Was_the_American_Revolution_Justifiable

Was the American Revolution Justifiable' While considered British subjects and Englishmen, the Americans were not treated the same, nor given the same rights. Americans believed that the King and Parliament were violating their rights of life, liberty, and happiness. Great Britain was of the mind that the colonies were to exist to support England economically, even from across a large ocean. While Great Britain felt that the taxes and laws were fair, they were severe, and harmed the economy of the colonies. Therefore, the Americans were justified in their revolt against the King and Great Britain. The economic situation took a downturn in the colonies after the creation of the Sugar Act in 1764. This was the first act that stemmed the cry, “Taxation without representation.” The colonies had no one to stand up for their interests in Parliament. Why would the Americans want to stay loyal to Britain when they weren’t loyal to them' The economic situation in America took yet another downturn with the creation of the Currency Act. An act which banned the colonists from printing and issuing paper money as “legal tender” or money that they were required to accept for debts. (Give Me Liberty, “The American Revolution, pg. 180-183). The American merchants businesses were constantly being ruined and the colonial economy continued to struggle. The Stamp Act Congress condemned the Act itself in 1765 and stated that “the duties imposed by several late Acts of Parliament, from the peculiar circumstances of these colonies, will be extremely burthensome, and grievous...the payment of them absolutely impracticable” (Major Problems, “Stamp Act Congress Condemns the Stamp Act”, pg. 104-105). The American’s let the British know that their economy would suffer and then decided to quit buying British goods and the boycotts began causing tensions to rise on both sides. Petition after petition went to Parliament. When they were ignored some were sent to the King and yet again were ignored. Patrick Henry wrote a warning to the British in 1775 saying, “Sir, we have done everything that could be done to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated, we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament. Our petitions have been slights; 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” (Major Problems, “Virginian Patrick Henry Warns the British to Maintain American Liberties, pg. 105-106). Geographical location is another reason the revolt was justifiable. The distance of the colonies from Great Britain created independence so to speak that would be hard to overcome without all the other pushes into a revolution (Class discussion, 9/20/2012). The people who were willing and open to colonizing in America were looking for new opportunities and new freedoms. Thomas Pain wrote in “Common Sense” that small islands not capable of protecting themselves are the proper object for kingdoms to take under there care, but there is something very absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island (Major Problems, “Common Sense”, pg. 107). It would make sense for the thirteen colonies on a land that was vastly larger than England, to revolt when they would be better equipped to take care, provide, and protect themselves. As much as England fought for control of the colonies, revolution was always going to happen and it was very justifiable. When a King, a leader of his people, continuously ignore their pleas, hear of their suffering from slaughters, like the Boston Massacre, and not have the decency to act in their best interest and only in the interest of the “mother land” and money, then revolution is the only solution. “Hark, Hark the sound of war is herd, and we must all attend; Take up our arms and go with speed, our country to defend. Our parent state has turned our foe, which fails our land with pain; her gallant ships, manned out for war, come thundering’ o’er the main (Major Problems, “A Song to Inspire Revolution”, pg. 110-11). A country filled with independence to the brim, whose rights of life, liberty, and happiness were being threatened. What were they to do'