Colonial Revolt Against England Analysis

Improved Essays
Reasons for Colonial Revolt Against England
Parents of newly adult children often try to continue parenting as they may have done prior to their child’s coming of age. The children, not wanting to displease their parents, may go along with it for a little while, silently resenting the rules and suggestions. Eventually though, the adult children will most likely declare their independence from their parents. Similarly, the colonies attempted to appease “Mother” England for a while, but eventually the continued efforts by England to control the colonists through taxation and unreasonable rules led to the colonies’ ultimate revolt.
Colonial Relationship to Britain Prior to the French and Indian War
Under Oliver Cromwell’s rule, the Navigation
…show more content…
While still basking in the glow of victory, the colonists celebrated the English efforts to protect their lands. General Wolfe, a British military commander, was celebrated frequently in a variety of mediums, including Benjamin West’s oil painting The Death of General Wolfe (“Making the Revolution: America,” n.d., p. 2). The war, however, caused economic difficulties for the English government who maintained permanently stationed soldiers in the colonies to enforce rules (Tindall & Shi, 2013, p. 118). The Sugar Act, which cut molasses tax in half but increased duties on other imports, was the Crown’s attempt to tax the colonists without consent. The Currency Act of 1764 did not focus on taxing the colonists, but it did prevent them from printing paper money, despite their lack of gold and silver. This made the pre-existing paper money drop in value, creating a sharp economic downturn. Prime minister George Grenville then decided to initiate the Stamp Tax, an outright tax on American created goods as opposed to just taxing imports (Tindall & Shi, 2013, pp. 120-121). The extreme measures of control employed by the English monarchy caused the seeds of revolt to sprout into the Declaration of …show more content…
2),” allowing the citizens of the New World to have a say in the political processes of their government. One of the main reasons for the American revolution against England revolved around the lack of representation for the colonists in England. The colonists, therefore, decided to create their own informal government in order to pass laws concerning urgent matters, especially considering the King typically put these laws off for quite a while or simply ignored them (“Declaration of Independence,” 2009, para. 4). The colonists informal governmental structure, involving a House of Representatives, then proceeded to be dissolved many times without re-election, leading to the danger of invasion or usurpation due to the distinct lack of any immediate authority (“Declaration of Independence,” 2009, para. 8). The lack of representation continued to be a problem as the colonists complained about the King placing a trade embargo upon the colonies as well as removing the colonists right to a trial by jury. The King also placed taxes on the colonists without their consent (“Declaration of Independence,” 2009, para.

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    King George III and the British accumulated a massive debt after the French and Indian war. British Funds experience a dramatic shortage, so Parliament was forced to place taxes on the colonists to offset the accrued war expenses. Paying off the debt from the seven-year war was King George’s main concern. By taxing anyone who was neglected during the seven years’ war the British funds could add to their empire thus by strengthening it more. Taxation came in many forms, the first was the Sugar Act (1764), the Stamp Act (1765) and the Townshend Duties (1767).…

    • 733 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The British empire had to increase revenue in order to recover from the enormous debt it had accumulated and it also had to gain control over a recently doubled in size Empire. The answer to these problems came in the form of a series of taxes and acts on the colonists. However with every act or a newly imposed tax without representation, the colonist began to put their own differences aside in order to unite against a common enemy in the British. Most of the colonists had come to the west with the promise of self governance and having some separation from the Empire, however due to the social and economic constrains placed on them after the war, the colonists were left with no choice but to fight for their independence by means of the American Revolution, leaving England’s attempts at greater control…

    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The end of the French and Indian war called for celebration. Finally, the French and their Native Americans allies were no more. However the war also affected the relationship between the British and the colonists dramatically. From working together to complete chaos among them. Everything went downhill for the British.…

    • 585 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The colonists believed that every right they had was taken away from them by the mother country. When the mother country suffered, the colonies suffered. When the mother country was in debt, they would increase taxes on the 13 colonies to try and make up for what they have lost overseas. Britain thought that they could have control over colonies hundreds of miles away and they didn’t even know half of what was going on there. They sent soldiers for protection of legislation and the parliament to oversee how they wanted the colonies run.…

    • 1023 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Many causes were demonstrated to proceed against the colonies. Colonies were very frustrated and angry with the conflicts uprising from the British Parliament. British enforced the Stamp Act, Townshend Act, Quartering…

    • 1076 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Pilgrims Dbq

    • 233 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Freedom has and will always be apart of the United States. Governments have been created throughout time to help protect these freedoms. One example of a people establishing a government is the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims had traveled away from Britain to gain freedom of religion. These people were very focused on not loosing their freedom and set up the Mayflower Compact.…

    • 233 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Apush Dbq Research Paper

    • 285 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Throughout the 18th century, Americans developed a different government system with unique beliefs that no other country had used before. By adopting a regular government but adding a democratic spin on it, America allowed every person to have a voice in the country’s decision. Constructing new concepts and new governmental freedoms created a distinguished identity for America. Colonists accepted this new identity – completely different from the British – this was the motivation that inspired their rebellion against Britain. However, being tormented by insignificant quarrels prevented the Americans from adequately uniting against Britain.…

    • 285 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The American colonists’ actions towards Britain were justified. The British habit of forcefully imposing taxes upon the colonists without their permission was unfair and contributed to the justification of the colonists’ actions. For example, the Stamp Act was levied upon a multitude of paper products used in everyday life and was considered “a very burdensome and … unconstitutional tax” (Doc 10) by the colonists. This tax caused some of the first sparks of American resentment towards Britain and gave colonists a rude awakening to the true nature of the Parliament.…

    • 593 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    British people came to the new world to find religious freedom and to start new lives. Once they arrived and began to form colonies they were successful in many ways. The British King still wanted to control the people and profit from their success. The King as well as Parliament enacted many taxes, such as the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, and the Townshend Acts, to try to control the colonists. As time went on the colonists began to resent the King and rebelled against him.…

    • 784 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Us Constitution Dbq

    • 1075 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The United States Constitution was written over the course of nearly four months and quickly became the most important document in U.S. history. Many of this historic document’s ideals can be found in two very important documents from the past. Both of these documents contained public rulers transferring their power to the people.…

    • 1075 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Glorious Revolution Dbq

    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The birth of America as a nation was a revolution of thought about the nature of freedom and mankind’s right to choose our own destiny. The onset of the Glorious Revolution, the imperial wars, the Navigation Acts, Salutary Neglect, and people such as John Locke influencing many colonists in America began an era that would contour the path towards revolution. One of the single most important developments in England to affect the self-identity of the colonists was the Glorious Revolution. This event was earth-shattering as the colonists had suffered under James II just as profoundly as the English due to James’ refusal to recognize colonial charters or allow colonists any say over laws or taxes. Colonists saw the applicability of the Glorious Revolution to their situation, and began a series of revolts in 1689.…

    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A Radical Revolution

    • 1064 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In the late 18th century the Colonists reached the precipice of frustration resulting from the tyrannical abuse of the British monarchy, causing them to want to abandon the motherland and be their own independent country. While some taxes were imposed such as the Navigation Acts and Plantation Duty Act, the Sugar Act of 1764 was a main catalyst, followed by the Stamp Act (1765), Townshend Acts (1767) and the Tea Act (1773). The progression of the taxation and lack of representation in England created hostility toward the Crown. Several leaders sensed this growing tension, realizing the issue of representation was central to the issue, yet the Crown was refused any overtures to change the circumstances. Actions taken to revolt against the…

    • 1064 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Patrick Henry, famed for giving his well known speech “Give me liberty ,or give me death!” in 1775, proposed the suggestion in his speech that the thirteen colonies ,and great britain go to war in the Second Virginia Convention at St. John's Church in Richmond. Henry was able to accomplish to sway the individuals in the second convention meeting to his favor with his impassioned plea urging the Old Dominion to form militias to defend itself against the British with war. However, while many individuals in the revolutionary era strongly perceive that attending war was the ultimate ,and only option, they are indeed misguided. Therefore, there is a deathless much simpler solution than war, which is to offer to lower the taxes rates to colonists;…

    • 1026 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    British Missteps Analysis

    • 808 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In 1764 the Sugar Act was enacted to raise tax revenue in the colonies for England and it increased the duty on sugar imported from the West Indies. However, the colonists were accustomed to having their own colonial legislatures creating taxes, so they fought back when Britain tried to control them. In 1765 the Stamp Act mandated the use of stamps on certain types of commercial and legal documents. The purpose of this tax was to raise revenue for the new military force, but the colonists did not want to pay for an army they did not ask for. The Townshend Tea Tax placed an import duty on glass, lead, paper, paint, and tea in 1767.…

    • 808 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    King George III and the British accumulated a massive debt after the French and Indian war. British assets were depleting at an exponential rate, so Parliament decided to tax the colonists in order to offset their expenses from the war. By reducing the debt from the seven-year war King George’s could reign over the colonies for many years to come. Consequently, Colonists in the 13 states suffered higher expenditures, even imported tea would cost more than usual. All 13 colonies gave consent on paying higher taxes to the British crown, however Boston didn’t consent because they weren’t provided representation so their response was no, but parliament subjected them anyways.…

    • 1150 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays