Declaration Of Independence Dbq

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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. Throughout the Declaration of …show more content…

While this list easily contains over half of the document, some of the evidence against the King sticks out more than other evidence. For example, they list how “He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.” This refers to the Townshend Acts, passed by Parliament in 1767, which put new taxes on foreign consumer goods, as well as certain goods from Great Britain, where the Crown used the money collected to pay for the salaries of the military, royal Governors, and judges. The underlying problem resulting from the Townshend duties was that it took all the power away from the people since all the people in charge were under the King’s power and had to comply to the King’s wishes in order to receive their salaries. Americans reading this accusation against the King would think back to the Townshend Duties and immediately become angry and willing to fight for that to never happen to them again. Another accusation on the list says that “He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our Legislatures.” This point refers to the stationing of 14,000 soldiers in Boston to keep control of the sea ports, which later resulted in the Boston Massacre of 1770, which was not a massacre at all. The Boston Massacre resulted in 3 American deaths, but was portrayed as an actual massacre on a poster sent out to the rest of American by Paul Revere, causing Americans to believe the British were stationed in Boston to kill Americans. Although the Boston Massacre occurred several years before the Revolution, the falsely exaggerated brutality stuck in the minds of Americans for many years to follow, so when this accusation was listed in

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