Before the American revolution began, people were unhappy about how Great Britain, has acted towards them, and a lot spoke out such as Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry. These men were influential orators or writers in the 1700s. These writers opened the people’s eyes to how Britain was treating them, inspiring people to have a revolution. They made the war a necessity for the colonists to have. Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry made the American Revolution morally justifiable because the colonists were being unfairly treated, they tried everything in their power to make peace, and they were constantly being ignored by Great Britain; a war was the last resort. The colonists needed to rebel against Great Britain. …show more content…
“Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne! In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation” (Henry par.3). Great Britain didn’t care enough about its own people that it refused to listen to the cries of the people it's supposed to protect. “A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people” (Jefferson, par.4). Great Britain needed to stop being a Tyrant and stop misusing its power to make money. Great Britain needed to start to act like a King who listens and protect his own people; the colonists needed to do something before it’s too …show more content…
The opportune moment to fight was right there and then. The colonists didn’t have much of a military or any military experience, but they were determined to fight for their freedom of the chains Great Britain has bound them in. “If we wish to be free-- if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending--if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained--we must fight” (Henry, par. 3)! The colonists have struggled for so long; they have exhausted all other means of diplomacy. There was no other option. The colonists had to
The colonists were in every right, aspect and mind, not only justified but also it was about time that they stood of and actually take action against the British. The choice of going to war with them, was the only choice that they had. All diplimatical options that they had ceased to stand a chance against the tyrant Britain. From the very beginning when the colonists felt upset against their mother country and the way that they went about the law making, up until the beginning of the war, they tried all diplimatical options that they had, by sending letters, you name it. When they didn’t work then they had no other means but to declare war.
During the War for American Independence, 78 men were commissioned as general officers into the Continental Army by the Continental Congress. Many of these generals commanded troops with differing levels of competence and success. George Washington is typically seen as most important general, however throughout the war a number of his subordinates were able to distinguish themselves amongst their peers. One such general was Nathanael Greene. At the end of the Revolutionary War, Greene would become Washington’s most important subordinate, as demonstrated by Edward Lengel’s assessment of Greene as “the youngest and most capable of Washington’s generals.” Washington and Greene developed a strong, positive and close relationship between themselves. Greene began his life in the military after having been raised a Quaker. With limited access to literature and knowledge in his younger years, Greene became an avid reader which equipped him with the knowledge necessary to excel as a general during the war. Through his devoted study of military operations, firsthand experience and natural abilities as a soldier, Greene became an excellent military commander. He would become known for his successful southern campaign, during which, he loosened British control of the South and helped lead the war to its climax at Yorktown. Throughout the war, he was involved in a number high profile battles where he built a reputation of being an elite strategist who also understood unconventional warfare, logistics, and the importance of military-civil affairs and had a natural political/social acumen. The thesis of this paper is that Greene’s proven reputation of being a soldier, strategist and statesman would cause him to become the second greates...
Another reason the Colonists were justified in waging war was because of the Boston Massacre. The Boston Massacre occurred on the evening of March 5, 1770. A crowd of people began harassing the soldiers. One event led to another and the crowd began hurling snowballs and rocks. One of the snowballs struck a soldier and he fired his weapon, causing a series of shots toward the crowd.
There were many battles and acts that Thomas Paine believed were sufficient reasoning as to why it was time the colonists gained their independence. We had already been in war. We had gone through various battles in many years with Britain, so fighting as this point was not a new idea. So, Thomas Paine pitched that we should go to war for our independence, because we’ve already been at war. The very start of the reasoning for the war against Britain all began with Britain’s need for income after the French Indian War. That led to the Sugar Act (1764), Stamp Act(1765), Quartering Act(1765), Declaratory Act(1766), Townshend’s Act(1767), Tea Act(1773), Coercive Acts(1774), Battle of Lexington (1775).Then came the Battle of Bunker Hill (1775) which was crucial to the gradual movement towards independence, which is what Thomas Paine strived for and believed in. This battle gave colonists the confidence they needed, and was the Battle that showed the colonies that they could stand against
The British were trying to control the Americans entirely, with their monopoly on trade, and also thought that the Americans would do everything they demanded them to do. The colonists soon figured out Great Britain's angle on the situation. That was, they didn't understand why they were forced to pay taxes to the British, when they had no say in Britain's actions.
The colonists felt that they were being treated very unfairly by Great Britain, as King George III was acting like a tyrant towards them. “We are reduced to the alternative of choosing an unconditional submission to the tyranny of irritated [British officials], or resistance by force.” (Document 5) The colonists felt helpless against the enormous power of Great Britain. “The history of the present King
They were fed up with the mistreatment they experienced, and how the tyrant King abused his power over the colonies. Due to the miscommunication between the colonies and Great Britain, both sides did not understand what each other thought about the laws and taxes. The colonists also saw fault in the taxation and applied acts because they were implemented for the sake of levying taxes on them, which they deemed to be unconstitutional. The colonists felt that the reason why the British did not understand the needs and wants of the American colonists is that they colonists did not have any representation in the British Parliament, which they saw as unfair. Violence towards each other further increased the tension and antagonism towards one another, The British are at fault because they were enforcing many things upon the colonies without their consent, opinion, and any consideration for them in order to inform them that they are in charge and more superior. The American colonists were also motivated to accomplish the Enlightenment ideals and they became increasingly exasperated with how they are being badly treated by the British. Eventually, they hit their breaking point and decided to fight for their freedom and not be slaves to the British any longer. Overall, waging war and breaking away from Great Britain was justified because of the tyranny of the British and the mistreatment the colonists
It is likely John Locke would become an exponent of classical liberalism because he insisted that English politics depend on “rights of Englishmen” and representative government throughout Parliament. Also, he insisted that if a government doesn’t protect natural human rights, the government becomes a tyranny.
On April 19, 1775, the British marched into Lexington, ordering the Patriots to disperse as an undetermined gun fired “the shot heard around the world”. Only one British soldier was wounded, but the American Revolution had begun. On August 23, 1775, King George declared the American colonies in “open and avowed rebellion” and that “they must submit or triumph.” He viewed the rebellion as traitorous and urged Parliament to move quickly to end the revolt. He signed The Proclamation of Rebellion, giving Parliament the authority to dispatch troops against his own subjects, something the colonists believed impossible. Four months later Parliament declared the colonies beyond protection. Still, the King urged the colonists to understand “that
...he reason for this was two-fold: First, because Parliament ignored the petitions of the colonists by passing the Tea Act, they triggered the actions of the Boston Tea Party with all of the tyrannical actions proceeding it – mainly the Boston Port Bill. Second, because the King chose to reject the colonists' petition for assistance against the actions of Parliament, they then chose to consider the options of Independence that Paine was able to address. If either party chose to actually listen to the grievances of the colonists, perhaps the Revolution wouldn't have happened: Parliament could have understood why the colonists chose to not consume British goods and the King might have been able to resolve the animosity between Parliament and the colonies. However, because they chose not to listen the populace chose to react, and that reaction was the American Revolution.
History has many exciting and devastating times.During the 1600s-1700s there has been a series of acts and wars.During this time there were many famous people at the time this happened.People like George Washington,Benjamin Franklin,Paul Revere,and King George III.One of the reasons is because after the French and Indian War;the british were taxing without representation.This starts the American Revolution.The British and the Patriots started to get heated at one another.After the French and Indian War the British said no one was a loud to cross the Appalachian Mountains,but the colonist did anyway.This is how the American Revolution happened.
The French and Indian War set the stage for future events that no one could ever have imagined. The economic practice of mercantilism, which insured profit only to the mother country was the accepted practice between England and her colonies. As long as these economic policies were met, England left much of the day to day governing of the colonies up to the colonies. It was this "salutory neglect" that ultimately led to the ideological differences between England and the colonies. England won the war, but it paid a great price for that victory. England was bankrupted, and as a result had no choice but to look to her colonies to regain financial stability. The pressures of taxation and naval restrictions imposed by the crown and Parliament, were viewed by the colonists as tyrannical acts. Although the colonies were on a path to becoming "Americanized" they held the lessons of Magna Carta, the Glorious Revolution of 1688-89 close to their heart. In their eyes, "Englishmen had rights" under the laws of the mother country. It was only when these laws were usurpted by the crown that the colonies had no choice but to protest their discontent. The political authority that England executed over the colonies after so many years of neglect led to the ideological differences that would ultimately result in the American Revolution.
The American Revolution fundamentally changed American society in positive and negative ways. There were political, social, and economic alterations that occurred during this time period from 1775 to 1800 that ultimately affected our country by changing it and giving us what we have today.
There has been a constant and difficult struggle for everyone in America to gain their freedom. Many people have fought hard and died for their freedom. America pushed to be free from Britain through the American Revolution, the Union pushed to end slavery through the Civil War, and women pushed to gain equal rights for women.
The British deserve the taxes we pay for their protection in the French and Indian War, and the rejection of the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, and the Tea Act is unjustified. Also, the Boston Tea Party was a poor and illegal way to protest, and should not be viewed as a positive event in the patriot’s fight for freedom. Finally, the information that is causing a patriot uprising in the Colonies is highly biased, and not based completely off of truth. While the patriots may believe that independence is the Colonies’ best option, based on the reasons given, loyalty will ensure economic success with Britain at the helm, grant us protection from the largest army in the world, and keep peace, to avoid fighting a completely one sided war. The question the Colonies must ask themselves: if one puts the brash and impulsive thinking aside and examines the true facts, is a war really worth the time, money, and