The American Grievances
Ch. 7-10 Questions
1. Were all the American grievances really justified, or were the British actually being more reasonable than most Americans have traditionally believed?
The British were actually more reasonable than most Americans have traditionally believed. For example, the navigation laws, laws that regulated trade to and from the colonies, would be seen as an American grievance but were not really enforced by the British government until 1763, which allowed people to smuggle goods, “But the truth is that until 1763, the various navigation laws imposed no intolerable burden, mainly because there were only loosely enforced. Enterprising colonial merchants learned early to disregard or evade troublesome restrictions. Some of the first American of John wholesome smuggling”(124). It seems that Americans viewed the British as terrible and controlling, but the colonists actually benefitted from them. The colonists gained free protection from the British colony, and they a gained a monopoly in the British market, “London paid liberal bounties to colonial producers of ship parts, over protests of British competitors. Virginia tobacco planters enjoyed a monopoly in the British market, colonists also benefited from the protection of the world’s mightiest navy and a strong, seasoned army of redcoats”(124). It is obvious that they benefited from each other, and they British can be seen as reasonable.
2. What was the revolutionary movement all about? The amount of taxation? The right of parliament to tax? The political corruption of Britain and the virtue of America the right of the king to govern America? The colonies growing sense of national identity apart from the Britain? Was the revolution truly radical overturning of government and society –usual definition of a “revolution”?
The revolutionary movement was about the taxes that Britain placed on the Colonies. Grenville was placing taxes on the colonists to support the new military defense, so they
1. Were all the American grievances really justified, or were the British actually being more reasonable than most Americans have traditionally believed?
The British were actually more reasonable than most Americans have traditionally believed. For example, the navigation laws, laws that regulated trade to and from the colonies, would be seen as an American grievance but were not really enforced by the British government until 1763, which allowed people to smuggle goods, “But the truth is that until 1763, the various navigation laws imposed no intolerable burden, mainly because there were only loosely enforced. Enterprising colonial merchants learned early to disregard or evade troublesome restrictions. Some of the first American of John wholesome smuggling”(124). It seems that Americans viewed the British as terrible and controlling, but the colonists actually benefitted from them. The colonists gained free protection from the British colony, and they a gained a monopoly in the British market, “London paid liberal bounties to colonial producers of ship parts, over protests of British competitors. Virginia tobacco planters enjoyed a monopoly in the British market, colonists also benefited from the protection of the world’s mightiest navy and a strong, seasoned army of redcoats”(124). It is obvious that they benefited from each other, and they British can be seen as reasonable.
2. What was the revolutionary movement all about? The amount of taxation? The right of parliament to tax? The political corruption of Britain and the virtue of America the right of the king to govern America? The colonies growing sense of national identity apart from the Britain? Was the revolution truly radical overturning of government and society –usual definition of a “revolution”?
The revolutionary movement was about the taxes that Britain placed on the Colonies. Grenville was placing taxes on the colonists to support the new military defense, so they