The Founding Fathers rebelled against the British government for good reasons, which led to the American Revolution in 1783. The Founding Fathers were justified in rebelling against the Britain because the government was not protecting the rights of the citizens, taxing the colonists, and forced them to house British soldiers. In 1756 Britain put the first tax on the colonists. This was the Stamp Act, it required colonists to pay taxes on certain items such as newspapers, legal documents, licenses, and even playing cards. This angered the colonists and they began to boycott purchasing taxed items. The stamp act was repealed on March 18, 1766. The British government began placing new taxes on the colonists such as the Sugar Act and the Currency …show more content…
Colonists were expected to house soldiers in ale houses, inns and in the homes of those who sold wine. This Act also required all colonists to provide food for any British soldiers in the area. The colonists were still housing the British soldiers after the American Revolution came to a close. John Locke argued for natural rights for all, he also thought that the government had the responsibility to protect the citizens’ rights. In his opinion, the government was violating the citizens’ rights. Britain was forcing the colonists to house the British soldiers and there was no compensation. The British government also violated the colonist’s rights by restricting trade by preventing other nations from purchasing products form the North American colonial market. Obviously, the Founding Fathers were justified in rebelling because the British government was taking advantage of the colonists. Parliament applied various taxes, and forced the colonists to house British soldiers which violated the rights of the colonists. If it wasn’t for the Founding Father’s action of rebelling, Americans would still be under harsh British rule and not living in the pursuit of
This act was an example of how the King of England abused his power by forcing his subjects in the colonists to house and take care of the soldiers he had stationed there (Document 9). Due to these reasons the colonists by-factor would have been arranged in the king’s attempt to assuage upon his housing problem by weight of the issue upon the colonists. Essentially he was taking advantage of their kindness. Another reason why the colonists were justified in their attempt to rebel against the English monarch is because they sought to rid themselves of a monarch who only sought absolute power. Essentially, they wanted to seek what was best for themselves compared to the treatment they had obtained from the crown.
Most of the levied taxes and implemented laws are believed that they were unconstitutional and that Great Britain did not consider their opinions. As the tension between the British and the American colonists grows, the colonists become more fearful of the British’s rule. According to document five, the British has a huge advantage over the colonists because it states that they have the authority to make laws that the colonists must abide by at all costs. The colonists believe that there are only two choices to defend them - the colonists- from the enormous power: “choosing an unconditional submission to the tyranny of irritated [British officials], or resistance by force” (Document five). According to document four, the colonists were that they will become slaves to the British.
“A little rebellion now and then is a good thing” is an important quote from Thomas Jefferson about the American Revolution. From the Townshend and Stamp acts to the Battle of Bunker Hill, there were three main causes of the American Revolution: The Proclamation of 1763, Townshend and Stamp Acts, and the Battle of Bunker Hill. The first main cause of the American Revolution was the Proclamation of 1763. It created a line that kept the colonist east of the Appalachian Mountains.
This upset the colonists to the point of rebellion, and this rebellion started the Revolutionary War. The most important factors that influenced the colonists to wage war against Britain were their fury at the taxes placed on them without their representation in Parliament and the king’s tyranny over other aspects of their
Colonists were justified by the lack of land they owned. “The law stated that colonists could not move westward over the Appalachian Mountains” (Document A). They only owned the east of the Appalachian Mountains, which is very little land. “Those settlers who were already living there were to return to the east” (Document A). Settlers had to leave there house and build a new life because Britain gave the land to the Native Americans to resolve conflict.
Sons of Liberty “No taxation without representation,” said the Sons of Liberty. The Sons of Liberty were heroes for our country. They were heroes for many reasons, including that they started the revolution and that they finally gave the people of America a voice. Furthermore, the Sons of Liberty sparked the American Revolution.
“[The British declare] that parliament can ‘of right make laws to bind us all in cases whatsoever’” (Dickinson and Jefferson, Document 5). Another reason why American colonists were justified in waging war on the British is because of the growing acts of British violence against the colonists. “Order quickly broke down, and the frightened soldiers fired into the crowd.
However, the engagements of England were not fully unjustified. While the colonists took advantage of the protection and steady flow of commerce that England provided them with, they were participating in tax evasion which is a criminal offense even in our own society today. The colonists were complacent and unappreciative and that was partly the English government’s fault. The English unintentionally conditioned the colonists to maintain certain expectations, and when those expectations failed to match with reality the colonists became confused and angry. Put simply, the colonists were akin to spoiled petulant children, and the English were incompetent and incapable of properly employing their power over the
There was not always a problem between the colonists and Britain. At one point the colonists were somewhat independent. After the British set up the Navigation Acts, which made the colonists not able to trade with anyone else without it going through Britain, first there was something called salutary neglect. Salutary neglect was an English policy of relaxing the rules on its colonies. During this time the colonies remained loyal to Britain.
Many of the reasons the American colonies believed they were justified in their rebellion from England lay in trade and taxes. When George III inherited the throne at the end of the Seven Years’ War England’s debt had risen to 145 million pounds and his chief minister believed that the American colonies needed to help shoulder the debt. (Nash, et al., 2007. , p. 134) In attempting to collect these taxes from the colonies to relieve the mounting debt Parliament passed a range of acts, which led to discontent among the colonists as many of them restricted trade, their political maneuverability and left many believing they infringed upon their “right to be taxed only by their own consent.”
The British Parliament stockpiled numerous taxes onto the colonies of America, such as the well-known Stamp Act of 1765. Alas two groups were formed that stood out, being the rebels and the loyalists. The rebels vowed for independence, their numbers growing stronger and stronger through the Quartering Act and such. On the other hand, the loyalists wanted to keep their trust in Great Britain. They both had their own opinions of the king and Parliament and were justified in their own eyes, but both groups were also unjustified in the point of view of both beholders.
The term Founding Fathers often refers to the individuals of the Thirteen British Colonies who led the American Revolution against the British Crown (England). An abundance of factors motivated the Founding Fathers to rebel against England. Among these factors were issues such as taxation without representation. Taxation without representation is “a situation in which government imposes taxes on a particular group of its citizens, despite the citizens not consenting or having an actual representative deliver their views when the taxation decision was made,” (Investopedia). The American colonists greatly disapproved of this issue.
One time the British passed a law that allowed the british soldiers to forcefully live in the colonists’ home! The colonies started out to benefit Great Britain, but after one war and lots of laws, the colonies were going to be part of a revolution. What was the American Revolution about? Economic Rights or Civil Liberties? On one hand the British instilled unfair regulations on trade and goods.
But the colonists were still justified to rebel against Britain . The colonies were getting larger and had experience to become their own country. So they deserved to have more control over their own government than what was given to them. Under the British control they had no independence or freedom.