Were The American Colonists Justified Analysis

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In 1776, the American colonists declared their independence from Great Britain. The colonists once had a great respect for their mother country until they found themselves treated unfairly and unreasonably. The American colonists were justified in declaring independence from Great Britain because of Britain’s restrictive trade policies, taxation without consent, and prohibition of westward settlement. Britain’s restrictive trade policies were one of several reasons why the colonists were justified in breaking away from their mother country. Their policies regulated all trade, ruining their economic opportunity. The greediness of Great Britain did not allow for the economy of the colonies to flourish. In “Causes of the American Discontents,” published in 1768, Benjamin Franklin states, “these people are not content with making a monopoly of us, forbidding us to trade with any other country of Europe and compelling us to buy everything of them… Thus they get all our money from us by trade, and every profit...” As Franklin explained, the colonies were forbidden to trade with anyone else besides England. Britain took economic advantage of the colonies, essentially taking money from their own people. …show more content…

The Townshend Acts was an act passed without any colonist’s say. It placed duties on imported items for the purpose of revenue. In his "Letters from a Farmer," published in 1766, John Dickinson argued, "There is [a] late act of Parliament, which seems to me to be... destructive to the liberty of these colonies,... that is the act for granting duties on paper, glass, etc. It appears to me to be unconstitutional." As Dickinson stated, the Townshend Act placed taxes on imported goods such as paper, glass, tea etc. It was deemed unconstitutional promptly, for the Parliament imposed the taxes without the colonist’s

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