Holton divides his book into four chronological sections. The first segment of book is entitled “Grievances, 1763-1774”. This is where Holton expands on the history between Land Speculators, Indians, and Privy Council. Holton highlights how natives resisting colonial expansion combined with British officials tactically avoiding another expensive Indian war frustrated Virginia 's many land speculators. Those same Virginians, as tobacco planters and slave-owners, were also deeply upset by imperial trade policy The governments response’s to the burgesses petitions would affect the allegiance to Britain by men like Jefferson and Washington.
In 1776, one of the most popular and well known founding fathers led the fight for independence in the royal colonies. In David Hackett Fischer’s book, “Washington’s Crossing”, he describes the troubles and even the unknowns of Washington’s experiences during the Revolutionary War. Fischer goes into detail about the first approach of the British as their massive naval fleet surrounds the state of New York all the way up to the point when the British became the defensive force rather than the offensive. “Washington’s Crossing” illustrates how the American Revolution wasn’t just pure success as at the beginning of the war, the Americans took many losses that almost completely crushed the revolution entirely. However, eventually the tides would
From the early of 1775, people in America went through a lot to achieve their independence and unity. There are three important documents play different roles in American Revolutionary War, but all make lots of outstanding contributions during the process of American were fighting for liberty, rights, and independence. The three following documents during the struggle for independence are Olive Branch Petition, Common Sense, and the Declaration of
“Speech to the Virginia Convention” was the famous speech both written and argued by Patrick Henry in March of 1775. This statement managed to catapult the countrymen of the west, and declare war against the British forces and ultimately gain their freedom and independence. Henry’s view about the use of war to maintain freedom often has many ways of being interpreted. Why must Henry hastily look to war as a means of solving their problem with the British? As a matter of fact, in Henry’s speech, he believes that they have exercised all possible options to maintain peace and have been too passive and must take firm action.
(Document 5). After ten years of disagreement over Parliamentary representation, the British were still unwilling to grant the colonists this right. Before the Second Continental Congress decided to go to war, there was still hope of reaching a peaceful settlement. The Congress sent King George the Olive Branch Petition in the hopes of restoring peace. His lack of response is noted in “The Declaration of Independence”, which was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, American Independence Day.
The Olive Branch Petition was sent from the colonists to Great Britain in hopes of achieving peace and relieving the tensions between them put in place prior to the Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1774. Great Britain responded to the petition with a letter referring to the colonists as traitors to their mother country. This response effectively initiated the Revolutionary War for the colonists. Many varying political views stemmed from whether the colonists should embark on a revolution that would move them out of the guidance of Great Britain and that would provide them independence from Great Britain. Some argued that the revolution would be a “conservative” revolution where every thing will remain largely the same, in terms of political
The Colonists Were Correct The Colonists were up to a great challenge, fighting Great Britain, an empire so large: “the sun never set on it.” The 13 Colonies of America were owned by England, and due to the “French and Indian War”, Britain was in a lot of debt. Due to many things that will be explained in this essay, the colonists revolted. It’s debated if the colonists should’ve revolted at all.
In 1775 the American Colonies stood at a tipping point. Britain and the Colonies had been embroiled in a continuing struggle over numerous injustices, and the Colonies seemed at long last situated to engage in a revolution against Britain. However, the colonial representatives were still tied up in negotiations with Britain, and many delegates of the Virginia Convention wanted to delay actions until the negotiations had concluded. Patrick Henry disagreed with the delay, so he addressed the Convention, arguing for the need to mobilize troops against the British, a request tantamount to treason. Instead of shying away from the polarizing nature of his argument, Henry adopted a respectful, but urgent, tone, crafting an argument that would inspire his audience into action.
In the winter of 1776, during American Revolution, the still young America faced three major dilemmas: their seemingly imminent defeat, the moral debate between the Whigs and the British loyalists, and the panic and confusion of the American public. In efforts to settle the three American dilemmas, Thomas Paine wrote The Crisis No. 1 in December of 1776. In his work, Paine aimed to calm the American public and convince them to stand up to the British, and turn the war into an American victory. Paine was very successful in this, and his paper was proclaimed as one of the most persuasive works of the American Revolution. Paine’s
Soon after the Seven Years’ War, the British and the colonists learned that victory came with a rather expensive price (Kennedy, Cohen, & Bailey, 2010). Great Britain tightened its grip on the colonies in North America, expecting colonists to pay for their financial struggles. In order to make colonists pay for the war, Great Britain reminded the North American colonies who had authority by controlling the colonists to submit to various ordinances ratified by British Parliament. This action only showed that arrogance leads to rebellion socially, economically, and politically. Socially, a lack of communication between Great Britain and the North American colonies was to blame for the Revolutionary War.
For starters, the American Revolution was waged as a war of last resort because the colonists could not execute any more plans to make truce with Britain peacefully. The principle of last resort states that a war can only be waged after all the peaceful options are considered and force must be conducted as the last alternative. In the “Olive Branch Petition”, John Dickinson, a representative of the colonists wrote: “We therefore beseech your Majesty, that your royal authority and influence may be graciously interposed to procure us relief from our afflicting fears and jealousies, occasioned by the system before-mentioned, and to settle peace through every part of our Dominions, with all humility submitting to your Majesty’s wise consideration, whether it may not be expedient, for facilitating those important purposes, that your Majesty be pleased to direct some mode, by which the united applications of your faithful Colonists to the Throne, in pursuance of their common counsels, may be improved into a happy and permanent reconciliation; and that, in the mean time, measures may be taken for preventing the further destruction of the lives of your Majesty’s subjects; and that such statutes as more immediately distress any of your Majesty’s Colonies may be repealed.” (Dickinson, John). As inscribed in the “Olive Branch Petition” the colonists’ will was not to detach from Great Britain but to maintain union and peace.
Many of the reasons the American colonies believed they were justified in their rebellion from England lay in trade and taxes. When George III inherited the throne at the end of the Seven Years’ War England’s debt had risen to 145 million pounds and his chief minister believed that the American colonies needed to help shoulder the debt. (Nash, et al., 2007. , p. 134) In attempting to collect these taxes from the colonies to relieve the mounting debt Parliament passed a range of acts, which led to discontent among the colonists as many of them restricted trade, their political maneuverability and left many believing they infringed upon their “right to be taxed only by their own consent.”
“The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind” (Paine 1). With the Revolutionary War beginning in 1775, and the publication of Common Sense, by Thomas Paine, only a year later, this statement was widely recognized and addressed the issue at hand: the fight for independence. According to Paine’s assertion, America’s desire for peace and freedom is a basic necessity of life; it is what all men desire. Despite this innate thirst for liberty, many residents of America’s thirteen colonies were fearful of Great Britain, and because of this fear, complied with Great Britain’s every whim. Consequently, most colonists were hesitant to fight against the mother country for independence.
According to “Charters of freedom - A proclamation by the king for suppressing rebellion and sedition, august 23, 1775,” (n.d.), in the spring of year 1775, peaceful demonstrations gave way to violent ones. After outright rejecting the olive branch petition, a decree was issued by the king in response the ensuing violent protests and armed battles in Lexington and Concord (“Charters of freedom - A proclamation by the king for suppressing rebellion and sedition, august 23, 1775,” n.d.). The king declares that the colonies have rebelled against his authority, the decree warns that those responsible for rebellion will face harsh punishment, the same retribution shall be inflicted on any British agent who had failed to communicate any knowledge
Tensions were high in Boston between the British and the Colonists. Between the Boston Massacre in 1770 and the Boston Tea Party in 1773, Britain was very upset with Boston. King George III, the Lord North- led British government and many of the British citizens were very upset and irritated when they found out that the Boston colonists had made “Tea with salt water”. Once the parliament heard of their escapade, they began thinking of a way to insure that there would be no more uprisings in the Massachusetts colony.
