The Two Constitutional Principles Of The British Government

The idea that colonists should have fair rights was revolutionized in the Articles of Confederation. When the first colonies were settled, the monarchy of Great Britain gave charters to groups of people to set up their own government with their own rights. After the French and Indian War, the British government had war debt. As a result, the British taxed the colonists ignoring the rights chartered to them. The British abolished self-government and took control of all the colonies. Making a colonist pay a tax for a valid reason is fine, but only when the colonist’s rights would not be violated. The Articles of Confederation was influenced by insuring each citizen's rights. All the white property owning, tax paying men could vote their state officials. In the Northwest Ordinance,the federal government allowed states to be created when 60,000 free men settled in the territory. After the territory had enough occupants, the government kept their promise by allowing the territory to become a state. Although the state had much more power, people could still fight back. For example, during the depression, the Shay’s Rebellion was a dispute between indebted farmers and the state court. However, the state courts had to pass laws to regulate such rebellions. They abolished a fair trial and grouped gatherings. They deprived some of the colonists of their basic rights. Bad ideas implemented by the British government in the American Revolution may have changed at first, but as the government matured, unfair laws were passed. By viewing the situation of the Shay’s Rebellion, the revolutionary period did not just influence the Articles of Confederation in good

Before the founding fathers decided to rebel against the British Government a few things happened. New taxes were a major issue for the colonist. Britain was in debt after fighting the French and Indian war and King George III and Parliament wanted the colonist to pay. They raised taxes on sugar, trade, tea, and legal documents. This wasn't fair to the colonist. The colonist resisted paying the taxes. They were upset because they

During the time period from 1765 to 1800, the government of the Colonies and eventually that of the United States, dealt with countless issues to create the system which governs the citizens of the United States today. Starting in 1765 with the passage of the Stamp Act by the British monarchy up to 1798 with the election of Thomas Jefferson as President in 1800 by the Colonial government, the aforesaid government, fought to rid itself of constant threats to the liberties and freedoms of the American people and the greater good as well as to preserve its intended purpose for as long as it is able. Political leaders such as Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Adams, and Alexander Hamilton all had concerns about competing interests that

     The Stamp Act, however, created much more protest. In 1765, Parliament passed an act requiring the colonists to pay tax stamps on any paper product. The act infuriated colonists because this act was a direct attempt to raise money without the consent of the colonial assemblies. The colonists felt that they were being taxed without representation. With great anger, colonists refused to allow the tax stamps to be sold. Merchants even agreed not to order British goods until the act was abolished. Then, in October of 1765, delegates gathered to discuss the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act Congress stated that the right of taxation belongs only to the people and their elected representatives. Also, they decided that Parliament couldn’t deny their right to trial by jury. They argued that Parliament didn’t have the power to tax them because they had no representatives in Parliament. They denied Parliament’s right to tax them for revenue. The Stamp Act was repealed in 1766, but following that, Parliament passed the Declaratory Act. It stated that the kind and Parliament had full legislative power over the colonies regardless.

One of the main movements was the whiskey rebellion that was passed for federal taxes. However this tax mainly targeted the farmers. Who would make the grain into alcohol because it made it easier to move. Yet there was conflict since the United States needed money but the farmers did not want to pay which in Document one in Revolutionary Characters What Made the Founders Different, by Wood Gordon which states, “Congress could not tax and pay its bill… It could not levy tariffs to regulate trade or retaliate against the mercantilism European empires” (D1). Which one can see how it also affected the constitution. The farmers did not want to pay for the tax whic also led to the rebellion.Plus the anti federalists did not support it since it was not stated in the constitution. Plus the government had already sold enough of its western land to pay for the government . Plus the US had made most of its money from the tariffs and Hamilton wanted to make the American industry competitive. Which can be related to Objections to the constitutio by George Mason whole stated his why the constitution should not be ratified, “Nor are the people secured even in the enjoyment . of the benefits of the common law” (D4). One can see it in this instance in which Hamilton was trying to build up America yet people not fond of it and ended up rebelling. Just to be shut down by America's militia, yet it all connects back to the creation of the first party

It was crucial for the colonists to figure out a way to live and work together. This was their first time making decisions without being commanded by a king or Queen and it was important to formulate and then implement a plan of action. (Schmidt, 2017). The idea of a constitution was thus created for the betterment of those living in America and has served as a rallying cry, a defense mechanism, and a safeguard for all citizens within the United States. This irreplaceable document has survived throughout time not only on paper but also in the hearts of many Americans. The Constitution of the United States officially went into effect on “September 17,1787” (Schmidt,2017, pg.35). The greatness of this constitution is still seen today as it serves as a solid base, with room allowed for re-examination or change if needed. Every now and then an issue may arise and the laws set forth into the constitution are reexamined and an amendment may be set

The founders were are their way to creating a government respecting the natural rights in the case of a corrupt government the people of the nation could still have their rights. The British King did not believe in natural rights, he wanted to have power over his people therefore he created laws that would only benefit him. The colonies believed they were being treated poorly, therefore, they decided to declare independence. The colonists had no say in what the british government said or did, they could not vote for laws being made. The colonies were subordinate to the Parliament, but the Americans lost their connection to Britain and would not obey their laws due to the fact they had no

During the Revolutionary War, colonists believed that they needed a sense of unified government, so this led to the creation of the Articles of Confederation, the first written constitution of the United States (history.com). Although the Articles of Confederation had its strengths, such as allowing the central government to create treaties and maintain military, it had many weaknesses, such as preventing the central government to levy taxes and regulate trade. It also could not be changed unless there was a unanimous decision and it lacked a stable currency. Since the creation of the Articles of Confederation had many issues and weaknesses, the Continental Congress rewrote the Articles into what is now known as the U.S Constitution. The Constitution established a national government, guaranteed basic rights for the colonists and revised almost everything that was wrong in the original Articles, such as the sovereignty that resided primarily in the states and the lack of power from the national government. The Constitution was later ratified by all 13 states in May 1790, with the support of the Federalist Party. [A] Federalists believed in the commitment to a strong national government and in the practice of a separation of powers. However, Anti-Federalists had the opposite view which was the opposition of a strong national government, the support for small landowners, and the representation of rights of the people. Anti-Federalists believed that a strong national government

When the colonists first arrived to the New World there were very few obligations and rules that the British government had set for them and they were on their own to live their life in the way they saw fit. Throughout the years, England realized how much of an asset the New World was to their economy. Due to the American colonies great advantages to their economy and their everyday lives, Great Britain became greedy and decided that only they should be able to exploit from the colonies. This greed prompted the Crown to implement new taxes and regulations in order to obtain a larger profit. After many attempts to work with Great Britain and being dismissed, the colonist declared independence from England. This caused the Revolutionary War and in 1783 the colonists were finally free from Great Britain. The colonists drew from the positive and negative experiences from the Crown's rule when writing their own country's government. The crown's supreme rule over all aspects of the colonists life compelled the colonists to incorporate a limited government into the Constitution. Because of the lack of representation that the colonists possessed during during colonial times, when making the constitution they secured the idea of popular sovereignty as an effort to make sure that all citizens could have an opinion in their ruling. Separation of power was implemented into the Constitution for the purpose of denying one person excessive power. Checks and balances fall under

In an excerpt from the Second Continental Congress, the colonists questioned, “What is to defend us against so enormous, so unlimited a power?” (Document 5). They felt as though they were unprotected under British rule. King George of England acted as a tyrant, freely taxing the colonies for no good reason. John Dickinson, a leader who served in the Stamp Act Congress, stated, “Never did the British parliament, (until the passage of the Stamp Act) think of imposing duties in America for the purpose of raising revenue” (Document 2). After the Stamp Act, none of the taxes were justified; the colonies were being taxed simply to create income for Britain. With the unlimited control and absurd taxes, the colonists were bound to start a

Britain wasn't giving up their hopes, they were still going to try to make the colonists pay the taxes. Since the colonists were still boycotting British tea, the British East India Company ( B.E.I. Company) lost a lot of money. To try to save this company they passed the Tea Act. The Tea Act was a law that allowed the B.E.I Company to sell their tea directly to the colonists. Originally, the B.E.I. Company sold the tea to merchants and from there, merchants sold the tea to the colonists with a higher price. But instead, they bypassed the merchants and directly sold the tea to the colonists, at a lower price. The colonists still didn't buy the cheaper tea because there was still a tax on tea! In order to protest, the colonists had public meetings and vowed to stop the B.E.I. Company from unloading. When the ships arrived in Philadelphia and New York, they forced them to turn back. In Charles Town, when tea arrived, it was seized and stored in a warehouse. But, in Boston, it wasn't as smoothy a process to turn back the ships. When three ships arrived in Boston Harbor, a royal governor whose house had been destroyed by Stamp Act protesters, refused to let the ships turn back. He then ordered them to unload the tea from the ships. In response to this action, the Sons of Liberty organized the Boston Tea party. They also organized the Boston Tea Party because they were mad and angry. When they passed the Tea Act and lowered the tea prices, they thought it was a trick to make the colonists pay the taxes. These actions by the British resulted in protesting, and eventually led to the Boston Tea Party. The Boston Tea Party was held on December 16, 1773. That night approximately, 50 or 60 men disguised themselves as Native Americans and were armed with hatchets. They then went to the wharf and boarded three ships that contained boxes of tea. Swiftly and quietly, they broke the boxes of tea with their

One group of Patriots, named the Sons of Liberty, was created in opposition to the Stamp tax and were created to protect the rights of the colonists and stop “taxation without representation.” The Sons of Liberty partook in the Boston Tea Party, which boosted the morale of colonists and helped them band together for a common cause. Document F explains that it wasn’t just the tax that made the colonists want to break free from the tyrannical rule of Britain, but it was also for the fact that the colonists could not be as independent as before when they were under salutary neglect. The concept of being governed by an almost foreign entity angered colonists much more than the idea of just paying taxes. The point of view of this document is from a man named Peter Oliver from Massachusetts. It is evident that since Massachusetts was one of the most hard hit areas in terms of violence before the revolution, the writer has a much more powerful opinion regarding Britain. Document H emphasizes the diverseness of the term “American” and also praises the lack of prejudice the colonists have for each other compared to Britain. The purpose of this document is to show the benefits of the common sense of identity the colonists possessed. Finally, Document C is about how if the British continue to interfere with the colonies, it will ruin both Britain and the colonies

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

Neither, there must be balance between local and national government. An example where almost complete power was held at the national level was the British rule of the colonies. Although this rule did lend to economic and political stability (despite falling apart pre revolution), the physical separation of the British national government from the local American government lead to policies that seemed reasonable, but were actually out of touch with the local population. In general, most taxes imposed by the British seemed reasonable to them, as they were necessary to repay debt from the French and Indian war and the cost of soldiers to protect colonists. Despite the fact that these taxes paid for entities benefiting the colonists, they were actually disliked by the colonists. For example, the Sugar Act was passed, which halved the taxes on molasses and started stricter enforcement of the tax was seen as a reasonable compromise by the British, but actually protested by the colonists, due to the economic struggles caused by the seemingly innocuous tax.

The lack of representation and rights lead the colonists astray from the rule of their native country, causing much disagreement among both parties. The Stamp and Townshend Acts were a few acts that unreasonably placed taxes on the American colonists for their own goods. These taxes were not being used to pay for colonist expenses nor were the people being represented in their government when deciding these taxes. One of the final incidents that broke the relationship between the British people and their colonists was the Boston Massacre, when British Army soldiers shot into a crowd without any order to do so, killing three people and wounding others. Soon after, the American revolution was underway, leaving the people to decide how they would soon govern their nation. When finalized, the founding fathers put the power in the hands of the people to decide how they would be lead, not god, who previously ruled over them. For that old government didn’t represent the people and just as Jefferson stated was more of “an act of force, and not right”. The inability of the British government to adapt to their peoples’ needs undermined any liberty the colonists once had, thus providing a guide to the people on how they would rule themselves in the future. Not only was Jefferson correct once in his theory when the parliament failed the colonies, but a second time again during the failure of the articles of Confederation and formation of the Constitution.