British Dbq Essay

The british empire helped to establish the thirteen colonies in the new world, however the british did not enforce their power over the colonies.When the colonist had already begun to self-govern themselves ,britain then asserted power over the colonies by creating unjust laws and taxes.The colonist based on many factors believed that they were being mistreated in which caused them to protest.When their protest efforts did not change the way they were being treated the colonist decided to rebel.The colonists were justified in their rebellion. The colonists believed they were being oppressed and abused by the British. From 1607-1763 the colonies were mostly left on their own to self-govern because of Great Britain salutary neglect, as long as they sold Britain raw materials and purchased Britain’s manufactured goods (Mercantilism). After the French and Indian war was over, however, British policy towards the colonies completely changed. Britain began to tax the colonists in order to pay for the debt brought on by the French and Indian War.To the British, this was fair, because the colonists were British subjects, and they had to pay taxes just like the British citizens. The French and Indian War ultimately defended and protected the colonies against French and Indian aggression. From the colonial perspective, they viewed the taxes to be unjust,the first of which was the Stamp Act in 1765 which taxed all paper goods, such as newspapers, playing cards, and even marriage licenses. Other taxes, like the Molasses Act and Tea act also angered the colonists deeply and led to boycotts of British Products. It wasn’t just about the taxes, the colonists stood behind the slogan “No Taxation without Representation,” a belief that because they had no representatives in the British Parliament, they should not be taxed. The British felt that because the colonists were British subjects, that they received the same representation as all British subjects, even though they could not vote. Another way the colonists believed the british were abusing their power was through the Quartering Act,which essentially allowed British soldiers to be housed in …show more content…
These writers provided much of the basis of the Revolutionary ideas that was to were circulating in the colonies.Writings such as John Locke’s “Two Treatises of Government,” Montesquieu’s “Spirit of the Laws,” and Rousseau’s provided inspiration to the colonist. These writings promoted the idea of a “Social Contract” between rulers and the people, stating that ruler only should protect the natural rights of the people.Common Sense by Thomas Paine in 1776 radically changed the mood of the colonist ,by causing them to favor independence. He used scientific arguments as well as reason to persuade the colonists to revolt. Pain argued that the french and indian war wasn 't fought to benefit the colonists but instead great britain,when he states“Her motive was interest not attachment; she did not protect us from our enemies on our account, but from her enemies on her own account.”Pain also argues that Britain should not have control over the colonies because the 13 colonies were a different society compared to Britain,when he states“There is something very absurd in supposing a Continent to be perpetually governed by an island...England and America reverse the order of nature, it is evident they belong to different systems- England to Europe, America to itself.”Pain’s strongest argument was simply when he states “A government of our own is our natural rights.”