Were The American Colonists Justified Dbq Essay

Who was justified committing mass murder? The first shots of the American Revolution were fired at Lexington and Concord. On April 19, 1775, british soldiers marched into a rebel armory demanding that they turn over their weapons. Back in the 1700’s guerrilla warfare was not yet used in military combat. British combat usually consisted of line combat, which is where you line up and fire upon a still target. The British had never experienced such a “rude” and “disrespectful” type of battle. The American colonists were justified in declaring war and breaking away from Britain because of the intolerable acts, high taxes, and the British monarchy. One of the many reasons that the colonists were justified in revolting against Britain were the intolerable acts. Nicholas Cresswell stated that to each British populated colony that he went to was in the “utmost confusion” (Doc 4). Since the colonists couldn't export finished goods, the East India Tea Company had a complete monopoly over the tea industry. The intolerable acts influenced a widespread protest against Britain. John Dickinson was a political leader who stated that “The raising of revenue was never intended never

Nicholas Cresswell stated that “The Boston colonists had convinced that the English Monarchy had made complete slaves out of them” (Doc 4). The Monarchy acted as if the colonists were in debt to England, and were making them pay it off with hefty taxes. But in reality, the war debt put them in the hole 70 million British pounds. Thomas Whatley stated in one of his pamphlets that “We are not yet recovered from a war undertaken solely for the Americans protection” (Doc 1). In this statement by Whatley, it was evident that he was a loyalist. The taxes limited the colonist’s potential, and many went into poverty because of the lack of