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.
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
“The [ American ] Revolution...was in the minds and hearts of the people. This radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments and affections...was the real American Revolution”- John Adams,1818. This quote symbolizes the reasons, and importance for the Colonists wanting freedom.Great Britain had left the Colonists to govern themselves till the 1760s.The Colonists developed different lifestyles than Britain. They had different perceptions of how a government should rule their citizens. They did not want to be controlled at Britain's behest. Unreasonable laws, and taxes were why the Colonists went war.
The road to independence for the colonists began with the “shot heard round the world”. The colonists were being heavily controlled by the British in many ways that can be considered unfair. During this time Britain was in massive debt from the French and Indian war. To get out of this debt, Parliament decided to tax the colonists to help pay their expenses. Although Britain approved of the taxes, the American colonists did not. The colonists felt that they should not be taxed without their consent, and as a result many colonists boycotted British imports. The revolutionary war was justified by the colonists because Great Britain was a tyranny and there were many strict acts enforced upon them.
In accordance with (Document 6), the colonists had believed that the ruling of Great Britain over their colonies had lead to mistreatment, unfair judgment, and down-right misunderstanding of who owns the colonies. The colonists were treated as though they were second-hand citizens working and paying the taxes that were imposed on them by Great Britain. They misjudge the colonists and treat them like this without being able to comprehend the calamities and hardships which the colonists had to struggle through. From (Document 6), the quote ¨In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms; our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. 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¨ which helps to show that the colonists believe that they must stand up against Great Britain and to protest against the taxes they have imposed and the actions that lead to the colonists being treated as though they are second-hand
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.
The American Revolution was so much more than just a war, or a time in history. It was a time where America grew, and as the name suggests, revolutionized their way of thinking and governing. It was a time for some great thinkers to get their ideas out there, and these ideas helped shape America into what it is today. These revolutionary thinkers shared their ideas publicly, and that gave the people ways to revolutionize their thoughts as well. They flipped what they knew about government upside down. They turned against the ways of monarchy, realizing that all men should be equal and should not be under a tyrannical king any longer. While this revolution was extremely powerful, it was also a trial and error effort. The Patriots tried many
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.
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 American Revolution was sparked by a myriad of causes. These causes in themselves could not have sparked such a massive rebellion in the nation, but as the problems of the colonies cumulated, their collective impact spilt over and the American Revolution ensued. Many say that this war could have been easily avoided and was poorly handled by both sides, British and American; but as one will see, the frame of thought of the colonists was poorly suited to accept British measures which sought to “overstep” it’s power in the Americas. Because of this mindset, colonists developed a deep resentment of British rule and policies; and as events culminated, there was no means to avoid revolution and no way to turn back.
In 1776 Thomas Paine wrote ‘there is something very absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island’. This Enlightenment thinking is what made the Revolution revolutionary. Colonists rejected the ideas of imperial monarchy and made a bold statement in deciding to have a non-monarchical government. In the 1680s John Locke’s writings of a social contract, showed the colonists that the British lacked the legitimacy to impose taxes on them, in his writings Locke wrote that if the people are dissatisfied with the government then they have a right to rebel – this is what the Americans did in 1775. By the time the fighting had started most of the colonists were already self-governing and saw themselves as a different entity to Britain. This can be seen in the term ‘Patriots’, which was used for the colonists who rejected the Acts passed by Britain.
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.