Towards the end of the Colonial American period, the colonies endured some arduously events that emerged from their relationship with Great Britain. The American Revolution resulted from the aftermath of the events that then led to the independence of the colonies from Great Britain. Yet, before the American Revolution occurred, there were two distinct groups, one party, also known as the Patriots, supported the separation from Great Britain to gain independence, while the other party, the Loyalists, argued against the idea of segregating from Britain. The documents and lectures from class highlight the motivation for the movement of America to gain independence. From analyzing events that occurred before the revolution and statements from both parties, the American Revolution was necessary because Britain was abusing their power by imposing unjust decisions that shows the lack of equality between the colonies and the mother country; and it was unavoidable because there were no beneficial factors from possessing a relationship with Britain
After the Seven Years’ War, it is apparent that Britain began to enforce more control over the colonies by implementing more legislative acts and unjust taxation. The period of saluatary neglect was over. For example, in Give Me Liberty, by Eric Foner, it mentions that Britain prohibited some economic activities in the colonies that negatively affected them,
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Great Britain’s increasing inequitable treatment of the colonies began to resemble more of a tyrannical regime that the colonists escaped from when they left Europe . Ultimately, the more unjustified legislative acts Britain tried to enforce, the more the colonists realized their need to separate from them in order to become a more exceptional
For many years the colonists tried unsuccessfully to reach a peaceful and diplomatic solution. They wanted to work out their differences with the British ruling authority. The time finally came when the colonists realized independence was their only option. There were many obstacles and detours along the road to American independence, and along the way many supporters were hesitant to the idea of complete independence. In spite of Great Britain’s effort to maintain control of these colonies, a nation was formed.
Anglicization of the Britain’s American colonies was a big event for the course of not only American or British history, but world history. The colonists adopting many British ways and becoming very patriotic towards the “mother country” had a large effect on the events that unfolded in the late 18th century. While it is true that the American colonists were incredibly British during the beginning to the mid-18th century, the colonies had been around long enough to develop their own culture and way of doing things. The series of events and acts that were imposed on the colonists post French and Indian War got the ball rolling on what came to be known as the American Revolution. The colonists were so fed up with the way in which the British were tightening their hold on the colonies to the point where they were driven to rebellion. The combination of British and underlying American ideals in the pre-revolution era were a necessarily pre-requisite and important component of what would become the American Revolution.
The biggest reason that colonists were becoming disgruntled with their mother country, Britain, was Britain’s heavy debts that Britain had accumulated while fighting wars with France which needed to be alleviated. As with all governments, Britain had to tax its people to procure the funds needed to pay these debts. Britain saw their colonies as thousands of British citizens that they had not taxed satisfactorily. After realizing this, Britain imposed several new taxes on goods imported and exported to and from the colonies. The colonists were livid over the new taxes. After all, Britain had practiced salutary neglect for almost 100 years. Salutary neglect is the practice of leaving one’s foreign acquisitions to their own devices with little to no interference of their government, social, or economic aspects. The colonists immediately began to petition these new taxes. Their logic: “No taxation without representation.”
“During the 150 years after the settlement of Jamestown, the colonies grew apart from the motherland”. – (Lecture). Colonies were beginning to support themselves economically and politically without British input. This of course meant they had and were exercising different economic and political views than England. Colonies that failed in the beginning were being restored. While Britain was dealing with issues in England, no new English colonies were established in America for nearly thirty years since Lord Baltimore received the charter for Maryland in 1632. – (Page 26) “The English colonies eventually united, expanded, and became the beginnings of a great nation”. – (Page 28). The colonies became independent minded and created their own governments, and operated separately from the crown. “The growing colonial ventures were producing pressure in England for a more uniform structure to the empire. The English government began trying to regulate colonial trade in the 1650s.” – (Page 32) England imposed the Navigation Acts. This didn’t go well because most colonial governments except Virginia operated independently of the crown. Additionally, although the Navigation Acts were passed - they were not enforced. While Parliament was crashing, “the colonial assemblies, taking advantage of the weak imperial administration, had asserted their own authority to levy taxes, make appropriations, approve appointments, and pass laws for their respective colonies.” – (Page 37). “The British took little notice. England pursued polices of Salutary neglect, leaving the colonist fairly free to conduct their own internal
After the French and Indian War had ended in 1763, the British parliament passed various laws to collect more taxes in American colonies in ways to pay for their war debt. As a result, colonists outraged as they had been taxed unjustly without having any representation in the British parliament, which eventually led to an uprising known as the American Revolution. In the process of making a revolution, Thomas Jefferson, a revolutionist, and father of our modern constitution, effectively masters an appeal to ethos, pathos, logos, and strong dictions to inform King George III on reasonings behind American colonies’ justifications for becoming independent from the Great Britain.
The American colonies were originally loyal to Britain. Early on, however, King George called for some actions that sparked feelings of revolution. The French-Indian War had left severe consequences for Britain such as debt. The colonists were angered by the taxes and unjust treatment they were given so they decided to declare war on the British to become independent. Although some argue that King George’s power protected them, the American colonies were justified in breaking away from their British forefather because of the tyrannical acts of King George and his levying of taxes on goods in the American colonies.
The colonial economy, geography, and politics had all been subjected to unfair consequences. The acts that were passed served as a way for England to push the responsibility its debt and issues on the colonists. If the colonists’ grievances were appealed, the colonists may have never rebelled against their mother
The American Revolution, one of the most significant events in our world’s history, has established a huge impact on not only life back in the eighteenth and nineteenth century but our society today. The Acts of Parliament highly benefited the British but did not afford those same rights to the colonists until the formal issuing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776, in which colonial freedom was granted. The most controversial issue is which group caused it; a result of propaganda by the colonists. Multiple acts and protests contributed to this war, three influential ones being the Stamp Act, Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party.
After many years of neglect by the British, the colonists’ lives soon drastically changed. The British became more involved in the colonies and established unreasonable regulations. Influences by many events, the American colonists knew they had to take action against the British and fight for their independence. The Americans were justified in waging war and breaking away from Britain because of unfair taxes, the social and economic life was harmed, the violation of inalienable rights by the British, and the colonists were not represented in government and treated as citizens.
Before the war England had a policy of salutary neglect when they dealt with colonial affairs. Salutary neglect was a policy where they left the colonies alone as long as they were being economically successful, both colonists and the English found this policy to be a great success. England was gaining revenue without having to do anything, and the Colonies were enjoying a form of self government that they had never been granted before. When the Seven Years’ war increased British debt the policy of salutary neglect ended, and saw an increase in Colonial tax laws. The increase in taxes angered colonists, and started conflicts between the British and Colonist. When salutary neglect ended it caused a huge shift in dynamic between the colonists and the English crown.
The British’s strict enforcement over the American colonies never sat completely well with many of the settlers to begin with, but to go along with their control issues on how they should be ran came many more policies to ensure their restrictions. Unfortunately for Britain, more rules and regulations only increased the colony’s desperation for freedom and their rebellious behavior rather than teaching them a lesson to mind their wonderful Majesty. The colony’s rebellious outbreaks, once began, would not stop until they were completely satisfied in their way of living. These colonies’ resistance towards Britain was due to their policies that had resulted in superfluous taxing, the loss of their trading rights, and
Leading up to the American Revolution, were a chain of events that created a spark in the colonists to obtain independence from Great Britain. The American Revolution could not be tied to one single event but instead by the feelings and determination brought on by this chain of disgraceful actions. Gordon S. Wood explains what he believes caused the rebellion of the American colonists from Great Britain and how those causes help explain the outcomes of the revolution in his essay, “Radical Possibilities of the American Revolution.” Wood argues that the colonists were motivated to rebel against the British monarchy due to their need to preserve their liberties and through this revolution a radical change in government and American life occurred.
The American Revolution was not only a battle between the British and the colonists; it was a historical movement that brought about new ways of thinking. The ideas of liberty and equality began to be seen as essential to the growth of the new nation. The separation of the American colonies from the British Empire occurred for a number of reasons. These reasons are illustrated in the Declaration of Independence. Although Thomas Jefferson wrote the document, it expressed the desire of the heart of each colonist to be free of British rule. British rule over the colonies became unbearable in the early months of 1776, making it clear to the colonists that it was time to either give in
During the late 1700’s the American colonists waged a war for independance on the British arguing their fundamental liberties had been deprived. As the founding fathers declared themselves independent from Great Britain, and built their new nation, they quickly addressed their ambitions in the Constitution. However as the former colonists built their new nation, they decided their revolution ambitions needed pragmatic alterations. These objectives that the former colonists addressed in the Declaration of Independence were in one way or another modified, expanded upon, or subverted. The dispute of civil rights for the Colonists was expanded upon and subverted, in order to appeal to white property owning males. Furthermore the former Colonists wanted to create a form government in which the citizens had the power, this intention was expanded upon
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