Independence and Morals

Declaring Independence

Why did the colonies declare independence from Great Britain? The colonies feared opposing Britain, because at the time it was the strongest country in the world, yet the people of the Colonies were at risk of losing their Natural Rights from the British Government.  Because of the unfair laws that began to reduce many of their rights, what at first began as a movement to change the British system of representation soon became a war for independence. Blood was shed, battles were fought, and sacrifices were made in order for Americans to gain the independence they desired. It was unfair for Great Britain to limit the laws and tax the Colonies the way they did, so the Founding Fathers justified their Revolution through the idea of Natural Law.

                The beginning of the colonial separation from the British Empire began in 1763 when the French and Indian War was over. After losing so much revenue in the war, the British began to assert more authority over the colonies, which had previously been left to govern themselves.  The British began to tax the Colonies to earn money to replenish their treasury. The first tax that the Colonies opposed was the Sugar Act in 1764, the protests being led by Samuel Adams. He did this by advising all businesses to boycott English goods, especially sugar.  This Act actually cost the British money because they had to pay in order for it to be established.  The Stamp Act was later put into effect in 1765, which required taxes on papers, pamphlets, legal documents, and other papered goods. This influenced Adams to request the people to push the boycott even further. Because the British government was, ironically, losing money from these and other taxes, the Stamp, Sugar, and other acts were repealed.  In 1768, Adams wrote the circular letter to the people of Massachusetts to rebel against any of the taxes that the British applied to them. In response to the circular letter, parliament issued the Townshend Acts in order to disband patriot assemblies. The circular letter, however, was successful and caused the people of Boston to boycott English goods.

 Later in the same year, British military arrived in Boston to “control the people,” which was unnecessary because Adams encouraged peaceful rebellion, and was against violence. The people of Boston had their right of property taken away from them when the British passed a law that allowed the troops to live in citizens’ homes, where the owners of the homes were required to feed and supply the soldiers living with them. The soldiers were told to never fire their guns at the public, unless told so by their military leaders. However, on March 5, 1770, an unexpected event occurred: The Boston Massacre. On that night, people of Boston began to throw snowballs and ice at a couple soldiers for punching a young boy for yelling at one of the soldiers for not paying a barber for a haircut. The soldiers then fired at the public, which resulted in three dead and two seriously injured. The right of Life was thus violated, and the people were outraged. This led to Adams’ fight against the British representatives in Boston, asking them to remove the soldiers. Adams won the trial, and the soldiers were removed two weeks later. While Samuel Adams played an important role individually, he was also a part of the Sons of Liberty, a radical group of American protesters. In reaction to the Tea Act of 1773, the Sons of Liberty performed the legendary Boston Tea Party in which they dressed as Indians, raided British trade ships and dumped the tea into the Boston harbor. The parliament responded with the Intolerable Acts, which closed the port of Boston. This pushed the Colonists over the edge because they felt they were justified in their protests against what they perceived as unfair taxation.

                The Founding Fathers wanted to break away from the British Empire because they wanted their Natural Rights, which were established by philosopher John Locke. Locke believed that each man was given certain “inalienable rights” from God. These rights included the rights to Life, Liberty, and Property. Because the Colonists were under the control of the British Empire, they questioned why they were not a part of their Constitution, which gives the people of Britain their Natural Rights. The Colonists argued that they did not have the same rights as their British counterparts. Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty or give me death.” The leaders were ready to give their lives to defend their rights and break off from the British. Samuel Adams, and other leaders, believed that the British were not treating them right. The British passed the laws to tax the Colonies without letting them have any representation, and the colonists felt as if they were being pushed around by their mother country without having the chance to argue their cause in parliament. It was because of the brave leaders that the Colonies were able to unite and break off from the British. John Locke said, “Between an executive power in being with such a prerogative, and a legislature that depends upon his will for their convening, there can be no judge on earth.”

                In 1774, each of the individual colonies created their own government, which together formed what they called the “Provincial Congress.” In reaction to what they perceived as a challenge to their authority, the British sent more troops over in an attempt to prevent any further governmental union. This led the colonists’ newly formed governments to begin meeting in secret, where Thomas Jefferson penned the first draft of the Declaration of Independence, which was soon after published as a finished work. It was in direct and open defiance of the British government, and showed that the colonists were not to be treated lightly. The British soon declared war on the colonies in 1775, the states joined together to defend their new government from the British, and the American Revolutionary War began.