Summary Of Out Of Our Past By Carl Degler

Reaction Paper 1: Was the American Revolution Largely a Product of Market-Driven Consumer Forces? The readings was a debate of whether or not the cause of the American Revolutionary War was largely a product of market driven consumer forces. T.H. Breen, the author of The Marketplace of Revolution: How Consumer Politics Shaped America’s Independence, believed the war was produced by market driven consumer forces. While the author of Out of Our Past: The Forces that Shaped Modern America, Carl N. Degler disagreed with the argument and alleged that the war was caused by colonists’ lack of desire of the Parliament’s attempt to impose taxes without the colonists’ input on the decision. Personally, I agree with Degler’s argument which is the revolution

His argument against the taxes being the cause of the war is that the taxes that was implemented by the British was uniquely light. “In 1775 Lord North told the House of Commons that the per capita tax payments of Britons were fifty times those of the Americans,” (Degler 129). As Britain continued to tax the American colonies, colonists became outraged and claimed the British Parliament had no right to levy taxes on the colonies, that right is reserved for the colonial legislature. Even though the British had the right to implement taxes from the Pennsylvania Charter of 1681, they never used their power which made colonists surprised when they started levying taxes. The British used laws such as the Iron Act of 1750 to tighten the control Britain had on the American colonies. Unfortunately, their efforts was led in vain and led the colonists to separate revolt against their sudden need to

Even though I agree with. T.H. Breen, when Britain enforced the taxes on the colonies it had an effect on the colonists’ desire to become independent. He didn’t explain why the Britain felt the need to levy taxes on the colonies. . In the 18th century, Europe was going through the movement known as the Age of Reason. During this period, people started to question authority and embraced the idea of change (Week 4 lesson notes). According to John Locke, the government and its citizens have a social contract in which the people gives up some of their natural liberties in order for the government to protect and govern them. The colonies were used to having an independent government until after the French and Indian War, when Britain tried to gain more revenue to cover the expense of the war. The Wool Act of 1699, Hat Act of 1732, and the Iron Act of 1733 was a tool Britain used to keep the colonies dependent on the mother country. The colonies didn’t feel it was fair for Britain to control their way of life after decades of independence in their laws. The colonists felt their lack of representation in the Parliament gives Britain no right to inflict them with more taxes. Unfortunately for the British, the tools for melding the colonists back to the mother country only led them to revolt against