Assume for a moment that you are an American colonist who is attempting to break away from the imperialistic power of Great Britain. During the time of Great Britain’s reign over the colonies, you feel as though Great Britain has progressed into a mother country that is both unfair and untrustworthy to the colonists of America. Although there may be numerous explanations as to why the colonists transformed into revolutionaries against the mother country of Great Britain, there is one recognizable reason that drove the colonists towards independence. The colonists of America hated the implementation of taxes on the colonies, which drove the revolutionaries to act out against Great Britain. Some relevant ways the colonists approached their disgust with the taxes is through documents, events, and prominent key figures. One method that colonists used to act out against the taxes bestowed upon the colonies was through documents. In the writing of the Declaration of Independence, the structure of the whole document is based off of the flaws committed by the king of Britain onto the colonies. One of the flaws listed within the confines of the text is the issue on taxation against the colonies. For example, Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, states, “He [king of Britain] has imposed taxes on us without our consent” (DOI), which is substantial evidence to prove that the colonists were taxed unfairly. Furthermore, governments were created to act out against imperial taxation. For example, when George Grenville introduced the Stamp Act, which was developed “to generate revenue; required printed documents to bear revenue stamps purchased from royal stamp distributors” (59), colonists were outraged by Grenville... ... middle of paper ... ...ch was ultimately ineffective and “greatly taken out of context by the media; made Virginians seem like radicals”(59). Through these two powerful individuals, this gave Americans a reason to fight for the interests of their land in America. Overall, the colonists strongly disapproved of the various taxes implemented by Great Britain. Although Great Britain unfairly taxed the colonists, this action, with many others, was a jumpstart for colonists to break away and create a nation of their own. Without the work and strenuous labor of the colonists to break away from the monarchy, America could still be a benefactor to Great Britain. Works Cited Divine, Robert A., T.H. Breen, George M. Frederickson, R. Hal Williams, Ariela J. Gross, H.W. Brands, and Randy Roberts. America: Past and Present- Volume I: To 1877. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson, 2011. Print.
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Show MoreWhen the colonies were being formed, many colonists came from England to escape the restrictions placed upon them by the crown. Britain had laws for regulating trade and collecting taxes, but they were generally not enforced. The colonists had gotten used to being able to govern themselves. However, Britain sooned changed it’s colonial policy because of the piling debt due to four wars the British got into with the French and the Spanish. The most notable of these, the French and Indian War (or the Seven Years’ War), had immediate effects on the relationship between the colonies and Great Britain, leading to the concept of no taxation without representation becoming the motivating force for the American revolutionary movement and a great symbol for democracy amongst the colonies, as Britain tried to tighten their hold on the colonies through various acts and measures.
The British policies having to do with the American colonies that passed between 1763 and 1776 were an attempt by Britain to have the colonists pay for the French and Indian War and an attempt to keep the colonies subservient to British rule. However these policies backfired and cause the colonist’s to resist British authority and strengthened their commitment to republican values in government. The policies implemented new taxes in order to raise funds and caused what the colonists believed to be injustices to go unchecked by the government, as well as causing the colonists to turn to republican ways of self-governing. The colonists felt as if they were not being properly represented in the British parliament, which led to them turning towards
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.
In the mid eighteenth century colonist of the new world started to rebel against Britain. Living in the colonies cost Britain a great deal of money Colonist did not like that they were being taxed. There were several acts passed that angered the colonists. For example, the Stamp Act, the Stamp Act was passed in 1765 taxed all legal documents including newspapers and other printed materials. The Stamp Act affected all that bought printed materials and it did not affect the poor because it was not too expensive. The colonist started to rebel and boycotted “No taxation without representation.” The colonists rebelled in many ways one of them was the Boston Tea Party. The Boston Tea Party occurred in 1773 as an act of revolt colonists threw tea cargo of a ship to the ocean. These acts of Britain towards the new colonies caused colonist to revolve and declare war to separate from Britain. The colonists were not justified to going to war to break away from Britain because England was paying more taxes and the mother country deserved absolute respect; however, the colonists were justified to break away from Britain because they were taxed without representation.
Henretta, James A., Robert O. Self, and Rebecca Edwards. America a Concise History. Vol. 1: To 1877. Boston: Bedford / St. Martin's, 2013. N. pag. Print. Pages 195, 196, 198-199
The most fundamental reason for the American Revolution was the colonist’s outrage over taxation which led to a tax revolt launched by people who were tired of the burden of paying unfair taxes. The king placed taxes known as Townsend Acts, on the colonist’s tea, paper, paint, lead, glass, and many other items that were used daily and the colonists were against this taxing. The purpose of the Townsend Acts was to help pay the cost of government in America. Lawyer James Otis and other colonist rebels referred to King George as a tyrant. As stated by James Otis in The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved (1763), . . . “The very act of taxing exercised over those who are not represented appears to me to be depriving them of one of their most essential rights as freemen, and if continued seems to be in effect and entire
...even Years War, taxes were imposed on American colonies that were not favored. Thirteen colonies declared their independence from Great Britain in 1776, forming the American Revolutionary War (487–489). In reference to the ideals John Locke, the American Declaration of Independence was issued enforcing limited government. To emphasize this separation, “it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another” (489).
Fleming highlights the fact that “No taxation without representation” was one of the famous slogans during the time of the American Revolution; this slogan means that the Americans were being taxed by the British without cause, which was one of the main causes of the American Revolution. In 1776 Americans were the highest income in the world, least taxed and producing one-seventh of the world’s iron. With American being high above everyone else Britain decided Americans should pay the some cost (Fleming 1). This is significant because America was the least taxed and then Britain began taxing Americans causing a revolution. This leads to America being fine without being bombarded with taxes so they bombarded the British.
The American Revolution was marked by the colonies’ independence from Britain. This separation pronounced a new age marked by a decisive political change in the colonies because of the implementation of the Enlightenment ideals and the continuation of English liberties. However, the American Revolution was considered a conservative movement because it “originated from an effort to preserve the existing liberties of the colonies rather than create new ones” (Strayer, 782). Furthermore, the revolution occurred not on the issue of taxation, but on the issue of representation. The colonists believed autonomy was part of their birthright and as Englishmen along with their economic rights and their “natural rights to life, liberty, and property” (Kramnick, Lockean Liberalism). These two sentiments can be seen in their famous slogan “No taxation without representation”. By challenging their economic interests, their established traditions of local autonomy, and their identity as true Englishmen, the colonists were truly infuriated. Thus the American Revolution didn’t grow out of the social tensions within the colonies but rather from an unexpected effort by the British government to tighten its control over the colonies and ex...
What would you do if you were being taxed a lot of money from the powerful government and your opinion meant nothing to them? Well this is the situation the American colonists faced before the American Revolutionary war. The French and Indian war in the 1760s. The British government needed money to pay for the war, so King George III passed the laws to tax all the colonists. The colonists became very mad and then began the American War. Two British actions that the colonist thought were unfair were the high taxes without colonist representation in the British parliament and the quartering of the British soldiers in colonial buildings. The two ations the colonists took to resist the British was The Boston Tea Party and boycotting British goods.
The American colonists had a large amount of causes for rebelling against the British, as King George III was acting in his best interests as a dictator, not in the interests of the colonists. The British, including King George, had no right to force the colonists to pay taxes. At the time, Britain was the most powerful country in Europe, it could have easily gained money another way. It also became evident that many colonists were no longer loyal to the British crown, and that colonists were unhappy under Britain. Many former loyalists now recognized the potential of America, that Britain was no longer needed to rule over the thirteen colonies. Along with all of these problems, the British government was not protecting the rights of its American citizens, only its citizens that lived in Britain under Parliament.
The main reason for the severance of the colonies from Britain was the lack of equality in parliament and the disregard for colonial needs. Whether it be forcing someone to pay for a war they did not fight or want, limiting one’s need for land, or piling on the taxes, all of these factors played a part in the dissolving of British-colonial ties. The colonists were only human and had the human reaction of defiance to injustice. If the colonists had not of had the audacity that they did, today’s America would be a very different place. Breaking away from Britain was the greatest thing the colonists could have possible done.
Ritchie, D. and Broussar, A. (1997). American History: The Early Years to 1877. New York: Glencoe
Breen, T.H., H.W. Brands, et al. America: Past and Present. Upper Saddle River NJ: Pearson, Print.
A new era was dawning on the American colonies and its mother country Britain, an era of revolution. The American colonists were subjected to many cruel acts of the British Parliament in order to benefit England itself. These British policies were forcing the Americans to rebellious feelings as their rights were constantly being violated by the British Crown. The colonies wanted to have an independent government and economy so they could create their own laws and stipulations. The British imperial policies affected the colonies economic, political, and geographic situation which intensified colonists’ resistance to British rule and intensified commitment to their republican values.