AP History/ British didn't have to lose the Colonies
Were it not for the oversights, mistakes, and misjudgments of British leadership, the American colonies would still be territory of Great Britain. Parliament had the power to declare the colonies exempt from taxation, increased colonial dependency on Britain, or given the colonies a form of government that while subject to the King's veto, would have been an equally powerful counterpart of Parliament that would have ruled over the colonies alone, circumventing the need for rebellion by allowing more freedoms.I. Parliament/King could have declared the colonies exempt from the taxes enforced on English merchants. A. Even if the British merchants complained, they were powerless. 1. They relied on the colonies for a large portion of business. 2. The non-importation agreements proved the power of the colonies over the British economy. 3. The repealing of the Stamp Act proved that mercantilism was a double-edged sword, forcing the economy to become dependent on the colonies for trade and material. B. Keeping on good terms with the colonial merchants proved important. 1. There was a monopoly on tobacco and tobacco prices, an important and widely exported staple product.
3. Colonialists would submit to a federal tax easier than one imposed by officials across the Atlantic. C. Would circumvent the need for a rebellion in the colonies while retaining English 'control.' 1. The colonists would maintain a self-sufficient government. 1. The enforcement of mercantilist policies would be simple if the colonists could profit more from the deal. B. Equally powerful counterpart of Parliament on the new continent. 3. Without colonists to buy imports from Britain, the British economy suffered, as witnessed by the non-importation agreements that got the Stamp Act repealed. C. England could have ensured that only England was profitable to trade with by lowering the prices or standards of barter with the colonists. 1. If the citizens didn't feel pressured or misused, they wouldn't revolt.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Stamp Act, Colonial Parliament, Britain Parliament, III Parliament/King, Native Americans, Atlantic England, West Indies, , Britain British, stamp act, 2 colonists, British Empire, veto equally powerful, own government answering, british economy, 2 colonial, 1 colonists, 3 colonists, equally powerful, powerful counterpart, 2 colonial parliament, represented controlling own, non-importation agreements, counterpart parliament, government answering crown,
Approximate Word count = 797
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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