Were The American Colonies Cruel Or Justified Essay

740 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Summary conclusion of the seven year war

The American Colonies: Ungrateful or Justified Although Britain won the The Seven Years' War, it left the country heavily in debt. Immediately after the war, the actions of King George III and the British Parliament directly led to the discontent of the colonists and eventually to the American Revolution. It can be argued that, the actions of both Britain and the colonists can be seen as reasonable. I believe that, from the perspective of the British, their desire and efforts to control the colonists were reasonable. After winning the war, Britain had two major problems: the country was in debt, and it had to find a way to protect the land it had just won (Murrin et al. 161). In order to protect the settlers from the Indians, …show more content…

The colonists had been, to some extent, governing themselves for many years; so when the British came in and established new taxes and regulations without consulting with or meeting with the colonists, it started a wave of resentment. The colonists feared that the British were trying to take away their freedoms; and since colonists could not be members of Parliament, the colonists felt the were being taxed without representation . The colonists resisted the new taxes and regulations in several ways; including rioting, smuggling, and boycotts of British goods. At first, even with the resentment and anger they felt, the colonists didn't want to break away from England; they just wanted to “restore government by consent under the Crown” (Murrin et al 193). In other words, they just wanted a “seat at the table.” And their actions seemed to make a difference. The British repealed the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, and eventually the Townshend Revenue Act. The lesson the colonists learned from this was they would have to fight to get what they wanted. However, Britain was also making other changes, like paying for the salaries of justices from the royal treasury. Understandably, this worried the colonists because it was a way to get government officials and justices to be loyal to Britain the colonies (Murrin et al. 178). At this point, the colonists were convinced that Britain was trying to take

Show More
Related

  • The British and the American Colonists: Tension Prior to Revolutionary War

    1033 Words  | 3 Pages

    Before Great Britain became more active in the colonies, they had been independent and established representative assemblies and a form of self-government. As the British tried to tax them to gain revenues, they were only angered by the lack of representation they had in the decision. No taxation became the symbol for democracy throughout the fighting of all the acts imposed, and the same idea would drive the colonists to revolt against the British and gain their independence.

    Read More

  • Apush Dbq Essay

    550 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the 1700’s the Britain Colonist decided to declare war against Great Britain. The war began due to friction between the British colonists over the King's policies. The colonist eventually lost their patience and started a revolution. High taxes, and no religious freedom led the colonist to fight for self government.

    Read More

  • Were The American Colonists Justified Dbq

    741 Words  | 2 Pages

    The colonists were correct to split from Britain and conduct war because the British were unjust to the colonists. For instance, In Paul Revere’s engraving “The Bloody Massacre” shows the British shooting the colonists and being ordered to while the colonists are unarmed and undefended ( Doc C ). This was an unjust treatment to the colonists because revolting against the British in such a small manner is no reason to kill/hurt them in any sort of manner. The colonists were unarmed making them

    Read More

  • Causes Of American Rebellion in 1776

    1305 Words  | 3 Pages

    Some say that the Revolution was destined to happen ever since Settlers set foot on this continent, others argue that it would not have happened if it weren't for a set of issues that finally drove the colonists to revolt. Ultimately, Britain lost control in 1765 when they gave in to the Stamp Act Congress’s boycotts against parliamentary taxation and gave them the idea that they had the power to run a country. To a lesser degree, Salutary Neglect led to the conception of a legacy of colonial religious and political ideals which set in motion an eminent conflict. During this period, England “forgot” about the colonies and gave them colonists a taste of independence and suspicions of individual political theories. Through Parliament's ruthless taxation without representation and a near opposite religious and political mindset, Britain and the colonists were heaved into a revolutionary war.

    Read More

  • American Rebellion In 1776

    1739 Words  | 4 Pages

    The mistake that King George and the rest of Britain made was thinking that they could forever keep the colonies under their thumb. These were not the same colonists who came over as British citizens to set up forts. These men and women thought of themselves and American citizens and they did not need a government across the ocean telling them what to do. Ultimately, Britain lost control when they gave in to the colonists' boycotts and showed them that they had the power to run a country, and that Britain feared that power. Through Parliament's ruthless taxation without representation, restrictions upon what colonists had assumed were civil liberties and British military action, Britain and the colonists were thrown into a revolutionary war.

    Read More

  • The Sense of Identity and Unity of the Colonists

    707 Words  | 2 Pages

    By the time the colonists had settled into their new land they had established some order such as small governments to keep the colonies in line. The ocean separating England and the colonies made it difficult though for England to guide the colonists successfully the way they had wanted. The main thing the British tried was implementing taxes, but they also went so far as letting the colonies on their own for awhile and using military to keep them in place. On the other hand, the colonists saw that the British were stalling their attempts at self-governing so they worked together to disregard any British policies. By the eve of the Revolution, colonists had developed a sense of their identity and unity as Americans that was brought about by the British parliament. Exasperated by British efforts to hinder their growing self-reliance, colonists began pushing them away by doing various things such as rioting, boycotting, or voicing their opinions on paper.

    Read More

  • The Causes of the American Revolution

    895 Words  | 2 Pages

    The American Revolution was sparked by a myriad of causes. These causes in themselves could not have sparked such a massive rebellion in the nation, but as the problems of the colonies cumulated, their collective impact spilt over and the American Revolution ensued. Many say that this war could have been easily avoided and was poorly handled by both sides, British and American; but as one will see, the frame of thought of the colonists was poorly suited to accept British measures which sought to “overstep” it’s power in the Americas. Because of this mindset, colonists developed a deep resentment of British rule and policies; and as events culminated, there was no means to avoid revolution and no way to turn back.

    Read More

  • American Revolution: The Siege of Charleston

    1319 Words  | 3 Pages

    The American Revolution: the war for our independence. This revolution opened the door to our liberty, freedom, and basically what America is now. Most Americans have heard the stories of famous battles, important people (George Washington for instance), and everything in between. However, this was only for our side of the American Revolution and a small fraction of people have been told of Britain’s campaign of the revolution. The only thing people have been told was the Britain lost the war. What of Britain’s triumphs, strategies, and everything that happened in the span of a few years? Not many people know it, but the British struck a major blow against the Patriots in the last few years of the war. Even though the United States won the American Revolution, Britain struck a major blow against the colonists when the British successfully and brutally took the town of Charleston, South Carolina.

    Read More

  • Colonial Rebellion

    1044 Words  | 3 Pages

    The colonies did not initially desire to succeed and become independent from the British, at first they were very proud of being British. Throughout the years of being a British Colony, The mother country of Britain committed actions that the colonists could not stand much longer. From taxation without representation to quartering British soldiers unwillingly, the tension built up until the colonists eventually rebelled. Some colonists remained loyal to the crown, while others joined the rebellion. These rebellious forces grew in strength and number, when the rebellion grew too big, the Revolution sparked. No longer would the colonist be forced to the British law, the colonists were willing to fight and die for their freedom. This event was

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The American Revolution And The French Revolution

    2174 Words  | 5 Pages

    The British were trying to control the Americans entirely, with their monopoly on trade, and also thought that the Americans would do everything they demanded them to do. The colonists soon figured out Great Britain's angle on the situation. That was, they didn't understand why they were forced to pay taxes to the British, when they had no say in Britain's actions.

    Read More

  • How Did The Seven Year's War Lead To The American Revolution

    568 Words  | 2 Pages

    The seven years war left the British in millions of dollars in debt and the british thought that they could get away with taxing the colonist in America and get away with it. Following the war against the French and the Native Americans, the British went into major debt and they enforced multiple taxes and acts on the colonist in the Americas. These taxations were unfair, and the colonists decided to boycott these acts, which caused the British to repeal. A very famous reaction to one of the

    Read More

  • Boston Massacre Dbq

    512 Words  | 2 Pages

    They were fed up with the mistreatment they experienced, and how the tyrant King abused his power over the colonies. Due to the miscommunication between the colonies and Great Britain, both sides did not understand what each other thought about the laws and taxes. The colonists also saw fault in the taxation and applied acts because they were implemented for the sake of levying taxes on them, which they deemed to be unconstitutional. The colonists felt that the reason why the British did not understand the needs and wants of the American colonists is that they colonists did not have any representation in the British Parliament, which they saw as unfair. Violence towards each other further increased the tension and antagonism towards one another, The British are at fault because they were enforcing many things upon the colonies without their consent, opinion, and any consideration for them in order to inform them that they are in charge and more superior. The American colonists were also motivated to accomplish the Enlightenment ideals and they became increasingly exasperated with how they are being badly treated by the British. Eventually, they hit their breaking point and decided to fight for their freedom and not be slaves to the British any longer. Overall, waging war and breaking away from Great Britain was justified because of the tyranny of the British and the mistreatment the colonists

    Read More

  • Causes of the Deterioration of British-Colonial Relations

    784 Words  | 2 Pages

    The beginning of 1763 marked one of the major events that would contribute to the end of British colonial relations. On February 3, 1763 the French and Indian War finally ended in British victory, but while the British celebrated the French’s defeat, colonists feared the oncoming reverberations the war would have on them. The main motive behind the war was for possession over the French fur trade territory in North America. To the colonists, the war was being fought by and for Britain not the colonies. The benefits of the victory only pertained to Britain. The after effect of the war for the colonies was the trampling on their need for expansion. During the war, Native Americans had fought with the French because of how well they treated them. Britain was notorious for abusing the Native Americans, therefore once the French were defeated; they began attacking western settlements of colonists. To avoid confrontation, the Proclamation of 1763 was passed by Parliament. The Proclamation established a limit to the greatly needed colonial expansion. Specifically, the Proclamation forbid settlement beyond the Appalachian Mountains. The passing of the Proclamation of 1763 infuriated colonists ...

    Read More

  • Was The American Revolution Justified Essay

    1150 Words  | 3 Pages

    These British colonies had good reasons to revolt against the British monarchy and overall call for independence from Great Britain. Prior to the American Revolution the colonies were obligated to follow British law even though they were separated by miles of ocean and had no say or representation in Parliament. So they couldn’t express an concerns or opinions on laws and acts that could affect them negatively. The last act that infuriated the colonies to revolt was huge amounts of taxed goods and other British resource that had to be paid by the colonies. It was justifiable for the colonies to revolt against Great Britain because they felt that they were being manipulated and taken advantage of for profits and natural resources. They hated how the monarchy mistreated them as low class citizens even though they were British subjects just like everyone else. No representation made them feel weak, powerless, and vulnerable that channeled into anger and disgust amongst the colonies towards the monarchy. They knew as long as they stayed within British control they would never receive justice, rights, and proper recognition within parliament. Overall the ruling of the British monarchy was harsh, unethical, and unjust, their ruling wasn’t to keep order and safety amongst its people it was used to oppress and silence anyone who dare speak against the crown and keep

    Read More

  • Causes Of American Revolutions

    1736 Words  | 4 Pages

    It all started after the end of the Seven Year War that ended in 1763. This war was also known as the French and Indian War. This war ended with the loss of the French, leaving them and Britain with a tremendous financial turmoil. “Growing disagreement between American colonists and the British empire’s governors in America on the issue of taxation” (LS, Jan. 24- Slide 12). This quote takes back from where we can say it all began. Aside from Britain’s economic change, their relation with the colonists also changed politically and socially. Due to Britain devastating debt, the king of Britain tried to seek sources of revenue to pay off the debt by forcefully imposing new taxes on its colonies. Over the years, discontent over the high taxes would progressively rise among the colonists, eventually leading into in the American Revolutionary War. Basically the colonist felt a disagreement of the way Great Britain was treating the colonies versus the way the colonies felt they should be treated. To clarify from the beginning, the British colonies were never meant to become anything special, the real reason why these colonies existed in the first place was to make their homeland stronger. In other words the colonies basically only existed to help Britain make money. This eventually started to bother the colonists who were feeling used and in a way unappreciated. Needless to say with the downfall of the French, the colonies

    Read More

More about Were The American Colonies Cruel Or Justified Essay

Open Document