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The Reasons Behind The Writing Of The Declaration Of Independence

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The Reasons Behind the Writing of the Declaration of Independence
There were several events that led up to the writing and publication of the Declaration of Independence. The colonists did not understand why they were being taxed on items such as stamps and tea which was extremely essential to the colonists at this time. The phrase “taxation without representation” was used by the colonists to show their outrage with these taxes from England. They set out to rebel and started the American Revolution. Thomas Paine contributed to the colonists’ views on rebellion due to his book Common Sense. These are some of the events that encouraged the writing of the Declaration of Independence.
The Stamp Act & Boston Tea Party
The Stamp Act was passed in 1765 and placed taxes on just about every paper transaction. This included legal documents, marriage certificates, newspapers, and several other items. According to Schweikart & Allen (2014), the Stamp Act was created because Grenville wanted to somehow decrease the cost of troops sent to defend the colonies (p. 70). The Stamp Act created hostility because the colonists were used to fairly low taxes. The colonists were infuriated by the taxes and as a result, organizations such as the Sons of Liberty came together to try to protest against Parliament’s decisions on taxes. The Sons of Liberty destroyed stamps and burned Thomas Hutchinson’s house, who was known as the lieutenant governor. As Schweikart & Allen (2014) state that the Sons of

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