William Smith, Jr. And The British Empire

2. Analyze the ways in which British imperial policies between 1763 and 1776 intensified colonial resistance to British rule and their commitment to republican values.

In the 1760s, there was a strong movement of colonists who enjoyed British protection, but were disfranchised in Parliament. The colonists still felt loyal to the King and sought to amend their problems through diplomacy. In 1764, a Resolution passed by the Virginian House of Burgesses attempted to appease the King of England, by respectfully asking for direct representation in Parliament (doc. 1). The King and much of Parliament were dumbfounded because they saw the colonists as merely an overseas territory of Britain and the opinions of the colonists were already represented in Parliament indirectly. The refusal of the British to allow direct representation led to the desire of the colonists for independence which came in the form of the American Revolution. The resolution of the Virginia House of Burgesses acted as a symbol for the ongoing struggle, between the colonists and the British government over representation in the government. Failures of Parliament and King George III to recognize the efforts of the colonists led them to form various committees of correspondence, like the Continental Congresses, to nationally raise the question of direct representation. The demands for direct representation in Parliament became a

The American colonists and British policymakers disagreed on many things, but the common thread that seems to run through them all is the sense of exploitation on the part of the colonists and the perceived need to protect overall interests on the part of the British policymakers. The Sugar Act of 1764, The Currency Act of 1764, and the Stamp Acts are but a few examples of the disagreements between the legislators and the colonies.

The relations between England and the British North American colonies could always be considered precarious. Prior to 1750 British essentially followed a policy of benign neglect and political autonomy in the American colonies. (Davidson p.97) The colonies were for the most part content with benign neglect policy, relishing in a “greater equality and representative government”(Davidson p.95) within the colonies. Competition among European Imperial nations began to effect British policy toward North America colonies causing rapid shifts from 1750 to 1776. During this period, the British Empire made a series of policy decision that sealed the fate of the British North American

They wanted freedom of religion. They didn't want a monarchy. They wanted a different system of government that did not involve a king and queen structure. By drafting their own laws they would be able to select delegates for each state, to establish power to conduct foreign affairs, to declare war if necessary, to maintain an Army and a Navy and to coin money. A strong central government is what they wanted to have so that Great Britain couldn’t infiltrate. Establishing their own government would also get rid of the Stamp Act, one of the many acts that required them to pay taxes forced on them by the British to help them with their indebtness. If there were a serious crime committed in the colonies; the person being prosecuted would have to be shipped off to England for trial. This was not fair in the colonists’ eyes because they felt as though there would not be a fair trial because of the lack of their own peers in the jury. Since the British didn’t want to give them a voice, parting ways seems like the best

Although American colonists always tried to negotiate the contentious policies which contradicted their principles with the British Parliament, the crown did not leave much room for the discussion fueling the Anglo-American debate with a stubborn constitutional position; with a ridiculous notion as virtual representation; with a large British army that limited the economic development of the country; with the unjust acts that forced to shell out revenues from the colonies;

Since the founding of the Thirteen Colonies, the colonists enjoyed a degree of autonomy and self sufficiency from the mother country, England. The colonies had colonial assemblies, which were more democratic than England’s and were independent governments. British mercantilist laws were not strictly enforced due to the policy commonly referred to as salutary neglect. However, as the British increasingly ignore the problems the colonies faced, the colonies began to look for a common government to lead them. This eventually led to three distinct efforts at intercolonial cooperation and union: The New England Confederation, Penn’s Plan of Union, and The Albany Plan of Union. Therefore, although there were unsuccessful attempts to unite the

The 18th century can be marked as a period of internal and external struggle for the American colonists. From improper representation, to unfair taxes, such as the Stamp Act, to being overall abused by Britain, the colonists were justifiably angry. From this anger, the slogan “No taxation without representation” was born and quickly began to emerge from the lips of almost every colonist all across America. The demand from colonists everywhere for no taxation without representation weighed heavily as a symbol for democracy, as it revealed the mindset of many – Britain was using the hardworking colonists and took their money without even giving them a say – and laid the foundation for the American revolutionary war, allowing more arguments and

Organized colonial resistance began between the years 1763-1776. The policies of Britain toward their American colonies over this time period escalated tension between the two, and finally led to the rejection of Royal power by the colonies. The British policies caused this outcome because they threatened the colonists’ republican values. These were ideals adapted from the early classical Greek and Roman republics, as well as from laws established by the British. These core beliefs centered strongly on God-given inalienable rights, liberty of the people, and the belief that all should take part in the government. The combination of harsh British policies regarding taxation, settlement and everyday

The colonies were in a state of turmoil. They had to pay extravagant taxes, but they also were not counted as Britain’s “people.” The colonies tried to obtain peace with documents such as the Olive Branch Petition, but were refused many times. So after many attempts

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.

During the time of the Revolutionary War, the American Colonies were upset about the England’s tyrannical rule and exploitation through harsh taxes. Eventually, the colonists revolted and split from England. They wrote the Declaration of Independence and created a new government whose outlines were written in the Articles of Confederation. Unfortunately, the Articles of Confederation had an overall negative impact, as it created a weak central government, a poor financial system, and inadequate militias. There are more disadvantages than advantages to this document.

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

The Revolutionary War effectively ended on October 17th, 1781. Having successfully won independence, that task shifted to maintaining independence. The newly independent ‘United’ States, faced an array of issues, and proved to be anything but united under the existing Articles of Confederation. In hindsight, analyzing the arguments against the articles, as well as the

The American Revolution was undeniably the most pivotal time period in respect to United States History, but who was really to blame for initiating the conflict? While both the British politicians and American colonists shared the blame for the kindling of the revolution, one party was certainly more at fault than the other: the British. Through short-term causes of taxation and incommodious trade acts, and long-term causes of salutary neglect and involvement in the burdensome French & Indian War, the British politicians proved to ultimately be the most responsible for igniting the Revolutionary War.