How Did The American Colonists From 1763 To 1763 Dbq

From 1763 to 1783 American colonist shifted the governing of the colonies from the British monarchy into the hands of the individuals elected by the colonies. Prior to 1763 the British Parliament imposed Navigation Acts following the ideas of Mercantilism, but due to salutary neglect these acts were never truly enforced by the British on the colonies. After the 7 Years War, which ended in 1763, the British finally turned their attention back to the colonies and worked to enforce their taxes and laws upon the colonies which lead to the changes seen in America in the following decades. The American colonist response to the British Parliament’s taxation of the colonies without a representative in Parliament can be seen in documents 1,

Document 1 is a teapot with the inscriptions “No Stamp Act” and “America, Liberty Restored”, this is an indirect way of the colonist resisting British taxes upon the colonies, the purpose of the piece being to deliver a message that stands in clear opposition of the British Stamp Act of 1765 and was created as a type of propaganda piece to show colonial resistance to the acts passed by Parliament. Such a piece of colonial propaganda would have most likely been supported by organizations such as the Sons’ of Liberty. Document 2, which is a Resolution passed by the Virginia House of Burgesses, states that only the House can legally raise taxes in Virginia as there is no representative of the colonies within Parliament. This resolution was passed in response to the 1767 Townshend Acts, and is from the stance of leaders of Virginia directed to both Parliament

Document 3 takes a radical stance in favor of self-government and republican ideas, and shows colonial desire for such a form of government within the colonies. The Rights of the Colonists authored by Samuel Adams is clearly directed towards the King and British Parliament, and is given from the perspective of the colonist who came to the Americas to escape any form of oppression and feel they are still oppressed. Adams argues for the natural liberty of men which can be traced back to Enlightenment thinker John Locke. Document 4, which is addressing the Pennsylvania colonial assembly that consisted of upper class white men that held social and political power, is from the view of Quaker Leaders and argues for loyalty to the King by the colonies and the people within them in order to maintain peace.These ideas stand in opposition to the widespread ideas of independence and rule by the peoples, and they seemingly stem from not only religious background but also from enlightenment period thinker Thomas Hobbes who believed in the protection of the absolute power of a king within his Social Contract Theory. Document 7, an excerpt from Thomas Paine’s The American Crisis, pulled directly from enlightened thinker John Locke’s ideas that a people can overthrow a tyrannical government and implement a new and fair government. This pamphlet, alongside Common Sense, reached