What is liberty? Liberty is freedom from external or foreign rule; independence. This is what the American colonists so desperately wanted from England. The colonists were tired of the tyranny of King George III. They grew tired of having to pay taxes to a government that they were not even represented in and actively opposed many of these taxes with either protests or by simply ignoring them. The colonists wanted to rule themselves through democracy, where they could elect their own leaders who would serve to act in the best interests of the people. They did not want to have to obey the laws of a king that was a whole ocean away. The colonies were used mainly by Britain as a way to gain additional revenue and power, essentially making …show more content…
"This way of thinking was contrary to the popular belief of virtual representation, which states that each member of Parliament represented the entire empire, not just their own district". "Nearly all Britons believed that Parliament represented the entire empire, including those in Manchester and Birmingham, who also were not represented in Parliament". This did not do much to improve the colonists way of thinking towards the British government. The main reason behind the increased taxes was the French and Indian War. The government felt that the colonies should have to share the amount of debt facing the country. In order for that to happen the government had to tax the colonies more. The Navigation Acts had already been enforced on the colonies, however the colonists ignored these laws. Essentially the colonists were "cheating" the British government out of money. That also played a role in the increase of taxes. "The Sugar Act was introduced by Prime Minister George Grenville, and it reduced taxes on molasses but it helped to end the widespread smuggling in colonies and also allowed smugglers to be judged without a jury". The Stamp was introduced to tax all materials printed within the colonies. This act was met with
The colonists had one interest. They wanted to be treated fairly. However, they believed the new laws were unfair, so they took action. The colonists resisted and wanted to be free because they thought the British weren’t treating them the way they should be treated.
Even though I agree with. T.H. Breen, when Britain enforced the taxes on the colonies it had an effect on the colonists’ desire to become independent. He didn’t explain why the Britain felt the need to levy taxes on the colonies. . In the 18th century, Europe was going through the movement known as the Age of Reason. During this period, people started to question authority and embraced the idea of change (Week 4 lesson notes).
The king’s treasurers, a.k.a the tax collectors, blamed the colonists for Great Britain being in debt and said that it was the colonies fault mercantilism weren’t working (doc F). In attempt to get out of debt, Britain enforced many acts such as the navigational act, sugar act, and tea act. The navigational act was enforced to prohibit the colonies from trading with anyone other than each other and Great Britain. The sugar act was enforced to try and stop the importation of molasses, so they taxed the sugar that the colonists imported. The tea act forced colonists to buy tea from the east India tea company.
The British government believed that the colonies existed solely to serve the interests of Britain and should be used to provide raw materials and a market for British goods. This undemocratic feature meant that the colonists had limited economic opportunities and were not allowed to trade with other countries. The British government also imposed taxes on the colonists to finance their wars and to maintain their empire, which the colonists saw as an unfair burden. Another undemocratic feature of the American Colonies was the concept of the Navigation Acts.
Under the Molasses Act colonial merchants had been required to pay a tax of sixpence per gallon on the importation of foreign molasses. The Sugar Act reduced the rate of tax on molasses from six pence to three pence per gallon, while Grenville took measures that the duty be strictly enforced. The act also listed more foreign goods to be taxed including sugar, certain wines, coffee, pimiento, cambric and printed calico, and further, regulated the export of lumber and iron. This act, and the Currency Act, set the stage for the revolt at the imposition of the Stamp
After the French and Indian war, Britain was left with a huge debt to pay. The colonies were happy that they had won the war, so they never thought of what had to come after the war that they had caused in the first place. Great Britain thought that by taxing the colonies, it would be the only way to help pay off their debt. The taxes and laws that Britain had imposed on the colonies were the Stamp Act, Sugar Act, The Proclamation Act of 1763, the Quartering Act, Townshend Acts and the Coercive Intolerable Acts. Some of these acts had been for the solely purpose to help pay off the debt that Britain had, after the French and Indian War.
They felt unrepresented and believed that the British were only using this tax money for their own wealth. Colonists began rebelling after this because they felt that it isn’t fair for Parliament to impose “taxation without representation”. Colonist had no say in any of the official government decisions that were made for the Colonists. They wanted to be represented in Parliament before any taxes were
They wanted freedom and the right to elect their own politicians and they were able to obtain that in 1776 after the United States declared
The colonists wanted representation when it came down to being taxed, but the British government would not allow it. The government wanted full control over the people, so they made sets of acts and laws that were placed on taxation. For example, the Stamp Acts of 1765. These acts taxed all papers, pamphlets, newspapers, and cards. The Townshend Acts of 1767 were also a large part of taxation.
After the French and Indian War the British were had a gargantuan debt! In order to pay off such a huge debt they imposed new taxes and enforced old ones. Great Britain thought that it was allowed to pass laws like these, because Britain had protected the colonists therefore the colonists have to give obedience. Laws like the Stamp Act, Sugar Act, Tea Act, and along with the British being oblivious to colonists’ pleas to change the harsh laws (Document 2) allowed
Britain needed a way to fix this. They came up with the Sugar Act, a set of taxes to help Britain raise money. Taxes were not a new thing for the colonists, but these new taxes caused big issues. The Sugar Act was suggested by Prime Minister George Greenville.
Arguably, these taxes were only placed by Britain to “milk” the colonies for profit. Ben Franklin responded to the Stamp Act, writing a letter to John Hughs to discuss efforts to get it repealed (Document G). . In a way, the series of taxes applied by Parliament would spark a fire within the colonists and begin the American Revolution, where Americans finally say enough is enough. The time had come for political and ideological change, where the colonies would break from their motherland, Great Britain. In conclusion, the French Indian War would kick off a series of political, economic, and ideological events that changed the relationship between Britain and its colonies forever.
The people of America (colonists) were tired of being controlled by England. They wanted to be free and independent. They believed that they were able to control themselves and be their own country. They wanted England to let go of their control and to view them as independent and their own country.
On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry presented the idea of fighting against Great Britain for liberty, which Great Britain had suppressed the American colonists for years. Freedom and liberty were necessary for the colonists of the Thirteen Colonies to feel like individual people. Every person should be able to decide the action they would take and the responsibilities they would have. This speech was remarkable and memorable for the start of the bold actions that changed the world forever. Patrick Henry persuade the colonist to fight the British government by using his strong voice as a weapon.
What is freedom? Is it an absolute right or is it something we can live without it? People born to be free. Throughout history freedom defined differently according to different cultures and different period of time. Freedom shows an alteration cultures to culture.