Source analysis – C
Source A is a copy of the declaration of independence. The text has been collated with the facsimile of the original as printed in the original journal of the old congress. This document is very useful because it clearly gives reasons for splitting from the king. It also provides a good outlook on American revolutionary thought and on how it was that the declaration was passed. Passion is showed in the declaration, showing the emotion that the revolutionaries were feeling and the anger they generated toward England.
Because it is a document from the time of the revolution it is very reliable, as it could not be forged on a basis of guesswork. It is also an official document, arguably the most official of it’s time, which means that it was not misinterpreted, but copied with precision. However, it does not show other points of view as it was written by revolutionaries, for revolutionaries. The result of this is that we do not know what the British believed was the cause of the revolution, and we do not know whether the claims on the king in this document are true, or exaggerations of truths.
Source B is a book by David McCullough entitled ‘1776 America and Britain at War’ first published in the USA by ‘Simon and Schuster’ in 2005. The purpose of this book is to entertain the reader, making it seem to have unreliability. However McCullough, writing as a historian, uses true characters and events in accordance to eye-witness reports and information at the time to tell his story. For this reason it is more reliable than it first seems, and makes an interesting, valuable source.
However, because it was written in 2005 there is a certain amount of interpretation to the sources McCullough has used, making it less reliable. In addition to this, the book mostly takes the view of the revolutionaries. Certain aspects of the events are missed out because the book is narrative, and so cannot give an account of all events occurring at this time. Because it was written by a historian it is reasonably trustworthy, although it must be read with a careful eye for bias. This is quite a useful source and is very beneficial for a historian starting to look at the American war of independence.
Section D:
There are varying arguments as to what extent the Declaration of Independence was inevitable because of hostilities between Britain and Americans. The main divides are between British and American supporters, and these views can be violently different because the war created deep wounds in both nations. I will use the evidence to explore the events prior to the war, and the possible causes of such a revolutionary document.
One of the underlying problems in America at this time was that the American settlers did not have any vote in how their country was run. The Americans thought themselves equal to those living in Britain and saw huge injustice that, because they were further away, they lost their right to vote. However for years the British government had been conquering nations and had never had any problems with the voting system. To an extent, this hostile environment made revolutionary activity more likely, but it would not have made a declaration inevitable. To find the cause one must delve deeper into the laws passed at this time.
Many new taxation laws were passed after the Seven Years War with France, which was based both in Europe and the Americas. Gains in territory benefited American colonists, but left Britain in a financial and organizational crisis. Estimated costs for financing the protection of the colonies was $200,000, which the king’s chief minister, George Grenville, thought could be partially paid for by the colonies. Existing duties on goods were reinforced, and in 1764 the ‘Sugar Act’ reduced import duties on foreign molasses to discourage smuggling. The infamous ‘Stamp Act’ was later introduced, putting a tax on newspapers, legal documents, playing cards, and ship’s papers. The Sugar Act had caused some complaint, but the Stamp Act affected everyone and was deeply resented. It raised the issue of whether American colonists could be taxed by a body in which they were not directly represented. It was thought that ‘men who were taxed on the whim’ of others ‘cannot possibly have any property… but are indeed reduced to the most abject slavery’. However these issues could have easily been resolved if not for other changes made at this time, and the lack of communication between Britain and her colonies. The new taxes did inflame hostilities existing between colonists and the British government; however on their own they would not make a Declaration of Independence unavoidable.
Imperial reorganization meant that Britain had to think about how she was going to defend and continue to control her colonies. It was firstly essential to maintain a standing army in the Americas to protect their own, and colonial, interests. However, the colonists saw this army as a threat because it could easily be turned on them. The freedom they were used to was being repressed by the British, and this caused them to question why they needed Britain. Imperial reorganization is seen by historians such as M.J. Heale, R.C. Birch, and E. Wright as the trigger for revolutionary thoughts and actions leading up to 1776. They believe that as Britain strove to protect its decaying empire they put controls on the people which sacrificed their freedom making them lesser citizens of the empire, and this did not go unnoticed. It not only caused a new-found tension between the colonies and parliament, but set conditions on where colonists were allowed to settle and introduced a wave of resented taxation. Although, on the other hand, this may not have led to something as extreme as the Declaration of Independence if it were not for the actions of the British Government as they tried to keep the colonists under their control.
The actions of British troops and government were the real trigger for a war of independence. Even in 1775 after the battle of Lexington and the Boston takeover, the Continental Congress issued an ‘olive branch appeal’ to the King asking for peaceful resolution of conflict. However, this was met with another confrontation by the British at Concord where they fought the Massachusetts Militia and destroyed their powder and arms collections. These actions, and those relating to the takeover in Boston, were quickly being related throughout the colonies, causing preparation for further conflict. Aggression from the British did make the declaration of independence, to a large extent, inevitable. However, it is important to note that people in the colonies would not have been so hostile, had they not been influenced by the ideals of the ‘perfect’ British constitution which was not being applied.
Boston was proclaimed to be the focal point of ‘American rebellion’ by the British parliament in 1774, shortly after the events of the Boston tea party. The unsuccessful Townshend Acts were repealed after the Boston massacre which killed five Bostonians, after another uprising and boycott: all save for one – the duty on tea. The Boston Tea Party in December 1773 frames the disgust of the colonists for an act kept solely as a show of control. Officials, Judges, and anyone with power in Boston was replaced with British counterparts, and Boston was put into a state of occupation with armies and British officials keeping American civilians within. Eventually, an extremely well executed surprise attack forced the British at Boston into an untenable position and they were forced to retreat. The events at Boston can be seen as a microcosm of the colonies in general. The events at Boston showed the oppression experienced by American citizens, and spread unrest throughout the colonies, bringing with it support for Washington and his ‘sons of liberty’. However, without the ideals that were spreading through the hierarchy of the colonists, Boston could have easily been left peacefully under British control without radical interference, until they saw no further need to occupy it. Events at Boston were the main cause for the writing and signing of a declaration of independence, and made this course of action almost completely inevitable.
Section E:
The Declaration of Independence was, to a large extent, inevitable because of hostilities between Britain and America. They formed the basis for revolutionary thought, and the way it was handled by the British government made declaring independence seem the only viable choice for the colonists. Political ideals of freedom were strong when America was colonized, not least because of the abundance of slavery. Lack of representation and the effect of taxes on the relatively undisturbed lifestyles of the colonists; the sudden change in law and introduction of a British standing army; lack of communication between the British and American colonists; the actions of the British government and troops; and especially the events that occurred in Boston – all acted to bring about revolutionary activity in the American colonies. The American people felt the grip of oppression, and fought for the preservation ‘of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’. The British were dealing with an empire too large to control effectively, whilst defending against a crippling financial crisis. Americans saw the actions of the king and parliament as efforts to take away their rights, and the unjustified oppression of Boston convinced them that the only way to preserve their rights – their freedom – was to declare independence.
Section F (bibliography):
Primary material-
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‘The Declaration of Independence 1776’, ‘The Stamp Act 1765’, ‘The Stamp Act Congress 1765’ in F. N. Thorpe (fed.)/ Federal and state constitutions/ Vol. I. (text taken from the version in the Revised Statues of the United States, 1878)
Secondary material-
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Birch, R. C. / 1776: The American Challenge / published by Longman in 1976
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Heale, M. J. / The American Revolution / published by Lancaster Pamphlets in 1986
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Hill, C. P. / A History of the United States / published by Edward Arnold, F.P. 1942
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McCullough, David / 1776 / Published by Penguin in 2005
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Thistlethwaite, Frank / The Great Experiment / published by Cambridge university press in 1955
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Tindall and Shi / America / published by Norton and company, F.P 1984
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Wright, Esmond / The War of American Independence / published by the Historical Association in 1976
F. N. Thorpe, ed. Federal and state constitutions, Vol. I, p. 3ff - taken from the version in the Revised Statues of the United States, 1878 ed.
Thistlethwaite, Frank / The Great Experiment / published by Cambridge university press in 1955
Heale, M. J. / The American Revolution / published by Lancaster Pamphlets in 1986
Heale, M. J. / The American Revolution / published by Lancaster Pamphlets in 1986
Rhode island assembly quoted in Heale, M. J. / The American Revolution / published by Lancaster Pamphlets in 1986
Wright, Esmond / The War of American Independence / published by the Historical Association in 1976
Heale, M. J. / The American Revolution / published by Lancaster Pamphlets in 1986
Heale, M. J. / The American Revolution / published by Lancaster Pamphlets in 1986
McCullough, David / 1776 / Published by Penguin in 2005
Heale, M. J. / The American Revolution / published by Lancaster Pamphlets in 1986
McCullough, David / 1776 / Published by Penguin in 2005
Heale, M. J. / The American Revolution / published by Lancaster Pamphlets in 1986
Heale, M. J. / The American Revolution / published by Lancaster Pamphlets in 1986
‘The Declaration of Independence 1776’ in F. N. Thorpe (fed.)/ Federal and state constitutions/ Vol. I. (text taken from the version in the Revised Statues of the United States, 1878)