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To What Extent Was The Romans Justified In The American Revolution

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The American Revolutionary War was a significant event in world history, and the constitutional republic that followed has produced the freest, most productive society ever. Most of the Founding Fathers were religious men. No one can deny that the independence they fought for has benefitted millions of people. Does this make their revolt against the British monarch morally acceptable though? More specifically, was the American Revolution a violation of what Romans 13:1-7 tells us?

During the years before the Revolutionary War, the issue of justified rebellion was widely debated, with good men on both sides of the issue. Not surprisingly, most English preachers, urged restraint and submission on the part of the colonists; while most Colonial …show more content…

The colonists saw themselves not as anti-government but as anti-tyranny. That is, they were not promoting anarchy or the casting off of all restraint. They believed Romans 13 taught honor for the institution of government, but not necessarily for the individuals who ruled government. Therefore, since they supported God’s institution of government, the colonists believed that their actions against a specific oppressive authority were not a violation of the general principle of Romans 13.
The colonists pointed out that it was the king of England himself who was in violation of Scripture. No king who behaved so wickedly, they said, could be considered “God’s servant.” Therefore, they believed it was a Christian’s duty to resist him.
The colonists saw the war as a defensive action, not as an offensive war. And it is true that, in 1775 and 1776, the Americans had presented the king with formal appeals for reconciliation. These peaceful pleas were met with armed military force and several violations of British Common Law and the English Bill of Rights. In 1770, the British fired upon unarmed citizens in the Boston Massacre. At Lexington, the command was “Don’t fire unless fired upon.” The colonists, therefore, saw their actions as simply defending themselves after the conflict had been initiated by the

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They then address the issue of whether the war was in self defense by pointing out the fact that the only reason the English infantry attacked was because they were putting down a rebellion of people that had broken the law. Thus, the American people had deserved the authorities that the British nation had sent, and therefore had no right to begin war. In contrast, the idea that considers the revolution biblical states that the American people, while deserving the policing, had not started the war, and the British militia had sparked the battles that led into the war. However, both sides agree that England’s government had not been forcing religion or causing the colonists to sin. One particularly interesting point raised was that while government as a system is to be respected, the people that corrupt it and use it to the advantage of others should be distanced.

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The colonists were patriotic to a country not yet established. They fought for liberty because they saw a future in which they could be free from tyrant rule. This hope guided their long fight for freedom from tyranny. They wanted to become their own nation and give the people the rights King George III had deprived them of. In the distance they saw the future of a fair, kind nation that treat its citizens with respect.

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Britain was forcing the colonists to house the British soldiers and there was no compensation. The British government also violated the colonist’s rights by restricting trade by preventing other nations from purchasing products form the North American colonial market. Obviously, the Founding Fathers were justified in rebelling because the British government was taking advantage of the colonists. Parliament applied various taxes, and forced the colonists to house British soldiers which violated the rights of the colonists.

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