Were the Colonists Justified in Declaring Their Independence?
Colonists sought independence from British government for a multitude of reasons. Tension quickly rose between England and the thirteen colonies due to the unjust taxing without fair representation in Parliament, the colonist’s rights to assemble were taken away by the British, and there were many unreasonable Acts and laws put into place in attempt to have complete control over the colonists as well as intimidate them. For these reasons and the suffering that the colonists endured at the hands of the British government, I feel that the colonists had plenty just causes to separate themselves from England.
Of the many objections pitted against King George III, the one that most angered the colonist and is by far the strongest grievance written in the Declaration of Independence was taxation without representation. The people living in the thirteen colonies did not have direct representatives in the British parliament. Because of that, the colonists had no way to vote for how they would be taxed or who would represent them. Due to this lack of representation, the British government was free to tax the colonists in any way and for any amount that they wanted. With no way to fight taxation and no way to claim their rights, many colonists feared that their property could be taken away through unbearable tax wages. The Stamp Act and Townshend Act were put into place to regulate the trade of the colonists as well as collect taxes from them. Britain was abusing the colonist’s rights as Englishmen through doing this because laws in England stated that “somebody may not be taxed if he or she does not have a voice in government.” The anger and fear that came from the free reign that Britain had over the colonists smoldered until eventually war broke out.
The years leading up the Revolution saw the British government introduce a number of taxation laws. But there were many other events that led up to colonists’ declaration of independence from British control. The
Of the many objections pitted against King George III, the one that most angered the colonist and is by far the strongest grievance written in the Declaration of Independence was taxation without representation. The people living in the thirteen colonies did not have direct representatives in the British parliament. Because of that, the colonists had no way to vote for how they would be taxed or who would represent them. Due to this lack of representation, the British government was free to tax the colonists in any way and for any amount that they wanted. With no way to fight taxation and no way to claim their rights, many colonists feared that their property could be taken away through unbearable tax wages. The Stamp Act and Townshend Act were put into place to regulate the trade of the colonists as well as collect taxes from them. Britain was abusing the colonist’s rights as Englishmen through doing this because laws in England stated that “somebody may not be taxed if he or she does not have a voice in government.” The anger and fear that came from the free reign that Britain had over the colonists smoldered until eventually war broke out.
The years leading up the Revolution saw the British government introduce a number of taxation laws. But there were many other events that led up to colonists’ declaration of independence from British control. The