Hannah Dresner
World History II
Mrs. Kim
October 13, 2017
The Radical Reform from the American Revolution
Dictionary.com defines a revolution as an overthrow or repudiation and the thorough replacement of an established government or political system by the people governed. The American Revolution started in 1775 as tensions between the thirteen colonies and Britain arose. These tensions arose because Britain was trying to pay off their debt from the French and Indian war. They taxed the colonies through acts such as the Stamp Act of 1765 (define), the Townshend Tariffs of 1767 (define), and the Tea Act of 1773. The colonists were furious because not only did they not have the same rights as the British citizens, but they also were not …show more content…
This event in 1770 was the Boston Massacre. Following the Boston Massacre, in 1773, was the Boston Tea Party. Tea was a major source of income to the East India Trading company, and colonists were only allowed to buy tea from this one company. In addition, colonists also had to pay taxes on the tea. This act was named the Tea Act. Colonists were not represented by the government and they did not have a say in the taxes, so they wanted the tea sent back to Britain, but it wasn’t. The colonists protested against Britain and disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians, boarded three trade ships, and threw the ship’s cargo of tea overboard into the Boston Harbor. Parliament considered this an outrage and passed a series of Intolerable Acts in 1774 to state their control over the colonies and punish them. One of the first Intolerable Acts was the Boston Port Act. It closed the port of Boston until the colonists had paid back the East India Company for the tea lost during the Boston Tea Party and the taxes on the …show more content…
John Locke, a 17th century Englishman who redefined the nature of government by advocating for liberalism. Although he agreed with Hobbes regarding the self-interested nature of humans, he was much more optimistic about their ability to use reason to avoid tyranny. In Locke’s Second Treatise Of Government, Locke identified the basis of a legitimate government. According to Locke, a ruler gains authority through the consent of the governed. He believed that a large proponent of the government was to protect the natural rights of the people- life, liberty, and property. If the government should fail to protect these rights, its citizens would have the right to overthrow that government. “To understand political power correctly and derive it from its proper source, we must consider what state all men are naturally in. In this state men are perfectly free to order their actions, and dispose of their possessions and themselves, in any way they like, without asking anyone’s permission—subject only to limits set by the law of nature.” This idea deeply influenced Thomas Jefferson as he drafted the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, James Madison, created a government based on the Enlightenment values of liberty, equality, and a new form of justice. Why was the government truly revolutionary? This foundation of a government is still
World History II
Mrs. Kim
October 13, 2017
The Radical Reform from the American Revolution
Dictionary.com defines a revolution as an overthrow or repudiation and the thorough replacement of an established government or political system by the people governed. The American Revolution started in 1775 as tensions between the thirteen colonies and Britain arose. These tensions arose because Britain was trying to pay off their debt from the French and Indian war. They taxed the colonies through acts such as the Stamp Act of 1765 (define), the Townshend Tariffs of 1767 (define), and the Tea Act of 1773. The colonists were furious because not only did they not have the same rights as the British citizens, but they also were not …show more content…
This event in 1770 was the Boston Massacre. Following the Boston Massacre, in 1773, was the Boston Tea Party. Tea was a major source of income to the East India Trading company, and colonists were only allowed to buy tea from this one company. In addition, colonists also had to pay taxes on the tea. This act was named the Tea Act. Colonists were not represented by the government and they did not have a say in the taxes, so they wanted the tea sent back to Britain, but it wasn’t. The colonists protested against Britain and disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians, boarded three trade ships, and threw the ship’s cargo of tea overboard into the Boston Harbor. Parliament considered this an outrage and passed a series of Intolerable Acts in 1774 to state their control over the colonies and punish them. One of the first Intolerable Acts was the Boston Port Act. It closed the port of Boston until the colonists had paid back the East India Company for the tea lost during the Boston Tea Party and the taxes on the …show more content…
John Locke, a 17th century Englishman who redefined the nature of government by advocating for liberalism. Although he agreed with Hobbes regarding the self-interested nature of humans, he was much more optimistic about their ability to use reason to avoid tyranny. In Locke’s Second Treatise Of Government, Locke identified the basis of a legitimate government. According to Locke, a ruler gains authority through the consent of the governed. He believed that a large proponent of the government was to protect the natural rights of the people- life, liberty, and property. If the government should fail to protect these rights, its citizens would have the right to overthrow that government. “To understand political power correctly and derive it from its proper source, we must consider what state all men are naturally in. In this state men are perfectly free to order their actions, and dispose of their possessions and themselves, in any way they like, without asking anyone’s permission—subject only to limits set by the law of nature.” This idea deeply influenced Thomas Jefferson as he drafted the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, James Madison, created a government based on the Enlightenment values of liberty, equality, and a new form of justice. Why was the government truly revolutionary? This foundation of a government is still