To What Extent Were The Colonists Justified In The Revolutionary War Dbq

The colonists were justified in waging war and breaking away from Britain. This is because Britain taxed them unfairly and without their representation. Britain also was cruel and tyrannical, and did not treat them fairly.
The unfair taxes that had to be paid by colonists were a good reason for them to declare their independence from Britain. Document 2 describes the unconstitutional nature of the Stamp Act from the perspective of John Dickinson: “... Never did the British parliament, until the passage of the Stamp Act, think of imposing duties in America for the purpose of raising revenue.” He then goes on to say the Townshend Acts let Britain tax the colonists purely for money, and not to regulate trade. This is important because John Dickinson

This is critical because Britain had been taxing the colonists without their consent, then assumed the role of judge and jury. The colonists right to a fair trial and jury, and should not have had to pay taxes they did not consent to. Samuel Adams describes the way that the colonists felt after the Intolerable Acts were passed in Document 15: “The people receive this cruel edict with abhorrence and indignation.” The Intolerable Acts shut down the Boston harbor and the Declaratory Acts gave Britain total power of the colonies. The

Paul Revere, in Document 4, made an engraving that demonstrated the cruelty that British soldiers acted with. Though the engraving is propaganda, British soldiers undeniably fired upon unarmed colonists and killed several of them. This is completely unacceptable. Other unacceptable behavior by Britain includes the Declaratory Act, described in Document 6 by Thomas Jefferson, and John Dickinson, the respective writers of the Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation: “What is to defend us against so enormous, so unlimited a power? … We are reduced to … choosing … unconditional submission to the tyranny of irritated [British officials], or resistance by force.” Colonists really did only have two choices. Parliament being able to make laws that are “binding in all cases whatsoever” is repugnant. The colonists, if they had not rebelled, would have essentially been slaves to Britain. Philosopher John Locke, in Document 8, describes what must be done to rulers in the colonists’ situation: “If a ruler … acts both as judge and participate in disputes, he puts himself in a state of war with his subjects and we have the right and the duty to kill such rulers and their servants.” He mentions rights that Britain continually violated and correctly says people should kill those rulers and their