Every year, Americans across the country gather to celebrate their independence and freedom from the British government. On July 4th, 1776, America officially declared their independance from England, and the American people would be free from British tyranny. In the beginning, the Colonists did not want to be independant from the British Government, and were happily living in America and making money and embracing their freedoms(Notes Cite). However, the British government began to take away their freedoms and their rights by using taxes and implementing acts that upset the Colonists(Notes Cites).The colonists came to America to free themselves from persecution in Britain, and to start over and create a better life for themselves. In the …show more content…
These acts were comprised of four major acts that would incite anger in the American people. The Trade and Navigation Acts forced all trade between America and England to occur on ships owned and manned by English or American people(Cite notes). This act gave England more control over the trade in the colonies. The Trade and Navigation Acts, also forced all imports from foreign countries to the colonies to go through England first(Cite Notes). This act allowed the British to tax and control imports to America. Another part of these acts, was that certain goods were enumerated and certain goods could only be produced in England(Cite Notes). This angered Americans because England would get all the money from manufacturing certain goods like wool and iron items in England, taking away the opportunity for Americans to make money from manufacturing and selling important goods like iron tools or wool clothing. The enumerated goods were only allowed to be sold in England, so products like tobacco which were high quality, could not be sold to other countries, and the farmers could only make money by selling it to England, then the buyers in England would sell it to other countries for even more money. The Trade and Navigation acts were one of the first instances of the British government taxing the American people without providing them with proper representation in the …show more content…
This would in turn cause a great deal of anger among the American people. After the French and Indian war, the British government was in a large amount of debt due to funding their large and powerful armies and navies(Cite Notes). Because of the large debt in England, the citizens of England were being taxed 40% of their income. The British people were extremely unhappy about being taxed so much money, but it was necessary to pay back debts from the war. However, the money being taken from the citizens of England still wasn’t enough to fully pay back the massive debt, so instead of risking being overthrown because of raising the taxes even higher, the king decided to tax the American people instead(Cite Notes). This plan may have worked out, but the American people did not want to be taxed any amount of money, without being represented in the British government. JOHN LOCKE 2ND TREATISE ON GOVERNMENT MORE INFO REQUIRED OUTSIDE SOURCE. The British claimed that the American People had representation in their government via virtual representation(Cite Notes). According to the British government, the British Parliament represented English citizens wherever they were, and that included the English citizens living in America(Cite Notes). The king of England could not give direct representation to America, because the
Like other imperial countries, he wanted to encourage mercantilism, which would strengthen England. Limitations such as Navigation Act of 1660 meant only certain products could be sold and shipped to England and other colonies; The Staple Act stated that all foreign goods had to be loaded and reloaded at English ports with English ships; and Revenues Act of 1663 required that ship captains transporting certain colonial goods pay a "plantation duty" on any items not delivered to England” (Jelatis). This only allowed for England to make a profit off of trade, which in the long run negatively affected the colonists. This occurred because King Charles II believed that it was the duty of the colonies to create money for England, but it began to impede on the colonists’ ability to establish commerce in the late 18th
Previous to the deduction of the Seven Years War there was slight, if any, purpose to trust that one day the American colonies would assume a rebellion in a strength to create a self-governing nation-state. As a measure of the kingdom the groups were secure from foreign attack by the British armed. In reappearance, the settlers paid comparatively few dues and could involve in domestic financial activity deprived of much meddling from the British administration. For the most portion the settlers were only requested to follow to rules concerning foreign occupation. In a sequence of acts approved by Parliament through the seventeenth period the Navigation Acts obligatory that entirely trade inside the empire be accompanied on boats which were made, possessed and largely operated by British peoples.
The British men gathered full control of the trading center present in the Americas, and created the Navigation Acts to help aid them in their tactics to take control over all trade within the Americas. The Navigation Acts were passed under a mercantilist system, and was used to regulate trade in a way that only benefitted the British economy. These acts restricted trade between England and its colonies to English or colonial ships, required certain colonial goods to pass through England before export, provided subsidies for the production of certain raw goods in the colonies, and banned colonial competition in large-scale manufacturing. This lowered the competition in the trading world for the British and caused the British to have a major surge in power, that greatly attributed to the growth of their rising empire. The British’s ambitious motives in the trading world help portray a way that the British took control of an important piece in the economy of all of the other nations present in the colonies in the time period, and shows another leading factor in the growth of the British empire.
There was lots of change going on in England around the time of the French and Indian War. Before the war, all the English people and colonists got along fine without any big problems. After the war, however, England was in debt and needed to find a way to pay it off. They immediately decided to start taxing the colonists to make more money. This is what upset the colonists, as it appeared to be taxation without representation.
Ratified on July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is a document that solidified America’s separation from their mother country, Great Britain. The policies issued by the King were the leading causes for separation. According to the Declaration, the King has “refused” and “forbidden” actions that benefit the people of America. Thomas Paine, who held similar views against Great Britain, wrote a pamphlet entitled “Common Sense” that sparked the need for a revolution. He made numerous arguments as to why the rule of Britain over America was absurd.
The British taxed us so they could get money for weapons soldiers etc. Secondly, the British made the stamp act. The stamp act placed a tax on all printed paper. Third, the British state “without money the government would not be able to function”.
Some parts of the law were that the colonies can only ship on English boats (later became just English captain and crew), all the colonies imports must be sent to England (so they could be taxed), merchants must pay taxes on certain things, and the last part of the law stated that most of the colonies products must be sold to
Even though Native Americans excited longer, the history of the United States usually begins with its discovery in 1492 and the first colonies which were founded by European settlers. The settlements all started in 1588 with Britain’s victory over the Spanish Armada which made England the world’s number one sea power. Due to that, they were able to acquire more colonies. This is what marked the beginning of the First British Empire, to which New England also belonged in the beginning. England’s reasons for building the First Empire were commercial and military interests.
Between 1763 and 1775, there were three ‘Imperial Crises’ which occurred between the British and the American colonists. The conflict that was produced during this period arose through an undefined balance of political and economic power between the two parties. In 1763, Britain had just concluded the French and Indian war and was left with an immense and almost crippling debt of around 140 million pounds sterling (“Turning Point In American History”). In Britain’s eyes, the most effective way to reduce this debt was increased taxes. Unfortunately, the people of England were already massively overtaxed, which meant the last option for the British was to tax the American colonists.
Throughout history, many government systems have been created to guide countries. I think United States represents Democracy by choosing its President, freedom to petition the government, the different points of views Hamilton and Jefferson had for the United States and the Declaration of Independence. Before the United States won their independence, they were under control of the British Monarchy, which was a government where a king or queen has all the power. During this time, most of the Colonists ' (Americans ') rights were taken away. These topics are discussed in the United States Constitution, Petition to the Massachusetts General Assembly, Thomas Jefferson:
In the time period before the American Revolution, the people of the American colonies would proudly call themselves British. However, as the mid 18th century rolled around, these “bloody Americans” began to develop their own identity that was separate from that of the British. They viewed the British as uptight and snobbish, and then saying that they must be represented before Parliament could pass acts and laws upon them. In short, the Americans had carved out a new identity for themselves at the dawn of the American Revolution that helped to spurn their desire for independence. Seeing as Great Britain had its own troubles much closer to home than the New World and the colonies seemed to not be imploding on themselves, the British government adopted a policy of salutary neglect toward America during the early 18th
The colonists wanted representation when it came down to being taxed, but the British government would not allow it. The government wanted full control over the people, so they made sets of acts and laws that were placed on taxation. For example, the Stamp Acts of 1765. These acts taxed all papers, pamphlets, newspapers, and cards. The Townshend Acts of 1767 were also a large part of taxation.
The fourth of july in 1776 America declared independence. A nation once wrought with suppressive, autocratic control of a king who had little interest in the welfare of his colonial subjects, began to shed its repressive chains and step aboard the ship of liberty with an impregnable hull. The banners waved. The crowds cheered. Then, the blood soaked the continent.
Devon Cummings HIST 226L – 111 Dr. Steven Garabedian October 7, 2014 Paradox of Freedom in Early British America Throughout early British America the basis of any type of freedom was the denial of freedom for others. Starting with indentured servants when colonists first started to occupy America, there were classes that controlled and groups that were being controlled. Although mainland Britain still had control over what happens in the British colonies, there was still a sense of freedom that the “controllers” had.
America colonists had been wanting their independence for many years. The British have taken control of the colonies. The colonists fight back against the British. Two examples of how the British control the colonists are through the Proclamation of 1763 and in the Boston Massacre.