The Colonial Incentives for Independence

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The Colonial Incentives for Independence

July 4th of 1776 is arguably the most significant day in American history. On this day, the thirteen British colonies won their independence from Great Britain, their mother country at the time. The war that allowed the colonies to gain their independence was, of course, the American Revolution. One reason the colonists’ declaration of independence was understandable was because after an extended period of salutary neglect, the British started imposing laws on the colonies. Another reason was that the British violated colonists’ rights by implementing the Proclamation of 1763. A third and final reason the colonies were correct in breaking away from Great Britain was that although the colonists were not represented in British Parliament, Great Britain still taxed them. The thirteen British colonies were absolutely justified in seceding from Great Britain because the British started to enforce laws after a long period of salutary neglect, they violated the colonists’ rights by passing the Proclamation of 1763, and the colonies were required to pay taxes even though they were not represented in Parliament.

The first reason the colonies were justified in breaking away from the British was the discontinuation of salutary neglect. Salutary neglect was a policy the British used beginning around 1607 that allowed lenient enforcement of British laws in the thirteen colonies. For example, the Navigation Acts, passed in 1651, required all colonial commerce-related ships, coming to and from the colonies, to pass through Great Britain. This law was not enforced strictly until the end of the French and Indian War. During the time before the war, the colonists’ normal reaction was to ignore...

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...eir independence from Great Britain because the British stopped using salutary neglect and started to employ laws, they passed the Proclamation of 1763 which violated colonists’ rights, and the colonists were not represented in Parliament, but still had to pay taxes. The colonists broke away from Britain because they were isolated and became used to self- governing. Once Great Britain tried to take control, the colonists were angered. Also, when Great Britain tried to limit the westward expansion of the colonies, the colonists felt that their rights were being infringed. The lack of representation in Parliament played a gigantic role as well. The British taxed the colonists even though the colonies did not have an American representing them in Parliament. These reasons were certainly enough for the British colonies to declare independence from Great Britain.

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