British Imperial Policies Between 1763 And 1776

“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The modern rights of the United States of America are built upon these ideas presented in the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration came about when the 13 American colonies formally separated from the British Empire. This separation, in turn, arose from British mistreatment of the American colonies. British imperial policies between 1763 and 1776, such as harsh acts, denial of political representation, and restrictions on freedom intensified colonists’ resistance to British rule and their commitment to republican values, shown

The British empire did this through policies that limited the political freedom of colonists. It used virtual representation, in which members of Parliament spoke for the interests of all British subjects. Thus, they took away the voice of the American people in government, having no weight in deciding taxes such as the Stamp Act. Additionally, Parliament passed the Declaratory Act in 1766, which mandated that Britain had the right to tax the colonies whenever it desired. This denied the Americans liberties because it gave the British control over the American legislature. Because they considered themselves equals to the British citizens located in Britain, the American colonists despised the fact that they were treated like inferiors and had no say in their own politics. They loudly protested the passing of acts such as the Stamp Act, using a slogan that has since been embedded in United States history: “No taxation without representation.” The outraged Americans demanded a voice in politics and pushed for some weight in Parliament because they felt it was not just that they were governed like mere subjects. This clamor for representation was a leap towards revolution that pushed the colonists away from Britain and embodied the republican value of sovereignty. Attempts at regulation of the colonies by the

After the French and Indian War had concluded, the French were driven out of America and England controlled all the North American land east of the Mississippi River. Following the war, Pontiac’s Rebellion sprung up in 1763. The rebellion was crushed, however imperial Britain adjusted its policies to avoid further Indian conflicts. Thus, the Proclamation of 1763 was born, which forbade Americans from settling beyond the Appalachian Mountains. Additionally, in 1774, Britain produced the Coercive Acts, or “Intolerable Acts,” which were designed to punish the Americans for their uprising in Boston Harbor. These decisions to limit the colonists deeply angered them. They felt as though they deserved the land of Ohio country for fighting for it and aiding the British in the war. The Intolerable Acts were especially incendiary because they punished all of the colonists for the actions of just a few. These unjust limitations of the American people sparked strong resentment over British control. Following republican ideas, the Americans marched towards sovereignty by creating the First Continental Congress in 1774 that united most of the colonies and organized their grievances against the British. Imperial British policies created to quell troubles unfairly confined the colonists, leading to the first forms of an American