Jayden DeSilva
Ms. Perez
World History II Honors (1)
17 January 2023
Mid Term Paper
During the period of c. 1200-1750, there were significant advancements in economic and commercial practices that had a profound impact on the world. Colonization, the outcomes of the Enlightenment one being, the destruction of monarchies, and slavery were some of the most significant developments that occurred during this time period. These economic practices affected individuals from various social, religious, and cultural backgrounds, and their effects continue to be felt globally today. Colonization, for instance, led to the spread of European culture and influence across the world but also had a significant impact on the cultures and societies of the colonized
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Many people came to believe that monarchies, with their absolute power and lack of accountability, were outdated and unjust and that it was no longer acceptable for them to control the lives and freedoms of individuals. One reason this came to be was, the taxes the British imposed on the colonies in North America, this served largely as a source of economic wealth for the British. The British colonial approach during this time was distinguished by a disregard for the colonies and a focus on earning income from them. The idea of no taxation without representation, which claimed that the colonies should not be taxed by the British government unless they had representation in the British Parliament, was one of the major concerns that emerged as a result of this, the delegates from each of the colonies made this known at the “Frist Continental Congress” where they declared their natural rights, and that they are “entitled to life, liberty, and property (First Continental Congress).” This notion had a significant role in the development of the American Revolution and the eventual establishment of the United States government and as a sovereign state. In response to the British’s intolerable acts during this time people desired a government based on popular sovereignty or the idea that a government's power ultimately comes from the consent of the people. The political treatise "The Social Contract," written by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, explores the idea that the people are sovereign and that the legal power of a state arises from the agreement of the governed in order to build a more stable and just society. In this work, Rousseau makes the case that the common good should serve as any society's guiding concept and that the government should be in charge of advancing
Colonists had no representation among the British Parliament’s decisions which had to change in the Articles of Confederation. The idea of no taxation without representation was brought to the colonists when King George III enforced taxes on the colonists even though the people had no representation to go against taxation. The colonists tried boycotting British goods and protesting. However, the British government kept enforcing tougher laws and colonist's petitions were ignored multiple times. Through these hardships, the colonists made sure that the white property owning men of each state could vote a fair state legislature to pass taxes.
. They would visit all the ports from Sierra Leone to Sherbro, some 120 miles. Their report to the home office was so satisfactory and favorable, that the Society was encouraged to continue on its mission. Because of the pressure exerted by the southern slaveholders, the federal government soon gave support to the American Colonization Society, and Congress decided that the proposed colony must be in Africa, and not in the United States.
According to Benjamin Franklin, “Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.” In relation to this, many of the colonists believed that the natural freedom that belonged to them under God, was stripped away from them under British rule. Years after years of unfair actions opposed upon the colonists by the British eventually led the colonists to take action against them in an attempt to gain freedom and independence. After the French and Indian war, Britain was left in debt and looked to the colonists for revenue. They exercised certain acts such as the Sugar Act 1764, Stamp Act 1765, and Townshend Revenue Acts of 1767, that unfairly taxed and restricted the colonists.
Samuel Johnson, “Taxation No Tyranny”, portrayed the objections of the American Colonies as belligerent “zealots of anarchy, who have denied, to the parliament of Britain the right of taxing the American colonies…” (Johnson par 1). Johnson’s arguments verged on debasement of the people dwelling in the colonies. Furthermore, Johnson presents a definition of what a tax is, much in the manner of explaining an idea or concept to a perceived audience of people with lower intellect. Johnson argues that America was more than able to pay taxes.
The colonies saw this as a violation of their constitutional right as British subjects, and that they were being taxed while having no say in British affairs. The colonists argue that they should have the same potential rights as British citizens living in Britain, including the opportunity to vote for their representatives in the British government and participate in issues that directly impact their lives. The colonists believed the British were infringing on their legal rights, and they objected to the use of a writ of assistance while British officials searched their residence without a warrant, as well as the use of British courts rather than colonist courts in their legal actions. After 1763, the colonists' protests against British power caused the American Revolution. The colonists valued taxation without representation because they believed the British government was unfairly taxing them without providing them with representation in the British parliament.
At the dawn of the 1770s, American colonial resentment of the British Parliament in London had been steadily increasing for some time. Retaliating in 1766, Parliament issued the Declaratory Act which repealed most taxes except issued a reinforcement of Parliament’s supremacy. In a fascinating exchange, we see that the Parliament identifies and responds to the colonists main claim; Parliament had no right to directly tax colonists who had no representation in Parliament itself. By asserting Parliamentary supremacy while simultaneously repealing the Stamp Act and scaling back the Sugar Act, Parliament essentially established the hill it would die on, that being its legitimacy. With the stage set for colonial conflict in the 1770s, all but one
Beginning in the early 1400s, Europeans, ranging from French to Spanish to English, began flocking to North America for a variety of reasons, both holistic as well as selfish. While some methods of colonization were healthier than others, all had their advantages and disadvantages to the overall gain of the colonizer. Some argue that colonizers sought mainly religious advantages; however, all colonization in the New World, even religious, was rooted in socioeconomic greed. Men who were unable to climb the social hierarchy in Europe sought new opportunity in America, and other colonists sought economic gain through gold and cash crops; therefore, the colonization of North America was not a religious endeavor, but instead it was a socioeconomic
There has been many changes that took place in the Americas since 1750 and at the present time. It all began with the European emigration that aided in the expansion of territories, and as a result created colonies in the Americas. European colonies were started in the Americas which included the United States, South American, and Central America and were mainly colonized by the British, French, and the Spanish. It then continued into Canada and Asia. During the course of the territorial expansion, social, political, and economic development was breaking grounds.
For instance, “That only representatives of the people of these colonies, are persons chosen therein by themselves, and that no taxes ever been, or can be constitutionally imposed on them, but by their respective legislatures. (Document 2)” This means that the colonists didn't want taxes imposed on them by another power like Britain or the King. This idea came from the current acts at the time, like the Sugar act.
As a result of new contacts among Western Europe, Africa, and the Americas, social and economic transformations occurred in the Atlantic world from 1492 to 1750. Many social changes occurred in these regions as a result of new contacts. Economic changes had great effects on West Europe, Africa, and the Americas during the time period, 1492-1750. The social and economic transformations that occurred were created by the initiation of European expeditions by Spain and Portugal.
The colonists' arguments against British taxation resonated with their desire for self-governance and representation, forming a core element of their grievances against British
The idea of taxation without representation was a major factor in the ongrowing tension the American colonists developed towards the British government and only fostered the resentment they had towards them. And in some instances, they lashed out, like the Boston Tea Party. These acts of rebellion are what fueled Britain’s hatred towards the colonists and caused them to grow impatient and unleash their wrath onto them through the tax acts they imposed onto the colonies in a sort of way that declared to the colonists that they would no longer tolerate their
British taxes per capita was 26 shillings a year while Colonial American taxes was 6 pence, fifty-two times less than the British taxes. Before the Independence War American colonists were legitimately citizens of Britain and it is reasonable to made colonists, who did not contribute much to the mother country, share the costs after the war and balance the British wealth. Some in American colonies argued that without the representation in the Parliament, there should not be taxation. However, direct representation was not quite necessary: “each member of Parliament sat ‘not as Representative of his own constituents, but as one of that august Assembly by which the Commons of Great Britain are represented.’’’ The consciousness of self-sufficient independence among colonists led to their resentment of taxation, but not the tyranny of the King George.
In The Social Contract, Rousseau tries to "harmonize individual liberty with governmental authority. The social contract was basically an agreement on the part of the entire society to be governed by its general will. If any individual wished to follow his own self-interest. He should be compelled to abide by the general will. This means nothing less than he will be forced to be free,"(511).
In his tract "The Social Contract, or Principles political rights" Rousseau formulates the idea of the establishment of the state and the laws on the basis of the social contract. The treatise opens the phrase, which later became the aphorism: "Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains. " Recognizing the right of the people to revolt against the despot and the overthrow of absolutism, Rousseau, however, does not believe that the uprising would lead to the formation of a legitimate government. He proposes to construct an orderly, social life of the state on a contractual basis. The state will be represented by the sovereign institution it performs.