Colonists to Revolutionaries

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Assume for a moment that you are an American colonist who is attempting to break away from the imperialistic power of Great Britain. During the time of Great Britain’s reign over the colonies, you feel as though Great Britain has progressed into a mother country that is both unfair and untrustworthy to the colonists of America. Although there may be numerous explanations as to why the colonists transformed into revolutionaries against the mother country of Great Britain, there is one recognizable reason that drove the colonists towards independence. The colonists of America hated the implementation of taxes on the colonies, which drove the revolutionaries to act out against Great Britain. Some relevant ways the colonists approached their disgust with the taxes is through documents, events, and prominent key figures. One method that colonists used to act out against the taxes bestowed upon the colonies was through documents. In the writing of the Declaration of Independence, the structure of the whole document is based off of the flaws committed by the king of Britain onto the colonies. One of the flaws listed within the confines of the text is the issue on taxation against the colonies. For example, Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, states, “He [king of Britain] has imposed taxes on us without our consent” (DOI), which is substantial evidence to prove that the colonists were taxed unfairly. Furthermore, governments were created to act out against imperial taxation. For example, when George Grenville introduced the Stamp Act, which was developed “to generate revenue; required printed documents to bear revenue stamps purchased from royal stamp distributors” (59), colonists were outraged by Grenville... ... middle of paper ... ...ch was ultimately ineffective and “greatly taken out of context by the media; made Virginians seem like radicals”(59). Through these two powerful individuals, this gave Americans a reason to fight for the interests of their land in America. Overall, the colonists strongly disapproved of the various taxes implemented by Great Britain. Although Great Britain unfairly taxed the colonists, this action, with many others, was a jumpstart for colonists to break away and create a nation of their own. Without the work and strenuous labor of the colonists to break away from the monarchy, America could still be a benefactor to Great Britain. Works Cited Divine, Robert A., T.H. Breen, George M. Frederickson, R. Hal Williams, Ariela J. Gross, H.W. Brands, and Randy Roberts. America: Past and Present- Volume I: To 1877. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson, 2011. Print.

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