Michael Pratt
Sept. 29, 2011
Why our Founding Fathers and the Colonies Were Morally Justified in Their Revolt against Great Britain.
In the years preceding the colonization of the American Continent, there were many who sought a better life than the one they had in Great Britain. These people, known as the Puritans, left their homeland in the year 1640 and journeyed across the vast Atlantic to establish a better life in the Americas. As these people became established in this new land, 13 colonies arose. Back in Great Britain, there were many laws and customs which held them bound without choice of religion or a free life. They lived under a King, which meant that all were subject to him and his laws. That being the case, all men were not equal. There in the American Continent, they could enjoy these freedoms. European settlers ventured from a mixture of social and religious groups to obtain these rights. As these colonists strived to survive, they united themselves together. Many of those inhabitants, who ventured over from Great Britain to colonize the New World, still considered themselves British. They were still part of and loyal to the British Empire. That British Kingdom was very highly developed and still had control over these colonies. Those cities next to the ocean with ports were actually British cities.
These 13 colonies were still dependent on the British Empire. Trading from the Old World to the New World was a big thing. Inhabitants of the American world depended on imported goods such as tea, spices, and other foreign goods etc… because of this dependency, Great Britain still endeavored to govern those in the New World. Americans claimed the right to freedom of government so as to have their own legislature and own taxing rights. In America, the tax load was much lighter than that of Great Britain. In the commencement of the year 1764, the British began to take advantage of its authority over America and laid a heavy tax load. More power was exercised over the American colonies. The Americans did not respond well to these actions. A sequence of protesting began starting with the Sugar Act in the year 1764. The Sugar Act was issued by Parliament just to raise revenue and is an example of Taxation without Representation. This act alongside the Currency Act (an act that prohibited the colonies from using their own currency) essentially just provided more money to the Crown. The Americans were not pleased with these actions taken by the British.
Many more Acts followed which led the Americans to take bigger steps toward the American Revolution. The Quartering Act of 1765 was an act that required the colonists to house British troops and supply them with food. The Stamp Act was another example of Taxation without Representation. This act required items such as newspapers, playing cards, medicines, cheques, mortgages, contracts and stamps (used for the legalization of documents and all printed materials had to be stamped with the authorization of the British), be laid with a heavier tax. The colonists recognized this act as a violation of their rights and to be taxed without their approval. The Stamp Act was stopped due to boycotts that injured the British Trade. The Declaratory Act in 1766 was a declaration that stated that Parliament’s authority in Great Britain was the same in America which gave Parliament the ability to make laws on the American colonies, even though the colonies were not represented in Parliament. In 1767, the Townshend Acts (a series of laws passed by Parliament) was designed to raise more revenue and to inaugurate the fact that the British Parliament had the right to tax the colonies. The colonies were not compliant to these laws which led the British to enter and to occupy Boston, Massachusetts in 1768. This led to the Boston Massacre in the year 1770. After the Boston Massacre, Parliament decided to withdraw the laws created in the Townshend Act as well as most of the taxes that had been given. But, Parliament continued to tax the colonists without their approval or consent on items such as tea. In 1773, the Tea Act followed. Tax was still heavy on tea which led many to smuggle the tea around the British so as to avoid the taxes given, which made the tea very cheap and undercutting the prices of other companies. This led to the famous Boston Tea Party where many dressed up in Indian costumes and boarded the decks of the ships used to import such goods and to dump all the tea overboard to show that they weren’t going to pay for such heavily taxed tea. The Coercive Acts, also known as the Intolerable acts in the year 1774 showed exactly how Great Britain changed its relationship with the colonies. There were three main acts under the Coercive Act. The Boston Port Act, a punishment in response to the Boston Tea Party, banned the usage of the Boston Port used for trade, shipping, importing, and exporting of goods. The Boston Port was a main source of supply for these colonies. This Act helped unify the colonies against the British and their outrageous abusage of power. Parliament tried to take over the government of Massachusetts due to their behavior known as The Massachusetts Government Act. This was done so as to have control and give more power to the Crown. Another Act known as the Administration Act made it so royal officials no longer had to face trial in colonies; George Washington called it the “Murder Act.” It succeeded later due to these Intolerable Acts, that Americans began to form for the first time the Continental Congress and instituted the Natural Rights of Man.
In the year 1775, the colonies were declared to be in a state of rebellion. Consequently the American Revolution began. And after beating out the British and gaining their independence, the Declaration of Independence was written in the year 1776. From there on after, America was a free country. Free to do what was instituted of God. The natural rights of men were present and freedom of religion was prominent. America has its own independent form of Government. As the Declaration of Independence states, the people have the right to overthrow a government which infringes upon their rights and liberties. We must remember that before all these Acts had happened, these colonists were loyal to Britain, their home. It wasn’t in their minds to be independent at the time. But when Great Britain decided to act like they did, the minds of the people had to change and revolt against their homeland. Thus we conclude that the Founding Fathers of this great country were morally justified in every aspect to revolt against Great Britain.
