on merchants and the colonial elite who did most legal transactions and read the newspapers. Also passed in the same year was the Declaratory Act, which stated that the colonies were subject to the will of Parliament. This made a lot of sense to the British, as Parliament was their ruling body, but, to the colonies who had become used to their own government during the years of salutory neglect, this was a direct threat to their way of life.

A widely held opinion amongst many colonists was to receive a better deal from Great Britain. The sons of liberty were one of the most passionate groups opposing all the new taxation and regulation that England was handing down. They were constantly passing around petitions and organizing boycotts. They also were not afraid to use violence if necessary. One event that increased the tension between Great Britain and the colonists was the Stamp act of 1766. The British government did show some form of goodwill by repealing the act, but later passed more measures that the colonies felt were just more backdoor policies aimed at more taxation and government intrusion. ("Organizing Colonial Resistance (Overview)," 2014)

After the French and Indian War, there was a period of change in the British colonies in North America. After receiving much support from the British during the French and Indian War, the people of the colonies began to feel oppressed by the postwar actions of the British. As the British put heavy taxes and restrictions on the colonies, the attitude of the population of these colonies began to shift. Over the next two decades, with more taxes and a larger British military presence, the colonists slowly progressed closer and closer to revolution. The people of the American colonies were justified in eventually taking up arms against the British crown after various attempts to reach a peaceful resolution of their grievances because several pieces

Great Britain operated colonies in America for over 150 years. Throughout this time period, the colonists governed themselves fairly and justly with little interference from Great Britain. Then, British government jumped in and suddenly started treating the colonists as a lesser people.

From the end of the French and Indian War to the beginning of the American revolution, colonial resistance and commitment to republican values escalated. British imperial policies between 1763 and 1776, such as taxes and acts without representation and how the British treated the colonists, pushed these factors over the edge. Countless taxes were placed on the colonists in this time period, including the Sugar, Stamp, Tea, and Currency acts. These were placed on the colonists so that the British could pay back their debt that they acquired during the French and Indian War.

In the quest to live in America, many Englishmen risked their lives to make the journey, which proved their desire to live a life of comfort and assurance of posterity for their future generations. In the book, The Birth of the Republic, the fears of the colonist’s property and livelihood being threatened is brought to life by Edmund Burke’s comment on British tax laws as “a sure symptom of an ill conducted state;" which signifies the idea that “liberty rested on property, and when Great Britain threatened the security of property, it threatened their liberty.” As a result, large groups of men “In towns and villages everywhere formed themselves into associations which they called “Sons of Liberty” and declared their intention to resist the Stamp Act, as they usually put it,” “to the last extremity.” Like many people in Colonial America, the Sons of Liberty were colonists who believed strongly in the extermination of all British taxes including the Stamp Act, which made “almost anything formally written or printed would have to be on special stamped paper (for it to be taxed).” People feared an overpowering rule from King George iii would soon come if they let the Stamp Act remain active. If the colonists failed to protest the acts, the belief of the Republican Ideology that

Americans, who did not elect members of the parliament, opposed the act not only because their inability to pay the tax, but also because it violated the newly enunciated principle of “no taxation without representation.” The constitutional principles and protest tactics established during the stamp act crisis laid the groundwork for the American Revolution. Arguing that not only their own representative’s assemblies could tax them, the colonies insisted that the act was unconstitutional. And they escorted mob violence to intimidate stamp collectors into resigning. Parliament repealed the stamp act in 1766, but issued a declaratory act at the same time to reaffirm its authority to pass any colonial legislation it saw fit.

“No taxation without representation!” That is what every colonist in the Thirteen Colonies shouted before the revolution started. Or that was what most people thought. Not all colonists wanted to gain independence like people today thought they did. In the mid 1700s, the colonists decided to go to war with the British to gain their independence. This was called the American Revolution. However, not all colonists agreed to do this. About ten percent of the colonists were loyal to the King. They were called Loyalists. About forty percent wanted to declare independence from the British. They were called Patriots. The other fifty percent didn’t care one way or another and were neutral. This created a lot of tension due to the diverse point of views.

When the French and Indian war came to a close in 1763, Great Britain was greatly in debt. They decided to regain this money by taxing the American Colonists with acts such as The Tea Act, The Stamp Act, The Townshend Acts, and The Intolerable Acts. Colonists were furious that Britain had the nerve to tax them when they didn’t even have representation in Parliament. They did everything in their power to try to at least make a compromise with Britain, even sending the king a letter asking him if he could try to address some of their complaints; unfortunately, the king was noncompliant. There was no other choice; America was destined to become independent one way or another.

The colonists responded by arguing they could not be taxed without representation. The colonies were then represented in Parliament and throughout the 13 colonies, meetings were assembled in anger. The colonies formed the Sons of Liberty to oppose the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act Congress petitioned for a repeal of the Stamp and Sugar Acts.

In the early 1700s, the American colonists were content with the rule of Great Britain and the British King. The practice of salutary neglect kept the relationship between the colonists and Great Britain in balance. Most people were satisfied with this arrangement. However, certain events caused these feelings to change. During the 1750s and 1760s, Great Britain and the colonists joined forces against the French during the French and Indian War. Although the British won, the war left them with huge debts and new lands to protect in North America. To solve the problems, the British government passed a number of laws. Some of these laws ordered the colonists to pay new taxes. These new taxes angered colonists because they had no representatives

There were many tedious laws passed that angered the colonists beyond belief. They decided that it was reasonable to have the colonies help pay back the debt they owed to the banks and individual investors, they borrowed money from to fight the Seven Years’ War (Foner, p. 141). An example of this would be the Sugar, Stamp, and Tea Acts which raised colonial taxes and lowered English taxes. The sugar Act was less of a conflict due to the fact that it mainly affected the colonists at the ports as it was used to lessen smuggling. The Stamp Act though, was what caused great drama and marked the definite split of the colonists and Great Britain over the meaning of freedom (Foner, p. 142). This act affected all of the free colonists, especially those who wrote, published, and read books, newspapers, and followed political affairs. The colonists claimed that Britain had no right to tax them since they were not represented. This gave way to the famous expression “no taxation without representation”. As this was law was repealed, colonists thought the same would occur with the Townshend Acts. Unfortunately, a rift happened one night giving way to what we call the Boston Massacre from this. Lastly, The Boston Tea Party was an effect of the Tea Act. This famous rebellion resulted in more British enforcement, reducing colonist’s liberty only supplying them more reason to go to

This had greatly disappointed the colonist. So when the king put taxes on them, they were not happy. This problem also has a fancy term called ‘’taxation without representation’’. The colonists felt used by a government who did not represent them nor cared about their opinions. They felt like slaves to England. These bitter feelings got the colonist to the point of revolt. These sentiments can be realized by Patrick Henry’s quote “give me liberty or give me death!”. The colonist prepared a petition called the olive branch petition to stop the taxes, while also preparing for war. After the king declined their petition and promised to demolish all of the rebels, the colonies were fired up. There were many wars after that like the battle of bunker hill and the revolutionary war. Finally, on July 4 1776, the Americans got their freedom from the British.

In 1773, colonists living in the British Empire led an uprising and revolt against the British Government. They resisted the heavy taxation that the British Government had charged in order to raise revenues. The colonists objected the taxation with protests and boycotts, claiming that this act is forbidden according to the British Constitution. They felt that taxes are collected to provide services and shouldn’t serve as a way to earn revenue. The government eventually eliminated much of the taxes, but left a tariff on tea intact. Tea was a popular commodity at that time, and people saw this levy as an intrusion. The revolt escalated and eventually led to the War of Independence. The American Revolution, as it is often

The infringement upon their liberties to which Richard Henry Lee was referring was largely an economic concern for the colonists. Taxes and duties implemented solely by the British government and the Navigation Acts limited trading rights. The colonists believed that they held the right to tax themselves, especially since there were no Americans in Parliament. After this claim England replied that colonists were represented by “virtual representation” as a result of the Magna Carta. The inferred inferiority of the Americans to Britons by this fallacy insulted colonists and further pushed them into unrest, causing a movement that resulted in the Non-Importation Agreements being enforced The Non-Importation Agreements demonstrated the power of the American colonists over the depressed English economy. Once the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts were repealed, there was no turning back for the seditious Americans; they had discovered who truly was dependent on whom.