Imagine living in a country where no citizen has a say in the government’s actions. Envision a nation where the ruler can tax people without permission and the common people are forced to obey without question. That was life in The Colonies before the year of 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was created. Great Britain passed laws whether it benefited the people or not. Before the Declaration of Independence was composed, a plethora of unnecessary taxes were approved. These taxes sent many colonists into debt. According to “The Declaration of Independence, 1776,” published on Office of the Historian, a famous tax called the Stamp Act was passed by Parliament. This tax forced colonists to purchase stamps for every paper product …show more content…
Written in the Declaration of Independence is the sentence: “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it…” This excerpt signifies that the people have the right to change or to even exterminate the government, but only in desperate times. Highlighted in the boxed paragraph in Document D of the DBQ packet is the Tea Party Movement. As quoted in the document, “This movement has risen, in a large part, because our elected officials have failed us… Therefore, Individuals acting through the Tea Party Movement seek to restore the policies, which are proven to safeguard liberty and prosperity for all.” Members of the Tea Party Movement seek a smaller government, decreased taxes, and the cutback of charges. This movement wishes only to change the government, not abolish it. They are not satisfied with the government and how things are run, so they have the right to change it, but only in desperate times. The significance of this ideal is that the people can rebuild the government if the government was not carrying out its duties and protecting the peoples’ rights. The Founding Fathers knew that it is certainly possible for a government to fail the people, as Great Britain’s government has failed the colonists, so the writers of the Declaration considered different possibilities and gave the people the right to change the government. Though the people are given this right, it is only when they can endure no longer that they can modify the government. The consent of the governed still stands superior to other ideals of the Declaration of Independence for one primary reason: the people. With permission of themselves, the people may alter or abolish the government. It is because of the people, the government, that Americans have this right, that the people can carry this right
When 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 power to tax is key to a successful government. If a government is to act it needs the means to do so. The Articles withheld the power of taxation from Congress and gave it to the local governments. Congress could only appeal to the states for money. Unsurprisingly, the states did not respond with any of the requested money. This was a serious problem because the U.S. was in an incredible amount of debt as a result of the Revolutionary War. If money cannot be collected, how are debts to be paid? Some in Congress believed the problem could be solved by printing more money. However, this strategy only led to inflation, which weakened the economy furthe...
The British rule that was established in the colonies was oppressive and unfair. The British rule was immoral because Parliament contained a totality of British politicians who only cared about Britain’s wants and needs. The Colonists, “wanted the right to vote about their own taxes, like the people living in Britain. But no colonists were permitted to serve in the British Parliament.” (Ember) This unfairness led to many unwanted laws such as the Intolerable Acts and the Stamp Act. These laws did not benefit the colonists in any way, but the acts significantly helped the British. Laws and acts were forced
According to document 1, the stamp act was being destroyed would restore America's liberty. The stamp act was the first direct tax in colonial history, and was created to help pay for the British troops stationed in the colonies. The taxing made colonists angry because now
After enduring “a long train of abuses and usurpations” the colonists decided to declare themselves free of British rule (para 2). Jefferson writes that given their “unalienable rights . . . Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”, “it is the Right of the People . . . to institute new Government”, one that will fairly represent them, to reestablish order (para 2). The Declaration of Independence does not seek to convince or even encourage action; rather, it aims to declare. There are no mistaking Jefferson’s words. The Colonists are tired of the mistreatment and they are effectively severing all “Allegiance to the British Crown, and . . . political connection” (para 23). The audience of The Declaration of Independence, the world, is specifically addressed twice. The first
After the Great War for Empire, the British parliament began carrying out taxes on the colonists to help pay for the war. It was not long from the war that salutary neglect was brought on the colonies for an amount of time that gave the colonists a sense of independence and identity. A farmer had even wrote once: “Here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labours and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world” (Doc H). They recognized themselves as different than the British, so when parliament began passing bills to tax without representation there was an outcry of mistreatment. Edmund Burke, a man from parliament, sympathized with the colonists: “Govern America as you govern an English town which happens not to be represented in Parl...
Aristotle stated, “From the hour of their birth, some men are for subjection, others for rule.” Not so, thought Declaration of Independence author Thomas Jefferson, young and idealistic lawyer.
On July 4th, 1776, is when the United States were born. After years of suffrage from Great Britain, we finally were given a simple structure. After posting the Declaration of Independence they put a list which are complaints called the list of grievances. The Declaration is important due to help the democracy grow. The natural rights, consent of the governed and abolish government which are 3 ideals of the Declaration of Independence.
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence for the American colonists to proclaim freedom from Great Britain's oppressor, King George III. American colonists had been suffering for many years when this important document was drafted. King George III had pushed the colonists into a state of tyranny and most decided it was time to start an independent nation under a different type of government. Jefferson focused his piece toward many audiences. He wanted not only King George III and the British Parliament to know the American's feelings, but also the entire world. The time had come for an immense change amongst the American colonists and Jefferson made sure everyone was aware of it by using his superior strategies of persuasion.
In the third section of the Declaration Of Independence states all the wrongs the people thought the king of England did to them. The colonists thought the king was treating them unfairly. For example he refused to approve laws that would help the colonists. He also made them pay taxes without their consent along with forbidding trade with other countries. They tried to talk to the king about their complaints but he ignored them. All of this made the colonists very angry. In this section the colonists write that they have had it with Britain’s Tyranny Rule.
The Declaration of Independence listed the grievances such as, “He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.” The next important step to the foundation of a new government was to gain peoples ambition by showing how the government would be run if a new party took over. This goal was achieved by stating the rights of man. “We hold these truths to be self evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” This statement made people hopeful and feel kindly toward this new government.
The second continental congress was signing an important document on the July of 1776, that will forever change the aspects of how the English Colonies (Now the United States of America) would function as an independent nation. If I were I be there, I would fully support and sign the document, based on its political and economic reasons. This founding document was to be known as the Declaration of Independence.
Congress ratified the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776. While a document for Americans to declare their independence from Great Britain, it was also a giant public relations campaign to persuade people to fight with the Americans against the British. Many Americans were against the Revolution and believed there was no use fighting against the British since they would win and make the situation in America worse. Additionally, very few Americans trusted the Government made up of and run by elites. Congress created the Declaration to give the American people false hope of equality and the end of tyranny if America won the Revolution, which resulted in so many people supporting and taking part in it.
In the year 1776, an extremely critical event in American history took place. 56 delegates signed a document that declared why they believe that men are created with unalienable rights and why tyranny would no longer be tolerated. They forever changed the way America would function. The Declaration of Independence, being based on other philosophy and documents, was a revolutionary epitome of freedom and justice that discussed the colonists independence, proper roles of the government, and the sacrifices of the men who drafted and signed the historical document.
Back then in the 1700s, several documents were being created as laws, including no other than the Declaration of Independence. Human rights has been a dispute for many years. Due to the many interpretations of the written document. Furthermore, a lot has changed or stayed the same since the document was written and established as The Declaration of Independence.