Were_the_Colonist_Justified_

If the British dedicated 7 years to winning a war for the colonies, what were the means for the colonist to declare their independence' England went into war because of territorial claims. They fought a long strenuous battle for seven years. Finally, on February 10, 1763, the British signed the Treaty of Paris. The British now had jurisdiction of the 13 colonies, Florida, and Canada. The British had not been supervising the colonies for a long time. A period of salutary neglect came into affect. During the time of salutary neglect America developed their own systems, and sufficed on their own. The British soon enforced their rule, which led to the colonist rebelling. The British believed in an economical policy known as mercantilism. The basis of mercantilism was insuring all American proceeds should be owed to England as war reparations. Because of mercantilism, the British imposed several duties and laws the Colonials thought to be unjust, which ultimately led to rebelling. The colonist justification in rebelling was England limiting their development, British soldiers abusing Americans, and Parliament not valuing the colonist complaints. Although England prospered as a country, it did not advance America and disrupted their progress. In Common Sense by Thomas Paine, he believed America would have been triumphant without England. “I answer roundly that America would have flourished as much, and probably much more, had no European power taken any notice of her. The commerce by which she hath enriched herself are the necessaries of life, and will always have a market while eating is the custom of Europe” (155, The American Spirit). Governor Berkeley of Virginia went on to say, “by that severe act of Parliament which excludes us the having any commerce with any nation in Europe but our own, so that we cannot add to our plantation any commodity that grows out of it, as olive trees, cotton, or vines” (131, The American Spirit). America had many valuable resources such as tobacco, sugar, cotton, indigo, dye, wool, and ginger. Europe had great interest in America’s enumerated goods. Due to the mercantilist policy, England wanted to have complete control of the colonist’s enumerated goods. Soon, Britain passed the Navigation Act of 1660, which allowed America to trade enumerated goods only with England and the colonies. By having complete control of the colonist’s resources, great revenue was brought to England. In 1663 the second Navigation Act passed. The second Navigation Act closed off all trade between European countries and America, and nothing could be imported directly into America. Products had to traded through England first. The Navigation Acts infuriated colonist because they paid more for imports, and not making as much money on their enumerated goods. England also demanded tobacco, and farm owners could not expand their crops. Without having England as the middleman, the colonist would have been able to flourish significantly because they had products European countries sought after. The British had several laws the colonist did not approve of, and the soldiers enforcing laws abused the colonist. The British mistreated the colonist and took advantage of their authority. After the Seven Years’ War, British troops stayed in North America and enforced unjust laws. In the declaration of independence Thomas Jefferson wrote, “For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us; for protecting them, by a mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states;” (158, The American Spirit). Jefferson was referring to the coercive acts. Specifically allowing British officials who have been arrested in the line of duty to be transferred to England or Canada for trial, where they would not be convicted. Also, British troops could quarter anywhere they were needed. The Coercive Acts were a reaction to the Boston Tea Party, in which the colonist threw 340 chests of British tea overboard. The revulsion of the Coercive Acts unified the colonies, they began calling them the “Intolerable Acts,” and all of America believed England abused their power and took away natural rights. Thomas Paine said, “Have you lost a parent or a child by their hands, and yourself the ruined and wretched survivor' If you have not, then you are not a judge of those who have. But if you have, and you can still shake hands with the murderers, then are you unworthy the name of husband, father, friend, or lover; and whatever may be your rank or title in life, you have the heart of a coward, and the spirit of a sycophant” (155, The American Spirit). Paine was referring to instances in which British soldiers in America killed colonist. The British sent several thousand soldiers into Boston. Intimidating colonial rebels was their main objective, however on March 5th, 1770, the Boston Massacre occurred. The Boston Massacre was the first time bloodshed arose in the conflict between the colonist and British. A crowd of locals began harassing British troops, the crowd got bigger and more threatening. British troops fired shots and left five Americans dead. On April 18th, 1775, a fire was shot, better known as the shot heard around the world. The shot resulted in a battle. The clash took the lives of eight Americans. In December of 1775 Parliament declared war. Now the British not only took rights from Americans, they openly fought them with arms. Paine believed there was no rational reason to remain at peace with the British if they consistently abused the colonist, took their liberties, and most importantly took their lives. While the British soldiers were abusing their authority through violence, the colonists were attempting peaceful ways to put an end to the unfair laws. The colonist objected all of Britain’s acts and opposed their unfair ruling with peace, but the British refused to respect their objections. Jefferson stated, “They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and consanguinity. We must therefore, acquiesce I the necessity which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends” (159, The American Spirit). Paine claimed, “Every quiet method for peace hath been ineffectual. Our prayers have been rejected with disdain” (155, The American Spirit). With all of the British taxes, America chose peaceful tactics such as boycotts, and petitions. For example, many American’s protested the Sugar Act because it was an act strictly for revenue. Yet Britain did not repeal it and considered their petitions as signs of lack of appreciation. While the Sugar act was still in effect, the British enforced the Stamp Act, which required a royal stamp on all printed documents. The colonist formed a Stamp Act Congress. The Stamp Act congress drafted petitions to Parliament saying no tax should be forced on them unless it was with their consent, or their representatives taxed them. The colonist got the Stamp Act repealed, however the Declaratory Act followed. Parliament passed the Declaratory Act to show the colonist that they were still the mother country and had total control of the colonies. Respect for Parliament had been lost. The British then passed the Townshend Revenue Acts in 1767. The Colonies organized boycotts of British goods. The Massachusetts House of Representatives drafted a letter explaining how to put a stop to the Townshend Acts. “Lord Hillsborough, England’s secretary for American affairs, took offense. He called the letter a “seditious paper” and ordered the Massachusetts Representatives to rescind it” (60, America Past and Present). The colonist objected all of through means of peace, yet the British continued to put aside these objections and continued with their unreasonable acts of authority. The colonist had the right to rebel against England because England negatively impacted America. England did not allow America to prosper, took advantage of their authority, and did not respect the colonist’s arguments. The British continuously created laws and acts that the colonist did not approve of. The Colonist had every right to oppose these laws and acts because they hurt the colonies in many ways. America had developed systems in the period of salutary neglect. Britain used America to gain revenue, which led to conflicts in the colonies. After numerous conflicts between the colonies and Britain, the colonist declared their independence. With the declaration of independence came the Revolutionary War. The colonies won this war and won their independence once and for all.