Representation In The British Parliament The Americans example essay topic

Why was there a War of Independence? To what extent was it caused by British expectations and to what extent was it caused by American attitudes? In 1775 American and British soldiers took place in a war because of a conquest for American Independence. The 'War of Independence' lasted for eight years, ending in September 1783. Over this time the War tore both American and British ties apart and internal American relations.

Many factors contributed to this war, two being British expectations and American attitudes towards both each other and their respective enemies. Directly after the British in the French-Indian War there were already problems arising in Britains' affairs. The treaty that ended the war gave Britain almost all of France's territory in North America. Most American colonists took pride in being part of the British Empire - at that time the most powerful empire. Britain's king, George was determined to play an active role in governing the nation. Due to the king's naivet'e, however, the result was political insecurity and a lack of direction in national affairs was at the same time as Britain's crisis with its American colonies was developing.

In 1763 several Indians attacked settlers in the West. Britain was forced to send 10,000 troops to America to defend the settlers. The Quartering Act of 1765 ruled that colonists must provide British troops with living quarters and supplies. This was a decision that Colonists were not happy with. This contributed to conflict between the English and Americans substantially. Britain decided that all Americans should pay a tax that would contribute towards the defense of the settlers.

Americans did not embrace this decision on the principle of "no taxation without representation". This meant that without representation in the British Parliament the Americans would not pay taxes. British officials soon recognised the Americans' disregard for the imperial authority. During the conflict, colonial merchants continued to trade with the enemy and smuggle goods, while colonial assemblies repeatedly refused to provide military officials with men and supplies.

The war left Britain with a considerable debt and expensive responsibilities to administer newly acquired territory in North America. Believing that Taxation Acts should be enforced strictly and that colonists should pay a share of the empires defense costs. In order to get around the American attitudes but still receive their taxes the British Parliament formulated numerous 'Acts' to raise revenue. They put heavy taxation on numerous popular and necessary items.

In 1764 The Sugar Act was formed which put a tax on sugar and sugar products. This proved to be quite unsuccessful as smuggling had a huge increase, especially the smuggling of rum, which was very popular during this time. After the failure of the Sugar Act the Stamp Act of 1765 was enforced. This act required the colonists to purchase and use specially stamped paper for all official documents, deeds, and newspapers. Violators would be prosecuted without juries. Revenues from the act were intended to pay part of the cost of maintaining a permanent force of British troops to enforce the peace between the colonists and the Native Americans of the western frontiers.

The Stamp Act provoked almost undisputed opposition among the colonists, who regarded it as a violation of their rights. From their beginnings, the colonies had been in charge of their own internal affairs. Britain had only been responsible for external matters such as declaring war and peace. In a colonist opinion the Stamp Act violated the right not to be taxed without representation; it impaired their independence and it appeared to be one step in a plot to deprive them of their liberty.

A storm of protest arose against the Stamp Act. In the months before November 1765, when the act was to go into effect, riots broke out petitions were sent to Parliament requesting its cancellation. To add strength to the protest, American merchants banded together pledging not to buy British goods. This boycott was so effective that trade between Britain and America came to a standstill. In March 1766 the British Parliament revoked the Stamp Act due to the demands of economically depressed British merchants.

Many American merchants were also feeling the affects of the trade boycott and this was the start of the division among Americans. This division would later spark off an American Civil War with the three groups being: I The American Royalists - the portion or Americans who supported British Rule in America and would remain loyal to the British Crown, Parliament and their rulings. II The American Patriots - the portion of Americans who stood true to their country throughout the war. They supported American independence and the right to a free state. Those who chose to ignore the events happening in America. They believed in the principle that "ignorance is bliss".

Although the act of taxing imports to America was cancelled by Parliament, the duty on tea remained to affirm the principle of the right of Parliament to tax the colonies. This soon became a political issue. On December 16, 1773 a group of Boston citizens protested against the British tax on tea imported. The citizens would not permit the unloading of three British ships that arrived in Boston in November 1773 with 342 chests of tea. The Royal Governor of Massachusetts to the British throne, Thomas Hutchinson, however, would not let the ships return to England until the tax had been paid. On the evening of December 16, the group (many of them disguised as Native Americans) led by the American patriot Samuel Adams boarded the vessels and emptied the tea into Boston Harbor.

This was to become known as the Boston Tea Party. When the Government of Boston refused to pay for the tea, the Britain closed the port. British actions continued to bluntly provoke American protest. On June 21, 1768 customs officials seized Boston merchant John Hancock's ship Liberty.

Thousands of Boston citizens rioted, threatening British commissioners' lives and forcing them to flee Boston. When news of the Liberty Riot reached London 4,000 soldiers were ordered to Boston to protect the commissioners. The presence of the troops, inevitably led to violence. In March 1770 a riot occurred between British troops and Boston citizens. The troops fired, killing five people.

The trial of the soldiers was however delayed. 38 citizens gave evidence of a civilian attack on soldiers saying that the Americans had thrown ice, snow and missiles at soldiers. Confusion resulted from the mixed encounters given by witnesses. Due to this confusion the 5 soldiers were found not guilty of murder. 2 were later charged with manslaughter but the only punishment was the branding or a 'M' on their thumb. Americans believed that a massacre had occurred.

The Boston Massacre (as it became known) caused extreme resentment towards the British. Britain were now seen as heartless tyrants and anger spread throughout the colonies. This anger was soon increased by further parliamentary legislation. This is where the American War of Independence begins.

Between 1775 and 1785 American and British soldiers took place in a war of American Independence. Many factors contributed to this war. British had very high financial and moral expectations of the Americans while the Americans themselves did not believe that they were required to fulfill these expectations and co-operate in the British plans. The Americans were very much provoked by British actions although it is recognized that America played part in contributing to the start of the War.