Were the colonist justified in declaring independence from England I feel that they had plenty of just cause to separate themselves. England was taxing the colonies without fair representation in Parliament, the British also took away the right to assemble, and they were using different tactics to attempt to intimidate the colonists. One of the greatest thing that angered the colonists was the taxation without representation. The British government had good reason to tax the colonies, because they just went to war to defend them. That they understood, but they didn’t appreciate the fact that they didn’t have a say into how the debt would be paid. The British passed the Townshend Acts to offset the war debt.
This caused the colonist to reinstate the boycott on luxury items. England then passes the Tea Act taxing imported tea, but also gives the British East Indian Tea co. a complete monopoly, cutting the middleman out of the deal, thus putting American merchants nearly out of business. As time went on, and the British got a little more nervous about the colonies’ acts of rebellion, they decide to try and stop it by taking away a basic right, the right to free assembly.
This further angers the colonist. England pushes harder on the colonists until an assembly was considered to be two guys meeting on the street. All of this forces the colonists to meet underground. During this entire period the British were starting to make attempts to intimidate the colonists in hopes to end the rebellions. It seemed that the more and more England tried to scare the people, the angrier they got.
The Essay on Similarities Between The Settler Societies Of New England, The Middle Colonies, Chesapeake, And The South
The settler societies of New England, the middle colonies, the Chesapeake, and the South had similarities as well as many differences, some being religious beliefs, labor, and their societies economic standpoint. In the article, “Advice to a Young Tradesman” by Benjamin Franklin, it’s stated, “…the way to wealth, if you desire it, is as plain as the way to market. It depends chiefly on two words, ...
The tactics obviously didn’t work, but instead pushed the colonists even further into standing up against Britain. The British soldiers in America were told not to enti c violence, and especially not to kill anybody. Accidents do happen, as shown with the Boston Massacre. The crowds were getting rowdy, made then British soldiers panic, and they opened up fire.
The incident upset both the British government and American colonies greatly. The soldiers were found innocent accept for two who were found guilty of manslaughter, branded and set free. The British seemed to have good intent in the beginning, but had to much pride to agree with the colonies demands. If the British had only listened, and worked with the colonies things could have been worked out. But ultimately their arrogance and greed cost them their colonies, a war and even greater, their dignity.
