| Were the Colonists Justified in Their Rebellion against
England? Did They Have an Adequate Cause for Revolution?
Starting after the termination of the Seven-Year's war,
by the Peace of Paris, England repeatedly violated the
American Colonists' rights. A series of events, happening
between 1763(ending of the Seven-Years' war) and 1775
(starting of the revolution), could be taken as motives for
the American's revolution. The Americans claimed that
through both, the Sugar Act (1764) and the Stamp Act
(1765), the British dishonored their rights to taxation.
The Townshend Acts also infuriated the Americans, and as in
all other circumstances, they were willing to fight for
their rights. The final justification for the Revolution
came from the Coercive Acts.
The Sugar and the Stamp Acts were the first events by
which the Americans felt their rights violated. The British
wanted to collect tax for revenue, from the Americans, who felt they were dispossessed from the right of self-
taxation. The Americans felt that they should be able to
manage their own taxation, or to select people to manage
their taxation. What they absolutely did not want, was the
British taking care of their taxation. They did not want
taxation without representation.
The Townshend Revenue acts of 1767 were another
justification for the Americans' rebellion. This taxed
imported goods, such as paper, glass, paint and tea. The
Americans felt again that their rights were being
dishonored. The Colonies lead by the Massachusetts assembly tried to figure out ways to get around the Townshend Acts.The Americans surely refused when asked, by the parliament to revoke the circular letter passed by the Massachusetts assembly. This created more unity among the colonies, which added to the Acts, were one more justification for their rebellion.
The Coercive Acts, passed in 1774, were the biggest
justification for the revolution. They were known as the
"Intolerable Acts." The Acts closed the port of Boston,
restructured the Massachusetts government, allowed British
officials to be tried in court in either Canada or Europe, and allowed troops to be quartered wherever needed. The Americans felt that all these were violations of their rights and that they had been forced to obey laws that violated their rights.
All the above decribed Acts and laws, were a
justification for the revolution. However, they are not
valid causes for the rebellion. Considering that the main
justification for the revolution was the passing of the
Coercive Acts, these Acts, were only passed because of the
Boston Tea party. The Americans might have said that they
were full of all the taxes, and that Englang went too far
with the Tea Act. However Most of the taxes the Americans
paid, were much lower than the taxes the Britsh paid over
the same goods.
Ultimately, the colonists were justified in their
rebellion against England. However they did not have an
adequate cause for revolution.
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