During the Years 1763-1775, Britain and the American Colonies Had Different Views and Interpretations for Various Events and Documents

Revolution Exam

1) During the years 1763-1775, Britain and the American Colonies had different views and interpretations for various events and documents.

The Stamp Act:

The Stamp Act was created by George Grenville, the Prime Minister from 1764-1766. Britain's national debt had soared to 133 million pounds due to the war. Grenville decided to propose several taxes on the American colonists, including the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act required embossed markings on court documents, land titles, contracts, playing cards, newspapers, and basically anything printed. Grenville figured that the tax would cover part of the national debt and the cost for keeping ten thousand soldiers in America--roughly 200,000 pounds per year. The Colonists were not viewed as equal citizens of Britain, so it would not be difficult for Parliament to pass the Act. Benjamin Franklin represented Pennsylvania and suggested that if Britain was going to tax the American colonies, there should be Americans in Parliament. Franklin wanted the Americans and British to be as one. British politicians denied Franklin's request because they claimed that the American colonists were already "virtually" represented by merchants in Parliament who had interests in America. Some other differences in opinions from American colonists were those of their rights. The colonists believed that taxation without representation took away their essential rights as Englishmen. There was confusion of what the rights of free subjects of were. They also believed that just because Britain had such a huge debt, that shouldn't mean that the colonies have to take part in it. The taxation led to mobs such as the Sons of Liberty. There would be rebellions and violence to come.

The Quartering Act:

At the request of General Thomas Gage, Parliament passed the Quartering Act, which required the American colonists to house and feed British troops. In January 1766, members of the New York Assembly said that because the British commander had his headquarters in New York, there was an unequal burden under the Quartering Act; in turn, they decided to follow some of the specifications in the Quartering Act, but not all of them. The Assembly also feared that the troops would cause an unlimited drain on their treasury by the cost of living and eating without paying for anything. Britain said that the troops were in New York to protect the colonists from hostile Indians that could attack-- so in return they should comply. Since New York did not comply with the Quartering Act, Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Townshend composed the Restraining Act, which suspended the New York assembly (making anything they do null and void) until it would follow the regulations of the Quartering Act. The Restraining Act threatened to strip the American colonies of their representative government.

The Proclamation Line of 1763:

After Pontiac and Britain made peace, Britain established the Proclamation Line of 1763. The imaginary line cut down through the Appalachian Mountains and halted any Anglo-Americans from settling westward. Britain made this policy in order to keep peace with the Indians and also to keep the colonial settlements close to the eastern shore. By keeping the colonists close to the shore, it ensured they would be active with the British mercantile system. Since the American settlers did not need protection from French Canada invading, Britain questioned the colonists' loyalty. "The reaction of colonial land speculators and frontiersmen was immediate and understandably negative. From their perspective, risking their lives in the recent war had been rewarded by the creation of a vast restricted native reserve in the lands they coveted. Most concluded that the proclamation was only a temporary measure and a number ignored it entirely and moved into the prohibited area" (http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1209.html). The Proclamation Line of 1763 was an establishment with good intentions. Britain wanted to avoid more blood shed with the Indians and the colonists, so the line was instilled. The colonists did not appreciate the act at all. They believed the new act infringed their rights. The colonists were skeptical because the western movement was halted just around the same time many other restrictive policies were being enforced.

2) Declaration of Independence:

Thomas Jefferson was the main author of the Declaration of Independence and was deeply influenced by the beliefs and ideas of Enlightenment; resulting in an Enlightenment-shaped document. The most Enlightened influences that are pronounced in the Declaration were: Enlightened thinkers believed men and women could observe, analyze, and improve their world; and four fundamental principles to live by: the lawlike order of the natural world, the power of human reason, the natural rights of individuals, and the progressive improvement of society. Here is a passage that is taken from the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness." In that passage, the influence of Enlightenment is overwhelming. "We hold these truths to be self-evident" is tied to the thought that men and women could observe, analyze, and improve their world. "All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" is tied to the belief that individuals have natural rights; including the right to self-government. "That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it" is influenced by one of the Enlightened principles--the progressive improvement of society.

"For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments" is a passage in the Declaration that complains about King George III taking away the colonists lawful order. These passages are the