In the years leading up to the Revolutionary War, Great Britain committed many offenses against the colonists. One of the main offenses was establishing large bodies of troops among the colonists, and protecting those troops from punishment for crimes by using mock trials. It is important to understand England’s purpose in doing this, why it was a problem for the colonists in their daily life, and how it led to an atmosphere of resentment and rebellion. This abuse of power is one of the main reasons the colonial people rebelled, founded the Continental Army, and began an eighteen-yearlong revolution that would forever impact the world. What was Great Britain’s purpose for establishing a military presence, committing these abuses, and holding these mock trials? The reason why a military presence was instituted was to keep the colonial people in line, because without proper control it would have been much easier for the colonies to rebel. Even if they didn’t rebel, there would be less political control held by the British if their military wasn’t there, because British officers held a great deal of …show more content…
Even if the military wasn’t committing acts of violence against the people, their presence alone created an underlying hatred between the two sides. However, the British were in fact committing acts of violence against the people, angering them even more. The colonists felt robbed of their freedom, because they were constantly watched, aggravated and abused. The military presence could possibly have been tolerated, and the abuses made up for, had justice been administered to the soldiers committing the crimes. However, the use of mock trials was adding insult to injury, and made the colonists feel even more powerless. This sense of powerlessness escalated the feelings of resentment to an outright rebellion. At that point, a war for the independence of the colonies was