They adopted the first four and rejected the last three
The last three resolutions were too radical and would have a worse result
The first four needed people to be treated equally, and not allow taxes passed without representation
After the Seven Year’s War, England faced a drowning debt
The English did not take it as a concern
Their colonies became concerned because the British government wanted to impose taxes directly on them
Stamp Act - required all printed material produced in colonies to carry a tamp purchased from authorities. Thus, a faster way to get the debt.
British Freedom vs. Universal Liberty
British Freedom - limited freedom. British colonies live with British rules. There is no rights and it is necessary to obey the rules that were good for the empire. It is also required to work hard for the authorities granted by the King. Colonies had to pay increased taxes imposed upon them.
Universal Liberty - indentured servants have rights. Colonies have freedom of expression. There is also freedom to stay in their land and practice their beliefs.
5.2 New York Workingmen Demand a Voice in the Revolutionary Struggle
Social Divisions in the Colonies
There was separation like north and south
The 13 colonies did not interact much
South - slavery to plantation
North - more religion, fewer enslaved people\
Equality in the Colonists
The only thing uniting them is liberty from the British
5.3 Association of the New York Sons of Liberty (1773)
The British’s Motivation for the Tea Act
Tea Act - passed by Parliament on May 10, 1773
The British East India Company sold many unsold surplus tea to markets in the markets of the American colonies
The BEIC was suffering financially due to military expeditions to extend Britain’s influence in India
Relationship between Property and Liberty
The Sons of Liberty considered liberty and property to be intertwined
Without the ability to hold property, one could not ever be truly free
The ownership of property will help in the establishment of liberty and freedom
5.4 Farmington, Connecticut, Resolutions on the Intolerable Acts (1774)
The Feelings of Colonies towards Great Britain
The Language of Resolutions showed anger and resistance to Great Britain
Created because of the Act of Parliament
The gathering amassed one thousand colonists by the shrine of liberty where the Act of Parliament was read and burned
The first resolutions were neutral, but the ones that %%follows%% had negativity and hate
The most telling words described their feelings under the English rule
Enslaved
Chains of slavery
Limitations Imposed on American Loyalty by the Resolutions
1774 - the British government created laws against the colonies
They created these laws due to the Boston Tea Party
Intolerable Acts - dubbed by the Americans who felt negative towards the laws
As a result, the port would not be opened until the loss was paid for
Town meetings were disrupted and governors were given the power to select their own counsel
Soldiers were also allowed to live in the homes of the colonists.
These laws make the colonists mad and hate England even more.
Loyalty was not created at all, resistance grew stronger
5.5 Thomas Paine, Common Sense (1776)
Paine’s Attack on the Principle of Monarchy & Hereditary Succession
Paine argues that since all men are born equal, no man could have the right to establish his family as forever presiding over others
In order for Americans to break free, they must believe Britain’s rules and philosophies to be unjust; otherwise, there would be no reason to be autonomous
Paine’s Main Arguments
All men are born equal, no man should be able to usurp one another and compromise other’s liberties
The current state of Americans is unstable under the rule of Britain.
5.6 Samuel Seabury’s Argument against Independence (1775)
Seabury on the Continental Congress and Local Committees
Samuel Seabury - a minister of the Church of England. He came to the defense of England during the Revolution.
Seabury believed that the Continental Congress was self-interested and by not working with England to seek resolution was not working on behalf of all the colonies
He disliked policies that prevented trade with Britain during the early tensions as he believed that it %%furthered tensions and hurt the vast majority of colonists%%
Difference of Seabury from other Advocates of Independence
Boucher - tends to take a more libertarian view of freedom than many who were in favor of independence
He feels that personal, individual freedom is more important in general than the freedom of a nation