The Rogerian Argument for American Revolution - Essay Example

Rogerian Argument for American Revolution American Revolution has marked an indelible mark in history with its many and varied peculiarities. The Revolution or the American Revolutionary war was started in 1775 against the British invasion of American colonies. It has been reported that the colonists started fighting against the British invasion at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. The colonists in America claimed for liberty on the grounds that the British Empire has no right to get into the land of the colonies and imposing them various taxes and laws. The colonists strongly opposed the prospect of taxes and laws by ignoring the dominance of England. Regarding American Revolution one can see that Parliamentary taxation, restriction of civil liberties, and the legacy of colonial political ideas exerting tremendous influence in spurring the revolution. British rulers like King George III had great roles in occupying the American colonies and as such he had a heroic appearance among the British people. He ruled England from 1760-1820. Though he was a welcomed figure for the British people, the Americans regarded him as an evil tyrant and hated him too much. An online article entitled, “People of the Revolution” makes a clear assessment about the attitude of the patriots of the Revolutionary war against George when it writes; “The Patriots in the Revolutionary War hated him. They would make effigies of him and burn them. They would call him a Tory and throw rocks at pictures of him. They would burn Tory houses because the Tories honored King George III” (People of the Revolution). The words also bring out the hatred of the American Revolutionaries to the British invasion. There a many criticisms about George as the King who ruled England at the time of American Revolution. Many consider him as a man of narrow intellect, and lacked every element of the greatness of statesmanship (King George III). The British parliament imposed taxes on the colonies as they had a great loss at the end of the Seven Years War in 1763. This parliamentary control on the colonies often resulted for the protest of the colonies. The notable thing with regard to the conflicts between the Great Britain and the colonies is that no one could harvest the profit. Thus the British parliament decided to exert certain taxes on the colonists. These taxes included the Stamp Act, Sugar Act, and the so-called navigation laws. The most significant among the parliamentary taxes Stamp Act and the Sugar Act which paved the way for grave protestations ultimately led to revolution. The Stamp Act was an attempt form the part of the government to overcome the loss. The state of the American colonists is crystal clear while reading through following words. “Every source of English revenue was drained on account of the Great War debt, and it was proposed to lay a tax on the colonies, not to pay the interest on the national debt, nor to be expended in England in any way, but solely for the protection and defence of the colonies” (The Stamp Act and Other Acts). Analysing the historical records, it is identifiable that the Stamp Act was the first direct tax imposed by Britain on its American colonies. The purpose of this tax was to find out the amount for preserving the troops in colonies. “...Parliament levied a tax on legal and commercial documents as well as printed material such as newspapers and pamphlets, all of which had to carry a special stamp” (McGranahan). This tax stirred the colonists against the British government and hastened them to engage in a revolution. The Sugar Act also created similar situation but the protests moved further and hastened the procedure to revolution. The Sugar Act was passed in 1764. The British placed a tax on sugar, wine, and other important things (Taking actions). Being trading only with the Great Britain, the tax really affected the colonists, who had not another option, except to retaliate against this injustice. The revolutionaries destroyed the tea contained in three ships, which was bringing to Boston as a warning to the Great Britain. The revolutionaries “were surrounded by armed ships of war, the commanders of which had publicly declared that if the rebels, as they were pleased to style the Bostonians, should not withdraw their opposition to the landing of the tea before a certain day, the 17th day of December, 1773, they should on that day force it on shore, under the cover of their cannons mouth” (Hewes). It makes clear the role of parliamentary taxes to speed up the revolution. Restriction of the Civil Liberties was the other notable reason that kindled the American Revolution. The British Empire denied or violated many civil liberties of the colonists which resulted in an angry, desperate response. Tom Head, identifies top 10 civil liberties violations that helped cause the American Revolution. According to him, they are; “Taxation Without Representation, No Free Trade, Unlimited Search and Seizure, Destruction of Colonial Government, Oppression of Political Protesters, Immunity for Corrupt and Abusive British Officers, Direct Control of the Criminal Justice System, Guilty by Parliament - no guarantee of trial by jury, Forced Quartering of Soldiers, and Closure of the Boston Port” (Head). While reading through this article, one gets a glimpse of the circumstances existed in the colonies during the Revolution. It is quite sure that anyone would react to the denial of their civil liberties and same is seen with the colonists who outburst into a Revolution. The legacy of colonial political and religious ideas also had a dominant influence in the American Revolution. The political and the religious contributions of the American Revolutionaries are innumerable that one can see them as the key stone for their great success against Britain. The American revolutionaries were so keen in assuring the religious freedom. It is thus mentality of the revolutionaries that earned them the name “Founding Fathers” of the nation. They were never ready for any compromise either with political or religious freedom. The words of James Madison, one of the Founding Fathers are quite noteworthy when he said, “The civil rights of none shall be abridged on account of religious belief or worship, nor shall any national religion be established” (Hampton). This is the strong determination that one could find with the revolutionaries. Furthermore, the American Revolution has stimulated many people all over the world to fight for political and religious freedom. The study leads to the conclusion that American Revolution has wielded significant role in the creation or moulding of present America. Thus it is clear that parliamentary taxation, restriction of civil liberties, and the legacy of colonial political ideas have exerted tremendous influence in spurring the revolution. Works Cited: Hampton, M.J. The Legacy of Colonial Religious & Political Ideas of the American Rebels in 1776. 2010. 18 Nov 2010. http://www.ehow.com/facts_7350898_legacy-ideas-american-rebels-1776.html Head, Tom. Top 10 Civil Liberties Violations That Helped Cause the American Revolution. About.com. 2010. 18 Nov 2010. http://civilliberty.about.com/od/historyprofiles/tp/independence.htm Hewes, George. Boston Tea Party. The American revolution.org. 18 Nov 2010. http://www.theamericanrevolution.org/EventDetail.aspx?event=3 King George III. History of the USA. 18 Nov.2010. http://www.usahistory.info/American-Revolution/King-George-III.html McGranahan, W. R. The Stamp Act. The American Revolution Homepage, 2004. 18 Nov.2010. Web. http://americanrevwar.homestead.com/files/stamp.htm People of the Revolution. Oracle, Think quest. 18 Nov 2010. http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0312848/kgeorge.htm The Stamp Act and Other Acts. History of the USA. 18 Nov. 2010. http://www.usahistory.info/American-Revolution/Stamp-Act.html Taking actions.Orcale, think quest. 18 Nov. 2010. http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0312848/suact.htm Read More