From 1763 to 1783 American colonist shifted the governing of the colonies from the British monarchy into the hands of the individuals elected by the colonies. Prior to 1763 the British Parliament imposed Navigation Acts following the ideas of Mercantilism, but due to salutary neglect these acts were never truly enforced by the British on the colonies. After the 7 Years War, which ended in 1763, the British finally turned their attention back to the colonies and worked to enforce their taxes and laws upon the colonies which lead to the changes seen in America in the following decades. The American colonist response to the British Parliament’s taxation of the colonies without a representative in Parliament can be seen in documents 1,
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.
As many colonists were considered ‘Freemen,’ the idea that, “– all such laws and orders as be for the public good –,” was very important to the success of the
In document D Byles states,” They call me a brainless Tory; but tell me, my young friend, which is better, to be ruled by one tyrant three thousand miles away, or by three thousand tyrants not a mile away” This shows that some colonists still considered themselves as English, and were against independence. Document F also supports this claim,” We [saw] a Set of men… under the Auspices of the english Government; & protected by it… but we [saw] them also run mad with too much Happiness & burst into an open rebellion…” As you can see many colonists called for rebellion but unity was never one hundred percent throughout the colonies, some were patriots while others remained loyal to the crown. Many revolutions are caused to a buildup of mistrust, exploitation and an unjust government, the American Revolution was an example of this. Once the revolution began there was no stopping it. Document E states, “the arms we have been compelled by our enemies to assume, we will… being with one mind resolved to die freemen, rather than live [like] slaves.”
Many of the reasons the American colonies believed they were justified in their rebellion from England lay in trade and taxes. When George III inherited the throne at the end of the Seven Years’ War England’s debt had risen to 145 million pounds and his chief minister believed that the American colonies needed to help shoulder the debt. (Nash, et al., 2007. , p. 134) In attempting to collect these taxes from the colonies to relieve the mounting debt Parliament passed a range of acts, which led to discontent among the colonists as many of them restricted trade, their political maneuverability and left many believing they infringed upon their “right to be taxed only by their own consent.”
The colonists no longer considered it be a virtuous government. As Thomas Paine said, “Government is, or at least should be, designed to “supply the deflect of moral virtue”. It is evident that in the years 1774 to 1776 that British government had become corrupt and they were forcing laws upon the colonists that they did not have the authority to do. By enforcing these laws without giving the colonists proper representation in Parliament the British government had infringed on the colonist’s rights to life, liberty, and
George Washington said, “Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” Government may not always do what you want it to and back in the 1700s things were a little different. Britain was the colonies government and quite a lot of the colonist didn 't agree with the choices Britain made. Often times the colonist tried to fight against Britain by boycotting and protesting.
Civil disobedience and it's impact on society varies greatly. Those of you can recall the peaceful protests of Martin Luther King. A man who led African Americans to integration and brought each race together. How did he do this you may ask?
I consider civil disobedience to be an easily-ignored pillar upon which our democracy was founded. In fact we are only established as a nation now because our founding fathers engaged in civil disobedience themselves. We were in a “social contract” of sorts with Great Britain and when we felt that they had not upheld their part of the contract (they did not allow us to create courts to maintain order, or to create a navy to defend ourselves, or to sustain our economy due to an inability to trade with any other countries), Thomas Jefferson concluded that it was our not only our right, but also our duty to break away. And it was Thomas Jefferson that combined all of the works of the great thinkers before him such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke
Colonists during the 1700’s were controlled by England without representation in Parliament. King George III passed multiple acts in order to pay debts from the French and Indian War. There were laws that placed taxes on daily items and required stamps on any legal documents in the American colonies. England felt they could tax their colonies and create a monopoly on trade, however, the colonists felt this violated the rights they had. In order to gain rights, the colonies wanted to be recognized as independent.
People's justification to engage in civil disobedience rests on the unresponsiveness that their engagement to oppose an unjust law receives. People who yearn for a change in a policy might sometimes find themselves in a dead end because their “attempts to have the laws repealed have been ignored and legal protests and demonstrations have had no success” (Rawls 373). What Rawls says is that civil disobedience is a last option to oppose an unjust law; therefore, providing civil disobedients with a justification for their cause. Civil disobedience is the spark of light that people encountered at the dead end and they hope that this spark of light will illuminate to show that an unjust law should not exist at all. Martin Luther King, Jr, in his “Letter from
Those who engage in civil disobedience do so knowing that they may be punished for it. In Boston Harbor, a group of Massachusetts’s colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians board three British tea ships and dump 342 chests of tea into the harbor. The colonists’ main complaint was that they were not directly represented in the British Parliament. Therefore, any laws the British passed on taxing the colonists were illegal under the British Bill of Rights of 1689. Seemingly, this taxation without representation would render the laws unjust.
Prior to the American Revolution, history had shown cases of tyrannical governments taking advantage of the people. In most cases these tyrannical governments were shown no mercy and many times they were overthrown. For the American Colonies and the British Government this was completely different. It was different in the way that the American Colonies had shown great dislike for the lack of representation, taxes, and its plain disrespect from its mother land.
Civil Disobedience Thousands of dedicated people march the streets of a huge city, chanting repetitively about needing a change. They proudly hold vibrant signs and banners as they fight for what they believe in. Expressions of determination and hope are visibly spread across their faces. These people aren’t using weapons or violence to fight for their ideas; simply, they are using civil disobedience.
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world” These astonishing words that Mahatma Gandhi said made me suppose that Civil Disobedience is a Moral Responsibility of a citizen because when breaking certain laws, a citizen perhaps incorporate a good intention or a bad intention for breaking it. Citizens break the law occasionally to have their beliefs be heard so change can be assemble. Some ways that Civil Disobedience can be a Moral Responsibility would be breaking the law for the right intentions. An example of breaking the law for the right intentions could be The Salt March that Gandhi Created or, Rosa Parks standing up for her beliefs about her actions, MLK wanting equal rights with caucasian. Illegal Immigrants coming into the
