History Questions about American Revolution - Assignment Example

1) The American Revolution began in 1775 as an open conflict between the United States Thirteen Colonies and Great Britain. By the Treaty of Paris which ended the war in 1783, the colonies won their independence. Although no cases can be identified as the cause of revolution, war began as a disagreement about how the British treated the colonies compared to the way colonies believed they should be treated. Americans felt they deserved all the rights of Englishmen. The British, on the other hand, believes that the colonies were created for use in the manner that best suits the crown and parliament. This conflict is enrolled in one of the rallying cries of the American Revolution: no taxation without representation. The British government decided to make the American colonies pay a large share of the war debt from the French and Indian War. Through the Sugar Act, Stamp Act, and other taxes, the British tried to collect taxes that the American people considered harsh. The American people also thought that they should be able to send their own people to Britain's Parliament or at least vote for Britain's lawmakers. The combination of the harsh taxes and the lack of an American voice in Parliament gave rise to the famous phrase "taxation without representation." Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, and others called for an independent America, colonies free from British rule and interference. Americans started stockpiling guns and ammunition in violation of British laws. Their defense of such a stockpile led to the shots fired at Lexington and Concord and the beginning of the Revolutionary War. 2) Always looking for a way to generate revenue, Parliament passed the Townshend Acts, 29 June 1767th An indirect tax, the act placed import taxes on products such as lead, paper, paint, glass and tea. In addition, three new admiralty courts in the colonies and confirmed the legality of writs of assistance. As in previous trials taxation settlers protest calling for the taxation without representation. While the colonial leaders organized boycotts of taxable products, increase in smuggling and efforts have begun to develop alternatives to domestic production. Over the next three years, boycotts and protests continued in the colonies. These came to a head on the night of March 5, 1770, when angry colonists began throwing snowballs and rocks at British troops guarding the Customs House in Boston. In the commotion, British troops opened fire on the mob, killing three immediately. Two more colonists died a short time later from their wounds. The soldiers involved were indicted for murder and their trial scheduled for that fall. Defended by John Adams, the accused were acquitted of murder, though two were convicted of manslaughter. With tensions in the colonies reaching a breaking point, Parliament repealed most aspects of the Townshend Acts in April 1770, but left a tax on tea. 3) The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Second Continental Congress, states the reasons the British colonies of North America sought independence in July of 1776. The declaration opens with a preamble describing the document's necessity in explaining why the colonies have overthrown their ruler and chosen to take their place as a separate nation in the world. All men are created equal and there are certain unalienable rights that governments should never violate. These rights include the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. When a government fails to protect those rights, it is not only the right, but also the duty of the people to overthrow that government. In its place, the people should establish a government that is designed to protect those rights. Governments are rarely overthrown, and should not be overthrown for trivial reasons. In this case, a long history of abuses has led the colonists to overthrow a tyrannical government. The King of Great Britain, George III, is guilty of 27 specific abuses. The King interfered with the colonists' right to self-government and for a fair judicial system. Acting with Parliament, the King also instituted legislation that affected the colonies without their consent. This legislation levied taxes on the colonists. It also required them to quarter British soldiers, removed their right to trial by jury, and prevented them from trading freely. Additionally, the King and Parliament are guilty of outright destruction of American life and property by their refusal to protect the colonies' borders, their confiscation of American ships at sea, and their intent to hire foreign mercenaries to fight against the colonists. The colonial governments tried to reach a peaceful reconciliation of these differences with Great Britain, but were continually ignored. Colonists who appealed to British citizens were similarly ignored, despite their shared common heritage and their just cause. After many peaceful attempts, the colonists have no choice but to declare independence from Great Britain. The new nation will be called the United States of America and will have no further connections with Great Britain. The new government will reserve the right to levy war, make peace, make alliances with foreign nations, conduct trade, and do anything else that nations do. 4) The Virginia Plan stated that the states should have representation in the government by a certain amount of representatives for population, thus giving Virginia, the most populous state at the time, more representation in congress. On the other hand, the New Jersey Plan proposed that states be represented in congress by 2 representatives for each state. The resolution to this conflict was the Great Compromise, which created the House of Representatives, amount decided on the population of the state, and the Senate, amount in which 2 for each state. 5) Read More