City And The Colony example essay topic

635 words
The colonies had developed a strong sense of their identity and unity as Americans by the eve of the Revolution. The Pre-Revolutionary Period showed how the English colonies buckled down and united. They grew into one major entity which was not going to be taken for a fool, especially not by England. When England engaged in the French and Indian War (1754-1763), the colonies and their mother country joined together to fight the French. The colonies used popular images to entice people to join the war effort.

The colonies wanted to move westward into what was then French territory. When England won the war, the colonists were happy because now hey could move west. However, England drew a Proclamation Line which made West of the Appalachians for the use of the Indians. England wanted to tighten their control over the colonies. England wanted more authority over the colonies. They needed to pay off their debts so they saw the colonies as a personal bank for their use.

The colonists felt united because they believed that they did good fighting for the British. However, England was displeased with how the colonists had fought during the war. They continued to use their colony for their own gain. England passed the stamp Act in 1765 as a way to get money from the colonies. This act placed a tax on stamps needed to make certain things official. The colonies reacted in united protests and riots especially in the city of Boston.

These protesters formed a group called the Sons of Liberty in response to this act. They also boycotted good coming from England. The colonies put up a constitutional argument that said that taxation without representation was tyranny. Therefore, only the people who can truly tax the mare those who represent them, which were their colonial representative assemblies. This was stated in their Declaration of Rights and Grievances, which was drafted by the Stamp Act Congress. The Stamp Act Congress then sent the petition to Parliament.

In Parliament some members saw how the boycotts endured by the colonists were affecting the British merchants. One member in Parliament saw how the colonists had grown and had united. For whatever reason the British Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, however this did not stop the disagreements about taxation and lack of representation. In 1774, the Coercive or Intolerable Acts were passed. these were meant to punish the colonists for the evil they had committed, especially to punish the city of Boston for their acts at the Boston Tea Party.

As part of these acts, England closed all Boston harbors and ports. This deed effected everyone in the city and the colony. Also, England restricted local government and town meetings in Massachusetts. Other colonies along the Atlantic saw how much the colony of Massachusetts had been affected and sent them supplies to show their solidarity with a fellow colony.

(Doc. G.) People in other areas saw this flow of unity flourishing and documented that in letters. The sense of solidarity with one another emerged. The colonies united and grew into a strong entity. This entity became a whole new type of person. By the eve of the Revolution, the colonies had developed a strong sense of their identity as Americans. They buckled down during the French and Indian War.

The colonies stood up for their rights when the Stamp Act was enforced. They supported one another during the period of the Intolerable Acts. They became a melting pot of people, which brewed and turned over a new type of person... The American.