Independent from England - Essay Example

Independence from England The United s of America or the shores of liberty as commonly looked upon today, was once a group of colonies under the monarchy of His Highness the King of Great Britain. As the colonists realized the gravity of this fact, there arose a unanimous decision that work must start on a document which facilitated the release of the colonies from the English reign. The requirements to be met by the document were rather very well defined. The document had to effectively capture the spirit of liberty which the new nation stood for.

This document was to be henceforth known as the Declaration of Independence. Primarily, the colonists believed that the existing laws of Great Britain were very much incompatible with and far removed from the needs of the people of the colonial United States. In the Declaration of Independence, it was stated, "He (the king) has refused his Assent to Laws the most wholesome and necessary for the public good" (Ushistory.org, 2007). In all respects, the king was perceived as a promoter of the abnormal tax system, stepping on the backs of the industrious colonists to earn money for Great Britain.

As a counter to this, the colonists realized that an autonomous taxation structure, once used for the well being of the people, in support of the local economy, would prohibit Great Britain from taking resources far away from the American colonists, resulting in the consumption suffering greatly in an as yet stronger Great Britain. Secondly, a belief that the king continued to maintain a strong military presence in early America, essentially made the colonists feel as though they were constantly under the threat of military action by the British Army.

This perception of the threat is evidently the inspiration behind the passage stating, "He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature" (Ushistory.org). While the colonists continued to work on building the foundation of a successful economy for America, Britain did indeed maintain a close military watch over them to ensure that no revolution was brewing and to constantly remind them that the empire could suppress any such revolution. Finally, undue pressure was exerted on the colonists to limit and even suspend their trade of various goods with other nations.

With a motive of ensuring that any proceeds from trade of American produce be directly routed to the King of Britain rather than locally distributed among the colonists, the export of certain domestic products such as tobacco to nations willing to pay for them was summarily banned. This is evident in the Declaration of Independence where it states, "For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world" (Ushistory.org). At a time when the local economy was direly in need of revenue from export to build a strong infrastructure locally, this refusal to allow free export of colonial goods continued to strengthen the British presence in the colonies and prevented early America from amassing wealth, thus preventing any revolution against England.

All these reasons were spelled out clearly in the Declaration of Independence, but the particular articles implying export curbs, the tax, and the annoying English military presence were the most significant questions being faced by colonists of the day. Their desire to break free from the control of Britain is wholeheartedly justified, as creation of laws which distanced colonists from much deserved economic stability was something that the revolutionists would not accept. Their undying efforts have paved the way for the rise of what we know today as the powerful AmericaReferences1) Ushistory.

org, The Declaration of Independence, Copyright ©1995-2007 by the Independence Hall Association, a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in 1942. Publishing electronically as ushistory.org. (http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/index.htm)