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Compare And Contrast The Declaration Of Colonial Rights And Grievances

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Since the late 1760s colonists living in America had been struggling with Britains new restrictions placed on them. They tried to fix the relationship with Britain but it was to no avail. More than half of the colonies just wanted to break away and make their own government rather than continue to struggle with the mother country. The colonies couldn't do as they pleased because the couldn't get to a definite answer as to what people wanted. Some colonies apposed to the thought of splitting away from Britain because they would need to build a brand new government that would work well enough to protect them. After a lot of conflict they finally decided on July 4, 1776 to claim their freedom. The document that stated their freedom was the Declaration …show more content…

The Declaration of Colonial Rights and Grievances was written to show why the Americans had begun to oppose of their King. One of their grievances was that they were not being entitled to life, liberty, and property when they had done nothing to ceded to any sovereign power at all. Their ancestors, who came from Britain, had all the rights, liberties, and immunities that they were given when they were born. They are wondering why they are given less and less rights when they were also people of Britain, all that was different was that they didn't live on the mother country. The document also stated “That by such emigration they by no means forfeited, surrendered, or lost any of those rights, but that they were and their descendants now are, entitled to the exercise and enjoyment of all such of them, as their local and the other circumstances enable them to exercise and enjoy.” (Document E) To say this to the British rule with no fear whatsoever was a brave thing to do. This lead to people becoming bolder and more empowered than they were. When the revolutions first started to happen they barely did anything out of fear, but once it started to become more common to go against the British they spoke their mind. This was one of the many dramatic changes that America was bringing on their road to freedom. Even though America did have to fight for their …show more content…

This didn't make Americans happy so they continued to oppose them. As most revolutions go, the oppressed people will go against the oppressors. Thomas Paine was one of the people who spoke without fear on parting away from Britain. In his pamphlet, that he wrote in 1776, he was telling the American people that they should seek independence rather than suffering with Britain rule. One great point he brings up is “I have heard it asserted by some, that as American hath flourished under her former connection with Great Britain…Nothing can be more fallacious than this kind of argument —- we may as well assert that because a child hath thrived upon milk, that it is never to have meat…” (Document K). It's a very good analogy and brings awareness to the truth even more. In his pamphlet he also says that when war breaks out between England and any other country the American trade suffers because their only connection is Britain. The system that the Americans were currently living under is too fallible and could cause catastrophic damage to it. He argued that it was much more easier to just have a government of their own with its own natural right. Although, once America did gain their independence it was easier said than

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821 Words | 4 Pages

We want our rights and will declare independence from any government that does not guarantee those rights. We have proved ourselves worthy on the fields of battle and are not afraid of the British Army. We will pay taxes but to our own colonial governments to fight the tyranny of the British government. The American “patriots” are nothing but spoiled children.

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956 Words | 4 Pages

The colonists were allowed to have their own government and pass laws giving the colonist a voice. After time passed these rights were stripped from the colonist. The king began replacing American officials and positions with British ones. In document 3, “If I was in any doubt, as to the right which the Parliament of Great Britain had to tax us without our consent, I should most heartily coincide with you in opinion, that to petition, and petition only, is the proper method to apply for relief; because we should then be asking a favor, and not claiming a right, which, by the law of nature and our constitution, we are, in my opinion, indubitably entitled to”. The American opinion didn’t matter anymore because even though their was an American government there was also a British king looking over them.

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512 Words | 3 Pages

After reading the document "The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved" wrote by James Otis, I agree with the contemporaries of Otis that the document was written to challenge the authority of the king and parliament. In the document, Otis argued in favor of the natural rights. He believed that each individual should carry his or her own judgments; these judgments should be valued regardless of the physical power, wealth or property the individual possesses. He questioned the king and parliament by raising the discussion about the relationship between authority and property; since authority confers property, as he believed, the government should give independence to its people to earn respect and to avoid future conflict. Otis believed that British colonies should have the rights to rule their own land and to protect its people from forced slavery.

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The Rhetoric that Revolutionized America The United States declared its independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776, the date that forever changed America. Angry about unjust taxes and mistreatment from Great Britain’s military, the colonists decided to take matters into their own hands and declared the ultimatum: they defied the British crown and founded a new government. Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence from June 1776 to July 1776 that regarded the thirteen colonies as independent states of a new nation and explained the reasons why America separated from the British Empire. One statement does summarize what the colonist fought for as well as the the overall rhetorical strength of the document. The sentence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator

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941 Words | 4 Pages

During the late 1700’s, the American colonies were divided down the middle on whether they should split from Great Britain or not. Some believed leaving England rule was a huge mistake because of how well the colonies had done under it. The other side felt like the colonies had even more potential than where they were and thought that Britain was just holding America back from where they could be. Thomas Paine was on the opposition and thought that England wasn’t good for America’s benefit. He gave his reasoning in his pamphlet “Common Sense”, Paine believed that America was oppressed by Britain, that nothing good has ever came out of monarchies, and that the colonies were to developed at that point to be governed by another country.

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279 Words | 2 Pages

On July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was established. Thomas Jefferson and four other founding fathers directed a committee to draft the declaration. In the Declaration of Independence, the committee acknowledges the ingrained rights of human beings, and the way the government is supposed to protect those same rights. He then states the abuse that the English regimentation showed and commanded the colonies, which diminishes the human rights. Jefferson explains the very reasons why it’s important for the colonies to be on their own away from Britain.

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1054 Words | 5 Pages

it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government”. This is no plea like in Henry’s speech; the right of Americans to overthrow their repressive government is stated as absolute fact. The bulk of the Declaration’s straightforward, logical appeal is contained in the list of specific grievances against the king. Some of the many complaints listed include that “He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers” and “has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.” Past examples of oppression under British rule are mentioned in Henry’s speech a few times as well.

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1683 Words | 7 Pages

Although the Declaration of Independence is now viewed as the official document that wholly released the United States from the political grasp of Great Britain, this was not the initial intended purpose of this document. In fact, at the time the first draft was written, the Colonists merely desired better treatment from the then supreme political power. Yet certain events inspired the American colonists to rethink their proposal for negotiation- events that led to revisions present in the final draft of the Declaration of Independence. As a means to ridicule Britain on its unjust principles, the Colonists imitated the British Declaration to expose Britain on its hypocritical views of equality. Therefore, it is easy to conclude that the American

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796 Words | 4 Pages

The British decided to leave because they thought the colonist should be able to form their own governments and fend for themselves. This all changed after the French and Indian War because The British Government needed to tax the colonist to pay the debt from the war. During the period of Salutary Neglect, the Americans formed their own customs, habits, and systems of government. The colonists also felt like they were independent from British rule which is what made them upset when they tried to reestablish power over the area. Imagine being free for over 150 years to then have a greater power tell you what you were supposed to do.

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556 Words | 3 Pages

The British colonized a land, what is now called the United States of America, back in 1607. They ruled over the natives for another century before the Native Americans realized that they wanted to be treated differently. They wanted freedom and so they revolted. The factors that contributed to the eventual separation of the colonists from the British were the colonists’ dissatisfaction with the acts imposed by the British after the French and Indian war, the battles fought between the colonists and the British, and the difference in the political wants of the colonists. After the British won the French and Indian war, they had to impose certain acts in order to make up for the financial losses in the war.

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1884 Words | 8 Pages

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.

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374 Words | 2 Pages

The people of America (colonists) were tired of being controlled by England. They wanted to be free and independent. They believed that they were able to control themselves and be their own country. They wanted England to let go of their control and to view them as independent and their own country.

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539 Words | 3 Pages

The British government was not looking for the best of the people. They were only thinking about what they wanted; the government was not interested in what the people wanted so they decided to make decisions on their own, which resulted in changes that form the United States today. Because of this, they were justified in rebelling and declaring independence. One reason why the colonists decided to rebel and declare independence was because of taxation.

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845 Words | 4 Pages

Great Britain founded the North American colonies over 150 years before they declared independence. Before the French and Indian War, Britain neglected the colonies which allowed the colonies to create their own governments, and their experiences grew. The American colonists believed they had the same rights as Englishmen because they were, in fact, Englishmen. The colonies were British colonies.

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505 Words | 3 Pages

In 1775, the Revolutionary War between Americans and Britain started. The reason why colonies decided to get independence was colonists did not want to be under the oppression of British anymore. They were angry when British imposed taxes on them because they felt that British ignored their rights. They had an effort to self rule from government in political ways, but it was no use changing their situation. They had disappointment to Britain, and recognized that it was not possible to be free within the British system.

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