Student Question
Were the American colonists justified in rebelling against England?
Quick answer:
The justification for the American colonists' rebellion against England is debated. Some argue they lacked justification as only a minority supported independence, and many were loyalists. However, others assert the colonists were justified due to being denied "rights as Englishmen," such as representation in taxation. Events like the Boston Tea Party and the punitive Coercive Acts further united the colonies against British policies, ultimately leading to the rebellion despite initial desires to remain within the Empire.
I think it is safe to say that the colonists had every right to rebel. Their rebellion was based on the simple fact that they had been denied their "rights as Englishmen," primarily the right to be taxed by their own representatives. "Taxation without representation" is often misinterpreted as the colonists wishing for representation in Parliament. This is not the case, as such representation would have been unworkable from the sheer distances involved. However, the Colonists, who always considered themselves the King's good and loyal servants wanted nothing more than that which every other English citizen had: the right to elect those who taxed them, in this case, the colonial legislatures. In fact, after the battles of Lexington and Concord, the Continental Congress forwarded an Olive Branch Petition to George III stating their desire to remain within the Empire as long as they were granted these rights. George, however, felt they had gone too far and declared them in rebellion.
The Boston Tea Party is often cited as an element in the war. The Tea Act actually lowered the cost of tea to the colonists; however it required them to purchase tea only from agents of the British East India Company, which hurt colonial merchants. Many colonists opposed the vandalism of throwing the tea into the harbor; in fact Benjamin Franklin offered to pay the cost of it out of his own pocket. However, the British response, the Coercive Acts, were so punitive in nature that they had the effect of galvanizing the colonies together, and creating a sense of unity as Americans that had previously not existed. Had cooler heads and more logical thinking prevailed, the Revolution probably would not have occurred; at least not at that time.
Were the American colonists justified in waging war and breaking away from Britain?
The unprecedented arrogance demonstrated by King George and failure by the British Parliament to dialogue with the American representatives led to the eventual hostility between Britain and the United States.
American representatives opposed additional taxes imposed on the colonies by the British Parliament. Their argument was based on the fact that the United States was not represented in the British Parliament, which brought into question the legitimacy of the laws passed in Britain. In response, Britain passed more punitive laws targeting Massachusetts, which they believed was at the core of the rebellion. The response by Britain saw the other colonies rally behind Massachusetts.
Increased tensions led to armed conflict between Patriot militia and British regulars. American representatives appealed to the king, but their appeals were met with military mobilization by Britain. The Continental Congress resolved that the king’s rule was tyrannical and they made a decision to declare the colonies independent.
Thus, the United States was justified in waging war against Britain. The colonies were left with no choice but to respond and fight for their independence in order to freely manage their affairs.
References
This question can be looked at from both sides. Many American colonists felt as though they were justified in waging war and breaking away from Britain. Jefferson, who wrote the Declaration of Independence, and other figures active in the American Revolution argued that John Locke's social contract, which stated that the monarch must follow the will of the people, justified the American break with its mother country. Britain was, many colonists felt, no longer following what the colonists wanted and was taxing them without giving them fair representation in British Parliament.
Britain, on the other hand, justified its reinforcement of the Navigation Acts and the taxes it levied on the colonies by arguing that these taxes were needed after Britain had defended the colonies during the Seven Years' War (also known as the French and Indian War, which lasted from 1756 to 1763). The British responded to American demands for direct representation in the British Parliament by saying that no one in Great Britain was represented that way in Parliament. While some people in the colonies wanted to stay tied to Great Britain, the Patriots won out after the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775.
The American colonists were justified in doing this simply because their colonies had become too big and too important to be treated as a colony by the British. The British should have given the colonies some autonomy, but they did not. The analogy I like to use is that of teens and their parents. Parents have to give teens more independence as they grow up. If they do not, the teens may justifiably rebel.
The British were not, on the whole, brutal or oppressive towards the colonists. However, they would not let the colonists have much in the way of self-rule. This had been fine when the colonies were still small and economically weak. By the 1760s and 1770s, however, the colonies were "teenagers." They were big and strong enough to expect some autonomy. When Britain reacted to requests for autonomy by being more strict, the colonists were justified in rebelling.
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