hist 101 final

I can agree that the American Revolutionary War could have been avoided. If the actions of the British had been different, the Empire might have been saved. King George III chose to treat the colonists as children who were acting out and was doing his best to take advantage of the colonist’s situation to pad his own pocket book. If the actions of King George III were different and he gave the colonist the same rights as the citizens in England, the War may have been avoided. The colonist simply wanted equal rights given to the people across the pond. They figured they had earned it in their roles during the seven year war. Britain was at a crossroad in the colonies and needed to recover the money spent during the seven year war. There was a difference in the opinion on who would foot the bill. Also the British mercantilist policies caused unfair taxation without representation. The colonists derived a tactful solution to appeal to the heart of the King to obtain these rights. In 1775, the Second Continental Congress met to put their plan to action. They had to primary agendas during this meeting. The first being the assertion of their rights equal to those in England. The second, being the act of pledging their allegiance to the Crown. They sent an olive branch petition to the King pleading their case against the unfair taxation and the oppression within the colonies. The language in the petition was written so as to give King George III the idea that the colonies favored his rule. When the petition arrived to the King, he refused to read it. He treated the petition as shear treason by the colonist. The King stated that the petition “proceeded toward open and avowed rebellion” (Ferling, 2014). The colonists knew that they would never receive the rights they wanted after they heard of the King’s reply. The colonies were still undecided on declaring independence even after this occurrence, but King George III was greedy and continued his unfair rule within the colonies. He had pushed them too far and eventually lost them. To conclude, the American Revolution could have been avoided and the British Empire could have remained in power. Had the King considered the plea from the colonies and given them the same rights as the citizens of England the Crown may still be in power today. Unfortunately for the King the Declaration of Independence was the next document to reach him from the colonies. All of this may have never happen had he put money aside and treated the colonies as true subjects under the Crown.
Reference:
Ferling, J. (2004, July 1). The Rocky Road to Revolution. Retrieved from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-rocky-road-to-revolution-2433968/?page=4