Throughout the colonies, hatred towards the monarchy grew, and the ideas of self-government flowed through the Americans’ heads. The loyal, royal subjects of the king slowly changed their views, and soon the entire country turned to revolution. The monarchy in America died, and there was no turning back. The American obsession with self-government is brought forth by the ideas and oppression put forward by the British government in the American past.
British philosophers questioned and thought about government, politics and natural law. In his book Leviathan, in 1660, Hobbes wrote about politics and the natural law. Hobbes believed that men have three causes to fight: “First, competition; secondly, diffidence; thirdly, glory”. This led him …show more content…
The English sought for a tight hold on the colonies and therefore imposed several laws on them. In 1651, the first notable law of many was instated. This law was the Navigation Acts which stated that the colonists could only trade with England, rather than any European nations they wished to. However, the original Navigation Acts were not upheld to their full ability, so “colonists found it relatively easy to trade on their own terms, whether that was with foreign nations, pirates, or smugglers.” After the Glorious Revolution, King Charles II increased his power over the North American colonies, and issued a new set of Navigation Acts, much to the colonists’ disdain, with a stronger hold on the colonists than the original ones.
After the Navigation Act, the British continued to oppress the colonists by taxing their goods. Just after the Seven Years’ War ended in 1763, Britain needed to pay off its war debt, so Parliament decided to tax the colonies. In 1764, Parliament established the Sugar Act, and quickly followed it with the Stamp Act. The British government taxed the colonists on their common and frequently used goods, which led to the colonists’ anger, but “in response, patriots organized non-importation agreements” to avoid being
British philosophers questioned and thought about government, politics and natural law. In his book Leviathan, in 1660, Hobbes wrote about politics and the natural law. Hobbes believed that men have three causes to fight: “First, competition; secondly, diffidence; thirdly, glory”. This led him …show more content…
The English sought for a tight hold on the colonies and therefore imposed several laws on them. In 1651, the first notable law of many was instated. This law was the Navigation Acts which stated that the colonists could only trade with England, rather than any European nations they wished to. However, the original Navigation Acts were not upheld to their full ability, so “colonists found it relatively easy to trade on their own terms, whether that was with foreign nations, pirates, or smugglers.” After the Glorious Revolution, King Charles II increased his power over the North American colonies, and issued a new set of Navigation Acts, much to the colonists’ disdain, with a stronger hold on the colonists than the original ones.
After the Navigation Act, the British continued to oppress the colonists by taxing their goods. Just after the Seven Years’ War ended in 1763, Britain needed to pay off its war debt, so Parliament decided to tax the colonies. In 1764, Parliament established the Sugar Act, and quickly followed it with the Stamp Act. The British government taxed the colonists on their common and frequently used goods, which led to the colonists’ anger, but “in response, patriots organized non-importation agreements” to avoid being