1776: Unraveling the American Colonists' Independence Declaration

On July 4th 1776, the American colonies declared independence from Great Britain The reasoning behind this decision is complicated and multifaceted. Once we dive into historical and economical evidence, we will better understand the perspectives of the American colonists and their logic behind declaring independence.
When it benefited Britain, their policies treated American colonists as citizens, for instance colonists were taxed heavily and forced to fight in the British army. The American colonists, however, were technically not considered British citizens, and did not receive many of the benefits of a British citizen. British laws prevented American colonists from free trade and restricted the growth and expansion of many industries. “The British government had made the most arbitrary attempts to enslave America by restricting the trade and commerce of America.” - William Drayton. In the early 1600’s the British Empire established monopoly

trade laws for the British Empire’s current and future colonies in Asia, Africa, and America. Under the Navigation Acts, all goods or commodities that were imported into or exported out of any colonies were required to be shipped by English owned vessels of which the master and three-fourths of the crew were English. By 1660, [1760???] these laws still remained in place.
The Restraining Acts were passed in order to give England the upper hand economically, especially when commodities from the American colonies were directly competing against those being produced in Great Britain or other British owned lands. Because American colonists were not considered to be English, many industries produced and traded locally and were unable to export their goods to Britain, such as the wool-producing and manufacturing industry. These laws also allowed the British to obtain a monopoly over certain commodities, which gave them the power to increase and extract high prices for their goods.
The 1763 Proclamation Line prevented the American colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains.

This law generated even more animosity towards the British, and was another convincing reason for the colonists to declare their independence. Many farmers and settlers had already set their minds on acquiring new fertile land following the Seven Years War against France. They were now told by a government thousands of miles away they could not move to land they believed were rightfully theirs. (145) This was especially frustrating because the American colonists had been forced to fight in the war.. Newly acquired land, previously owned by the French, was instead designated for the Native Americans. (146) At the same time, in order for Britain to repay its war debts, the British further increased taxes towards in American colonies. (151) Consequently, the American colonists not only had to fight in the Seven Years War, but also ended up being forced to pay for it all while receiving none of the

benefits.
In a democratic society, taxes are used to pay the salaries of government workers, military and also support common resources and public structures of those being taxed. Such expenditures are only made after being agreed upon by representatives of those being taxed. The American colonists had no representation in the British parliament, and in fact, many of the laws decided by the British Parliament took advantage of the American colonies, such as the Navigation Acts mentioned earlier. (19) The British government also did not provide public resources. British troops depended on the American colonists for food and shelter while in North America, through the 1765 Quartering Act. (151) From the American colonists’ perspective, they shouldn’t be paying taxes, because it did not in any way benefited or improve their lives.