Apush DBQ #3
APUSH
Document-Based Question #3 British rule over its American colonies was selfish and unfair. They were over three thousand miles away, ruling from afar. Britain used the colonies to get ahead economically and didn’t care what happened to the colonies. They taxed the colonists and passed laws that the colonists believed infringed on their human rights of freedom. Many people believe that the Revolutionary War was a result of social and political differences and controversies. However, the root of the problem was imbalanced economic disagreements and disputes. The British used the colonies to better their own market. They made the colonies send them raw materials, which they manufactured into finished goods. This is called mercantilism. Specifically mercantilism is severe governmental laws over the economy through laws intended to secure a buildup of gold, gain a favorable balance of trade, and the establishment of foreign trading monopolies. Overall this economy was a way for the British to use the colonists selfishly and not have to give anything in return. One way the colonist tried to get around England’s unfair laws was importing goods illegally. They smuggled in finished products that were a lot less expensive because they didn’t have to pay the taxes imposed on them by the British. When the King found out about this act of rebellion he took it to Parliament with a new law. During the French and Indian War the British created a law called the Writs of Assistance. When the colonists were found out, the Parliament decided to reintroduce these laws. This law enables officers to search and seize without restriction. They could enter a house, essentially writing their own search warrants that required no justification, examining every object the owner had and seize anything they assumed to be obtained illegally. This was a serious infringement on their rights and it angered the colonists (Document A). Another infringement on the colonist rights as
Document-Based Question #3 British rule over its American colonies was selfish and unfair. They were over three thousand miles away, ruling from afar. Britain used the colonies to get ahead economically and didn’t care what happened to the colonies. They taxed the colonists and passed laws that the colonists believed infringed on their human rights of freedom. Many people believe that the Revolutionary War was a result of social and political differences and controversies. However, the root of the problem was imbalanced economic disagreements and disputes. The British used the colonies to better their own market. They made the colonies send them raw materials, which they manufactured into finished goods. This is called mercantilism. Specifically mercantilism is severe governmental laws over the economy through laws intended to secure a buildup of gold, gain a favorable balance of trade, and the establishment of foreign trading monopolies. Overall this economy was a way for the British to use the colonists selfishly and not have to give anything in return. One way the colonist tried to get around England’s unfair laws was importing goods illegally. They smuggled in finished products that were a lot less expensive because they didn’t have to pay the taxes imposed on them by the British. When the King found out about this act of rebellion he took it to Parliament with a new law. During the French and Indian War the British created a law called the Writs of Assistance. When the colonists were found out, the Parliament decided to reintroduce these laws. This law enables officers to search and seize without restriction. They could enter a house, essentially writing their own search warrants that required no justification, examining every object the owner had and seize anything they assumed to be obtained illegally. This was a serious infringement on their rights and it angered the colonists (Document A). Another infringement on the colonist rights as