1763 Dbq Essay

Question:

Evaluate how British laws from 1660 to 1776 affected colonies resistance and want for Independence.

Documents:

“A LETTER FROM LONDON TO A GENTLEMAN IN THIS CITY,” (New York City), 12 February 1767 (published in the New-York Mercury, 27 April 1767). Over the Munity Act

The Address of the New York Assembly to their Governor has made a great Noise and Disturbance throughout this Kingdom, in all Companies and Conversations, insomuch that is generally said they are in a State of Rebellion and are endeavoring to thrown off their Dependence, &c. I hear the Ministry are in great and deep Concern about it. Most People are of Opinion they will certainly enforce the Execution of the Act of Parliament and, to that End, will send over Troops, Ships, &c., the

Consequences of which I most sincerely dread in every Light in which they can be viewed, either as an Infringement of the Liberties of the People, or, in the Case of Resistance, for the Miseries such a Conduct must necessarily be productive of.

Source:
“COLONISTS RESPOND TO THE QUARTERING ACT OF 1765 AND THE DISSOLUTION
OF THE NEW YORK ASSEMBLY A Selection from Essays, Petitions & Letters” American in class, in 2010/2013 http://americainclass.org/sources/makingrevolution/
crisis/text4/quarteringactresponse1766.pdf

Newspaper article by James Gillray shows King George III and Queen Charlotte enjoying a cup of tea with sugar. Propaganda for the sugar act, 1764.

Source:
Liz Johnson “Liberalism” Visual Propaganda: Ideology in Art,
http://www.ideologicalart.com/liberalism/

RICHARD BLAND, The Colonel Dismounted, Williamsburg, Virginia, currency act 1764,
“If then the People of this Colony are free born and have a Right to the Liberties and Privileges of English Subjects, they must necessarily have a legal Constitution, that is, a legislature composed, in Part, of the Representatives of the People, who may enact laws for the INTERNAL Government of the Colony, and suitable to its various circumstances and Occasions; and without such a Representative, I am bold enough to say, no Law can be made.”

Source:
“COLONISTS RESPOND TO THE SUGAR ACT & CURRENCY ACT OF 1764 __A
Selection from Petitions, Pamphlets, News Reports, Merchants’ Appeals, & A History” American in class, 2010/2013, http://americainclass.org/sources/makin
grevolution/crisis/text2/sugaractresponse1764.pdf

BENJAMIN CHURCH. Liberty and Property Vindicated, and the St–pm-n [Stamp-Man] Burnt: A Discourse . . . on Burning the Effigy of the stamp mant in . . . Connecticut, Boston, 1765,
“. O freemen of the colony of Connecticut! Stand fast in the liberties granted you by your royal charter. Plead the injustice of any that means to infringe upon you by curtailing the rights and privileges once given you freely, without any design [plan] to take them from you again (without your conduct could be deemed rebellious); and my opinion is that it cannot be counted rebelling for the freemen of this colony to stand for their absolute rights and defend them (as a man would his own house when insulted) . . .”

Source:
“COLONISTS RESPOND TO THE STAMP ACT, 1765-1766 A Selection from Broadsides,
Pamphlets, Poetry, News Reports, Resolutions, Illustrations & A History” American in class, 2010/2013, http://americainclass.org/sources/makingrevolutioncrisis/text3/
Stampactresponse1765.pdf

Stamp Act Congress, Declaration of Rights and Grievances, New York, October 19, 1765

“The members of this congress, sincerely devoted with the warmest sentiments of affection and duty to his majesty’s person and government, inviolably attached to the present happy establishment of the Protestant succession [i.e., Glorious Revolution of 1688], and with minds deeply impressed by a sense of the present and impending misfortunes of the British colonies on this continent; having considered as maturely as time would permit the circumstances of said colonies, esteem it our indispensable duty to make the following declarations of our humble opinions, respecting the most essential rights and liberties of the colonists and of the grievances under which they labor, by reason of several late [recent] acts of Parliament.”

Source:
“COLONISTS RESPOND TO THE STAMP ACT, 1765-1766 A Selection from Broadsides,
Pamphlets, Poetry, News Reports, Resolutions, Illustrations & A History” American in class, 2010/2013, http://americainclass.org/sources/makingrevolutioncrisis/text3/
Stampactresponse1765.pdf

Members of the Sons of Liberty, a group organized to protest the Stamp Act, burn the law in Boston during August of 1765

Source:
Bos, Carole "Stamp Act and Colonial America" AwesomeStories.com. Jan 05, 2014. Sep 21, 2017.
.

The Massachusetts Spy, 23 December 1773. Letter from “A Woman.” Mr. Thomas [Isaiah Thomas, printer] on the tea act 1773/74
“As it appears to be universally thought by the patrons of liberty in this country that we ought to discontinue the use of Tea, so we find continually in the public papers a great number of arguments used to persuade the ladies to leave off the use of it We are told that it greatly injures our health, it is called a poisonous draught, a baneful weed, accursed tea. They tell us frightful stories of breeding insects like fleas, which will do us I know not what mischief . . . If Tea has been really known to be a baneful weed, a poisonous draught, &c., why were not these arguments used against the use of it in former times, before it was thought a political evil? There is no doubt but the abuse of this as well as of any other thing may be attended with bad consequences, but that it is evil in itself and in all cases is not proved from its having been sometimes used imprudently . . . .”

Source:
“COLONISTS RESPOND TO THE TEA ACT & THE “BOSTON TEA PARTY,” 1773-74 A
Selection from Newspaper Reports, Letters & Debates, Poetry & Song, A Cartoon, A Diary, & A History” American in Class 2010/2013,http://americainclass.org/sources/
makingrevolution/crisis/text6/teaactresponse.pdf

JOHN ADAMS, Diary, Braintree, Massachusetts, 17 December 1773
5 1773. Dec . 17th . Last Night 3 Cargoes of Bohea Tea were emptied into the Sea. This “Morning a Man of War sails. This is the most magnificent Movement of all. There is a Dignity, a Majesty, a Sublimity, in this last Effort of the Patriots, that I greatly admire. The People should never rise, without doing something to be remembered something notable And striking. This Destruction of the Tea is so bold, so daring, so firm, intrepid and inflexible, and it must have so important Consequences, and so lasting, that I can’t but consider it as an Epocha in History.”

Source:
“COLONISTS RESPOND TO THE TEA ACT & THE “BOSTON TEA PARTY,” 1773-74 A
Selection from Newspaper Reports, Letters & Debates, Poetry & Song, A Cartoon, A Diary, & A History” American in Class 2010/2013,http://americainclass.org/sources/
makingrevolution/crisis/text6/teaactresponse.pdf

Outside Information:
Navigation acts and their effect on trade throughout the colonies with Great Britain as well as other foreign countries
Coercive Acts also known as the intolerable acts
Proclamation of 1763
Boston Massacre in Boston Massachusetts march 5, 1770
First Continental Congress 1774
Battle at Lexington and Concord 1775
Townshend Acts 1767
England’s war debt from French and Indian War
Treaty of Paris 1763
Albany plan of union 1754

Sample Thesis Statements:
British laws and policies imposed on the colonists including but not limited to the sugar act, currency act, stamp act, Mutiny act, stamp act, and the Tea act all caused an uproar inspiring the opposing rebel groups to raise awareness to the need for American independence.

American resistence and want for independence came about because of the many acts placed upon them by England in order to repay England’s war debt, bringing about rebellious groups as well as multiple forms of government in the colonies such as the sons of liberty and the Stamp act congress.

The force fullness of British rulership over the colonies and desperateness to rule over the colonies with an iron grip therefore placing several unfair taxes and acts upon the colonists increased the disapproval of staying a colony as well as the need for civil rights in government.

Document

Analysis:

Document one focuses on the Mutiny Act 1765 or also known as the Quartering act. This act forced the colonists to house and take care of the British soldiers under imperial law. The reason this caused for such an uproar was simply because of the force put behind the act. Before the act was in place and there were far more loyalists the Colonists would happily house the British regiment, but only on their own terms now they were forced. Concerns were raised as described in the document that this was the beginning of England slowly taking more and more control after the period of salutary neglect.

Document two is a propaganda piece focusing on the Sugar act of 1764. It portrays King George III and Queen Charlotte enjoying a cup of tea with sugar. Off to the side a group of young ladies stare greedily at the monarchs tea while sipping their own for they could not afford the expensive sugar.
Document three is an expert from Richard Blands letter on the currency act 1764. The main argue Bland puts across is that the colonies should not be taxed without representation, which was a very popular phrase in this time. Bland later goes off explaining how we should hold government in the colonies that can impose taxes instead of England's Parliament which is across the ocean.
Document four by Benjamin Church is written as a call to arms for the colonists. Church exclaims that the basic rights granted to the colonists were being taken away breaking a promise the colonies had assumed England had made. The Stamp act of 1764 was one of the many acts that fueled this powerful letter on the need for rebellion to retake one’s rights.
Document five an excerpt of the Declaration of rights and grievances written by the stamp act congress to the royal crown explains in kinder words the disagreement with England’s ruling. The congress explains that the colonies have become older and are prepared to take control of their own finances and taxes.
Document six depicts the burning of the stamp act by the Sons of liberty a group of patriots in 1765. The son’s of liberty often had violent acts of rebellion labeling them almost as a terrorist group. They had large influence on the people swaying those between the loyalist’s and the patriots. Yet they also provoked the loyalists into hiding causing the British to lose active support from within the colonies.
Document seven is a letter written by a woman who has remained unknown published in a colonist newspaper. The woman angered by the forced boycott of tea and the lies tangled within the boycott in order to assure everyone follows through writes a letter calling out those who tell such false news.
Document eight focuses on the Boston tea party of 1773. A diary entry written by John Adams call the event the most magnificent movement. Adams explains his own beliefs on how a rebellion should only happen if it will be filled with notable events as well as if its motives are justified. Despite his joy on the progress the colonies had made he still exclaims his respect towards the monarchy.