How Was It Tyrannical?

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Tyranny, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is “cruel, unreasonable, or arbitrary use of power or control.” Many Americans saw British policy during the late 18th century to be highly tyrannical. But many of them failed to acknowledge the presence of previous policies that the ones they were aware of actually replaced. Ensuring that previously instituted policies are enforced cannot be considered tyrannical. I agree with this view, and this essay will serve to prove that British policy was in fact reformist rather than tyrannical in the 1760’s and early 1770’s.
One of the greatest sources of misconception behind British policy during that time is that taxes and regulations were not in place when they actually had been before – they were just never really enforced. Between Britain’s neglect to properly ensure that these policies were followed and the corruption present in America with smuggling, bribing, or circumventing the rules in some other manner, one would not have been likely to realize that policies were indeed in place. It comes as no surprise then that with Parliament’s p...

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