From: Elizabeth Horan
Date: 2/14/00
Time: 5:08:35 PM
Remote Name: 152.163.205.21
Text Assignment
There was a chain of climaxing events that led to America’s decision to become independent. Starting in 1763, the feelings of discontent were becoming fervid. In conjunction with Britain’s decisions during this time period, and the already existing revolutionaries, people felt it was time to revolt. These feelings were only to increase as time went on, up until 1776 when America decided that independence was their only option. During this time around the mid-1700’s, communication with Britain became strained. The new King, George III, contributed greatly to the problems between Britain and the New World. First of all, the colonists never took him seriously, giving them an opportunity to revolt. It came down to the fact that the colonists were represented by Englishmen in Britain who had never even been to America. The colonists knew these men could not represent them fairly since they could not relate to each other. This unfair representation issue then surfaced with regard to taxes. England was imposing various taxes on the Americans, but the colonists decided that taxation without representation was unfair, stating "No law can be made or abrogated without the consent of the people by their representatives." In addition to political strife, many citizens insisted on the presence of public virtue, or the "sacrifice of interest to the public good." Pamphlets on this and various other subjects were distributed throughout the colonies. These pamphlets became influential in spreading revolutionary ideals. But the only they could be successful would be to have a considerably literate population, which America now had. Therefore, literacy and increased education helped enable the thoughts of independence to spread. Starting in 1765 with the passing of the Stamp Act, Britain passed a few pieces of legislation that infuriated Americans. After the unreasonable Stamp Act, came the Townshend Acts which placed duties on common imports. These acts angered Americans, but not as much as the Boston Massacre did, which was an outbreak from these acts that ended in five American lives. Overall, the colonists were tired of the people in Parliament who were making their decisions for them . The members were corrupt and wanted to assert themselves over the colonists. However, the ultimate display of this assertiveness came in the form of an agreement between England and the East India Company in 1773, allowing them to sell tea directly to Americans. This idea blew up in their face when one night a group of men dumped 10,000 British Pounds worth of tea into the sea. The Boston Tea Party irritated England, so they enforced the restrictive Coercive Acts on Boston as punishment. But by this point, the colonists had little regard for English decisions, and revolutionists like Samuel Adams were fired up. They felt that England was trying to make American’s their slaves, and were determined to fight against them. Perhaps one of the most crucial points was the decision to hold the first Constitutional Convention in 1774, where the influential men of America vented their disgust with England. The next year, the coincidental battle at Bunker Hill which resulted in dead American men, further fueled tensions and lead to the Second Continental Congress. There they formed an army headed by George Washington, and discussed Adams and Richard Henry Lee’s desire to sever ties with England. Although people were scared to sever these ties, Thomas Paine made their decision easier with the publication of Common Sense, explaining what the colonists were thinking but could never express. The final straw-on July 2, 1776, Congress voted for independence and the motion passed unanimously (with the exception of New York who abstained). Consequently, Thomas Jefferson finished drafting the Declaration of Independence, and with this most important document, it marked the beginning of an independent America.