How Did The Colonist Respond To The Call For Independence Dbq

The independence of America in the mid-1700s and the call for revolution by colonist was because of the overwhelming tyranny of the British government and monarchy, which created lines that stopped colonist from expanding in the Americans, formed tax reforms that the colonist widely disagreed with, and made attempts to corral the colonist with military force and slave related economic policies that harmed the colonist. The goal for the British government was to beat the colonist into submission, and to have them obey the monarchy. These three reasons will do quite the opposite, causing the colonist to become angry and rebellious, which then slowly boils over into the call for independence.
During the years of 1754-1763 the British and French

empire were at war. The Seven Years War, as it was later named, was a conflict that was fought all over the world because of each empire's’ influence that stretched across the globe from the Americas to India. Before the war, the attitude of the colonist towards the British government was very positive, the colonist saw economically how the British government helped build the colonies and the British government saw how the colonies benefited their economy. This lead to the colonies being loyal to the cause of the British war efforts during the Seven Years War, and the colonist openly participated in the war that happened in the Americas, which lead to conflicts with the French and Native American tribes that sided with the French. After the war ended and the British claimed victory, removing the French influence almost completely from the North American continent, this left thousands of acres of land open for western expansion for the colonist to settle on. With overwhelming populations in the small eastern seaboard that held the colonies, many colonist felt that expanding would be a good idea. The problem with this, is by expanding the colonist would be expanding directly onto Native American tribes land. This served as a problem for the British government because they did not have the funds to supply another war, and by being in the Ohio Valley and onward war is exactly what is created. Conflicts such as Pontiac’s War where Native American nations attacked British forts and colonies in the Ohio Valley put strains on the British government's funds. The British government decides that in order to stop such conflicts from happening they will simply draw a line that colonist can not cross and expand past. This line is called the Proclamation line, drawn roughly down the nation following the Appalachian mountain range. While the British did not have enough troops in order to enforce this line, it still outraged colonist because in their minds, how could the British government stop them from expanding on what they presumed their land because of the idea that the Native Americans were defeated opponents due to the Seven Years War and are no longer entitled to this land. This is only the first government action that pushes the ball of revolution, soon other actions taken by the British government will create a landslide.
After the Seven Years war the British government had a hefty debt due to the cost of war.

The British government had to find a way to pay their war debt off, so they turned to the colonies of America. They began to tax the colonies very steeply, because the British government felt as the colonies must play their part in helping pay off the debt. The colonies opposed this idea, believing that because they did not start the war, and did not participate in all of the war that scaled the globe, they should not have to pay steep taxes to pay off the debt. This is where the idea of “No taxation without representation.” ,said by Reverend Jonathan Mayhew, began, because the colonist had no representation in parliament in order to oppose these tax acts. One act the British government passed was the Stamp Act which was passed in 1765, the stamp act used stamps on pieces of paper that came with products in order to show that the colonist had paid their taxes, this act came very sudden and shocked the colonist and they felt very negatively about this act because they felt if infringed on their liberties. The act birthed the Sons of Liberty, widely associated with Samuel Adams, this group began using violence and threats in order to scare tax collectors throughout the colonies. Popular methods of scare tactics include tarring and feathering tax collectors and hanging effigies of tax collectors in trees, as depicted by the Boston Gazette, a popular newspaper at the time, on the August

19th, 1765 edition an article that states“Early on Wednesday Morning last the Effigy of a Gentleman sustaining a very unpopular Office, viz. That of Stamp Master, was found hanging on a Tree in the most public Part of Town, together with a Boot, wherein was concealed a Young imp of the D___ represented as peeping out of the Top- ON the breast of the Effigy was a label in praise of Liberty, and denouncing Vengeance on the Subversion of it-Underneath was the following words, HE WHO TAKES THIS DOWN IS AN ENEMY TO HIS COUNTRY”. These violent protest of the stamp act will prove effective and the Stamp Act will be repealed in 1764, in its place the British government will pass the Townsends Act. The Townsends Act will be passed in 1767, the goal of the Townsends Act was to lower taxes on goods in order to trick colonist into believing in the British government again. This act will only anger the colonist more and they begin boycotting British goods. This leads to the passing of the Tea Act, this act creates a monopoly on the tea industry and will lead to one of the most significant acts of protest in American history. The Sons of Liberty will organize a dramatic event, dressing up as Native Americans and boarding British ships in the port of Boston, ransacking the ship and pouring the cargo of tea out into the water. This event will lead to Coercive Acts being passed, which is the beginning of heavy British troop presence in the American colonies.
The events of the Boston Tea party take place, and the British government is outraged at the blatant rebellious actions of the colonist.

This leads to the passing of the Coercive Act, which will put the city of Boston under martial law. The city will be flooded with troops and they will be quartered in colonist homes. This will lead to increased tensions between the British troops and colonist, and soon protest breakout all throughout the city. One of the most prominent events that lead to the call for independence is the Boston Massacre, “QUOTE FROM TEXTBOOK”. This event will be dramatized by local newspapers and soon word of the event will spread throughout the colonies. The news will outrage the colonist and they will shift from not wanting to go to war, but simply wanting things to go back to normal, to calling for all out rebellion. The colonist will begin to meet in secret and begin plotting to recapture cities occupied by British troops. Soon colonies begin forming militias and loyalist begin having widespread paranoia. This is heightened after the battle of Lexington and Concord, because many loyalist feel that after this all of the colonies will soon be participating in the rebellion. This causes many loyalist officials to begin taking steps to corral their colonies. In the southern part of America, where slavery and plantations were prominent, officials began to offer freedom to slaves owned by rebellious colonist. They state that if a slave is owned by a pro

revolution owner, that the slave is entitled to escape to freedom and the safety of the British army. A main example of this is Lord Dunmore, the Colonial governor of Virginia, and his proclamation which states “ And I do hereby further declare all indentured Servants, Negroes, or others, (appertaining to Rebels,) free that are able and willing to bear Arms, they joining His MAJESTY'S Troops as soon as may be,”. These actions taken against colonist will only anger them more and cause more to join the cause for revolution that would have normally not joined at all. By acting in this way the loyalist officials actually pushed colonist closer to rebellion by attempting to control them with military force and by dabbling in colonial slavery policy.
The American revolution will begin with the battle of Lexington and Concord in 1775 and after many losses and struggles it will end with the battle of Yorktown in 1881. The result will be an American victory, and the colonies will earn their freedom from the British empire. After the war many different groups of people throughout the nation will be affected. Merchants will now have free reign to trade with the entire European world, without British interference. The men who helped govern the struggling revolution, will step up as pioneers for a new nation. The Native Americans will begin losing land to the encroaching tide of colonist, who now have free reign to expand westward. The war and the actions by the British government will change how an entire nation will be governed and how future residents of this nation will live. The actions of the British government that called for revolution, the proclamation line stopping westward expansion of colonist, the unfair tax reforms and acts being passed upon the colonies, and the attempts to control colonist will militant force and economical chokeholds, will forge how an entire nation will grow and develop after the war. It will begin the idea of patriotism, and sacrifice to country. It will cause the young nation to have some instability and doubts, but soon the opportunity that arises from the war is greater than the losses. Soon a great nation of opportunity and prospect is formed and will soon take its place as a world power. The revolution and freeing of American from the chains of the British empire has forever altered history.