Colonies and Great Britain between 1763 and 1776 - Article Example

Relations between colonies and the Great Britain between 1763 and 1776 The relationship between the Great Britain and the colonies had been amiable since 1763 and it was hardly noticeable that a revolution would slowly ensue in the course of time; this is because there were hardly any signs of discontent among the colonies that could spark a revolution. Until the mid-18th century, the American colonies were living in relative political isolation under a policy framework known as ‘salutary neglect’ that granted them partial autonomy in matters about internal governance. Each of the colonies had its own legislature that was responsible for passing laws and taxation of the colonized citizens was at its discretion; Britain’s interference in the affairs colonies was minimal. Ironically, even though there was a political isolation between the colonies and Britain, a majority of the colonies remained loyal to Britain and the British Parliament was recognized as the only source of governmental authority. The close relations between Britain and the colonies led to economic prosperity for both Britain and America especially because all the colonies’ economies relied on the British trade; the colonies also relied on Britain for protection from their enemies. However, these relations gradually deteriorated with time between the period namely1763 to 1776 and eventually, a revolution was certain; this paper will analyze the breakdown of relations between the colonies and Great Britain between 1763 and 1776 that led to the American Revolution. The analysis will pay particular attention to all of the acts that Great Britain imposed upon the colonies that led to discontent among both “common” and “elite” Americans. In an attempt to provide a candid explanation to factors that instigated the American Revolution, the paper will also discuss how the colonists responded to the pieces of legislation from Britain (Goldfield et al 107). The aftermath of the French war was perhaps the very first imminent cause of the rift between the colonies and Britain; the French-Indian war between France and Britain was an imperial struggle for land. This war between the two dominant imperial forces in North America ended by the close of 1760 when the British finally drove out the French from North America. All the lands that had been held by the French were ceded to the British through the Paris treaty of 1763, and Britain gained total control of the territory stretching from the East coast to Mississippi river. Events that took place in the aftermath are largely responsible for the drift in relations between the colonies and Britain; great dissatisfaction in the colonies after the war arose following these events and this eventually instigated the American Revolution. Prior to the American Revolution, an underlying philosophy that was gaining popularity in the colonies was the American Enlightenment; this philosophy played a critical role in arousing political awareness in the colonies that were initially content being under Britain. Some of the major ideological principles of American Enlightenment include concepts such as liberalism, republicanism, and fear of corruption; a majority of people in the colonies begun to accept these concepts and this was the beginning of a robust intellectual environment. In this respect, the philosophy of American Enlightenment was very significant in paving the way for revolution; by embracing the values of American Enlightenment, a majority of people in the colonies acquired a new sense of political and social identity. One of the greatest proponents of American Enlightenment whose ideas on liberty greatly influenced the political thinking behind the revolution is John Locke; this scholar has been regarded as the mastermind of the American Revolution because his concepts of social contract, natural rights, and born free and equal have been very influential. The first event that took place was the shift in policy from ‘salutary neglect’ to a much tighter control of the colonies; the British government attempted to gain a tighter grip on its colonies after the war and totally dropped its traditional ‘salutary neglect’ policy. This meant that the King was directly in charge of the colonies and that Britain’s influence in the colonies was further strengthened. In this regard, Britain introduced stringent measures and changes that did not go down well with a majority of its colonies in North America. For instance, Britain introduced direct taxation in the colonies, with intent to force the colonies to help bear responsibility for the debt build up due to the French- Indian war. The heightened interactions between the colonies and Britain were detrimental to the relations between the two parties thus leading to great rifts between parliament and the colonies (Goldfield et al 104). The grievances that underlay the American Revolution in the colonies were first highlighted during this period, and the later ideology of ‘Revolution’ was inspired by the principles underpinning the reactions of the colonies. The British Parliament caused uproar in the colonies in North America by enacting several British legislations such as the Navigation Act, the Molasses Act, and the controversial Royal Proclamation of 1763. The colonies were highly infuriated by the British parliament’s decision to pass what they considered illegitimate government acts; they were strongly opposed to the acts citing that the British Parliament had no right to pass legislation on Englishmen in America because the colonies did not have elected representation in the said parliament. The British Parliament aimed to gain total control over the colonies, which previously been autonomous to foster economic development for the benefit of the home nation. The mercantile system in the British Empire aimed at fostering Britain’s economic growth at the expense of the colonies because they could only trade within the empire and not with other Empires. The Navigation Act aimed at curtailing the American trade associations with the French, Dutch, and Spanish Empires but the colonies were intolerant with this mercantile policy. Royal officials enforced the navigation act through open-ended search warrants known as ‘Writs of Assistance” to curb smuggling of goods outside the British Empire; in the year 1761, a Boston lawyer known as James Otis defended the colonies stating that the “Writs of Assistance” undermine the constitutional rights of the colonies, a case which he lost. The Royal Proclamation of 1763 that was signed by King George III of England outlawed all forms of settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains because the area had been set aside as an Indian Reserve. Even though this proclamation was later reviewed to allow settlement in that area, the colonies were not pleased with its enactment without their prior consent (Goldfield et al 113). The Sugar Act of 1764 was another provocative legislation that was enacted by the British Parliament; this act was designed to help Britain offset the war debt that had been left in the Aftermath of the Indian-France war. The act was also aimed at raising more tax to meet the cost of running the colonies and all the territories that had been acquired after France conceded defeat leaving all its lands to Britain. The Sugar act enlarged duties on traded in sugar and several other items such as textiles, wines, coffee, and dye; this act was highly insightful because it literally doubled the duty on all goods that were shipped from England to the colonies while forbidding importation of rum and French wines. The Currency Act prohibited the colonial governments from issuing legal tender paper money and this almost destabilized the economy of the colonies; both the Industrial North America and the Agricultural South America were both opposed to the currency act and this prompted their unified rebellion. The Stamp Act of 1765 enacted by the British Parliament and imposed on the colonies was designed to help the British government to meet the high costs of the British military in the British Empire, British America. This was the first direct tax imposed on the colonies by the British government and all the colonies were expected to pay taxes directly to Britain instead of their own legislatures. The leading influential factions of the colonial territory such as the publishers, lawyers, landowners, ship builders, and merchants were at the forefront in opposing this act. The Quartering Act of 1765 obligated all the colonists to host the British troops by supplying them with food and other necessary provisions to supplement the constrained British military budget. The continued antagonism between the British parliament and the colonies led to heightened political awareness in the form of organized political action within the colonies; the colonies for the first time united on a common purpose of trouncing the British control and interference in their affairs. The principles of revolution was expressed in the colonies’ declarations such as “no taxation without representation” and “no legislation without representation”; this being the central grievance between Britain and the colonies, the battle lines between the two parties had been drawn and a revolution was imminent. Paramilitary groups such as the “Sons of Liberty” emerged and carried organized demonstrations throughout the colonies; the colonies established committees of correspondences that coordinated a united front of political action. In the year 1773, the first Stamp Act Congress meeting took place bringing together all the Pan-colonial political leaders thus strengthening the political unity and communication between the colonies. The colonists also responded to the stringent laws through boycotts of British goods and products in America and this was a great blow to British home economy, which largely thrived on trade with the colonists. In 1769, all the Merchants in Philadelphia joined the boycott of British trade goods; later, the boycott spread to other parts of America including New Jersey, Rhode Island and North Carolina. In response to the Stamp Act, most daily businesses and legal transactions came to a standstill as nearly all the colonies refused to use the stamps. The aggression led to violent engagements between the colonialists and the British forces in America; the violent confrontation between the ‘Sons of Liberty’ and the British soldiers in response to the Quartering Act of 1766 is one such instance. These confrontations often resulted to the deaths of many men and scores were left injured as the British soldiers struggled to contain the rebellion within the colonies (Goldfield et al 158). Ultimately, as the antagonism between the Britain parliament and the colonies grew, so did the spirit of the American Revolution; the acts that were imposed on the colonists were detrimental to the amiable relations that had prospered between the two parties prior to the Indian-French war. Resentment in the colonies was slowly building up in the period after the war and all the events that were taking place in response to the stringent British laws and legislation were significant precursors to the ultimate revolution. The colonists felt that the imposition of laws and legislation on America by Britain and the British Parliament was not justified especially because the colonists were not represented in that parliament. In this respect, the colonists argued they were unfairly taxed, controlled and ignored when it comes to legislation formulation and enactment; furthermore, the British government was not willing to listen to the colonists grievances and this further aggravated the rebellion leading to the American Revolution. Work Cited Goldfield, David et al. The American Journey: A History of the United States, Combined Volume. New Jersey: Pearson. 2011. Print. Read More