A Study of the American Revolutions Beginnings
Pointing the finger of blame at any one country when speaking of war is a difficult task. Each country must take responsibility in the beginning of the conflict. Although there is never one country responsible for starting warfare there is an opinion that one side is more at fault for it's beginnings. From an early age, children in America are taught that the British were responsible for pushing the colonies to rebel and declare independence from their mother country. When looking at both sides of the argument I still believe the British were to blame for igniting the flames of revolution. Many people will argue that the British were fair in the treatment of the early American Colonists and provided for them as they did for their countrymen remaining in England. In my opinion the colonies were thought of as nothing more than an early day sweat shop. By this, I mean that the colonists were basically used to work the land to provide crops which were normally imported from other countries to England. Since they were considered Englishmen and their lands considered property of the crown, the British could pass laws taking from them their basic rights as men. The British thought of the colonists as their primary asset in their practic
Within a year of repealing the Stamp Act, the Parliament passed another revenue law by the name of the Townshend Acts. The colonists were again faced with a tax placing duties on imports of glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea. As with the Stamp Act this did not go over well with the colonists. Again the colonists were taxed without representation and reacted as they did before. Boston Merchants again boycotted English goods. The colonists needed the support of one another to battle against this new injustice. To rally the colonists together the Massachusetts Assembly circulated a letter explaining the situation and asking for assistance. Because of this action, the Assembly was dissolved in 1768. To enforce these laws and keep the peace among the irate public, British troops were sent in. Due to rising tensions created by the Britain's new laws the population began to torment the troops. Finally on March 5, 1770 the unthinkable happened. In the streets of Boston, British troops fired into a rioting crowd killing five people and wounding others. Because of the "Boston Massacre" the people were pushed over the edge. Many who teetered on the between loyalty to the crown and a revolution were now looking to the North for guidance. The colonists were now on their way to revolting against England. It was no longer religious freedom the colonists were seeking; they were now looking to achieve a political freedom from a country that thought of them as nothing more as cows to be milked. Basic rights given to all English countrymen were now being with held from the colonists. In the years to follow, Britain would repeatedly take from the colonists until finally there was nothing more to do but rebel. In order to understand why the colonists felt threatened by British control, we must first know who these early people were and what they looked to accomplish by settling this vast new country. The founders of what we now know as the United States were middle class Englishmen and women. These people took a great risk by leaving the security of their homeland to an uncertain future in the "New World". There was no promise of even surviving through their first winter. Regardless of the obstacles facing them, these people pressed forward in search of economic and religious freedom. Freedom from a country, whose Kings and Parliament would often promise changes, then would abuse those changes for personal gain. To escape fro
Some common words found in the essay are:
Treaty Paris, American Colonists, Stamp Act, American Revolution, , Boston Massacre, Kings Parliament, Parliament Colonists, Massachusetts Assembly, French Indian, stamp act, mother country, normally imported countries, britain completely, primary asset, control colonies, basic rights, normally imported, imported countries, control own, religious freedom,
Approximate Word count = 1635
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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