The story of Americas beginning and development as a nation is one with many controversies and struggles, yet also a story of courage and perseverance. There were several events that set the stage for the colonists in New England to rebel against thei
The story of America’s beginning and development as a nation is one with many controversies and struggles, yet also a story of courage and perseverance. There were several events that set the stage for the colonists in New England to rebel against their mother country, Britain. Relations among the colonists and Britain were fine for the most of the beginning of the colonial expansion. It was during the 7 Years War from 1756 to 1763 that a rift began to form between the colonies and their mother country. During the war, there were many conflicts between the British officers and the colonial troops as well as between the British officers and the colonial civilians. British officers were often demanding and did not respect the colonists. As a result of increased expenses during the war, many colonists went into debt. To make matters worse, King George III took over the throne in England and quickly started making several abrupt changes that resulted in an instable political environment. Increased tensions between the colonists and the Indians led to Pontiac’s War, which, in turn, resulted in Parliament passing the Proclamation of 1763. Under the Proclamation, Parliament asserted its authority over the colonies in a way that it had not really done before, which resulted in slow westward expansion. Ultimately, the colonists and the British defeated the French. Once the French were defeated, the British claimed all of France’s land. As a result, Parliament decided it needed to tighten its reign on the New World so that it could be in control of the newly expanded territory. The colonists resisted Parliament’s attempts to tighten control, which results in boycotts and other conflicts.
Negative sentiment towards Britain escalated when the British insisted that the colonists pay for the expenses of the war through a serious of revenue measures, which they enforced directly. These measures include several different attempts to raise money in ways that angered the colonists and, from their perspective, was unfair. For instance, there was the Writ of Assistance, which permitted customs officials to barge into colonists’ homes and search for smuggled or illegally imported goods. The issue was that the officials did not need any probable cause to do so, which angered the colonists. Parliament also passed the Sugar Act, which resulted in an external tax levied on imports and required complicated documentation for all shipping of colonial goods. One of the issues with this act was that it disregarded traditions that had been in place for a long time such as the protection for a fair trial. Another measure that Parliament passed was the Stamp Act, which obligated colonists to buy and use special stamped paper and other documents that cost more. In other words, there was an internal tax directly on the goods. The Stamp Act did not only affect merchants or a minority group of people, rather, it affected almost everyone in some way or another. Thus, opposition against Parliament became violent and groups such as the Songs of Liberty formed. In the midst of all the anger among the colonists, the colonists formed the committees of correspondence in order to discuss and decide how to defend their rights. After continuous rebellion and opposition, the colonists finally got Parliament to revoke the Stamp Act. Unfortunately, Parliament immediately followed with passing of the Declatory Act, which allowed Parliament to legislate the colonies in whatever way it wanted and in all cases. Parliament continued to assert authority over the colonists with the Quartering Act, the Revenue Acts, and the Tea Act. Tensions continued to rise in New England, eventually leading to more violence and then the Boston Massacre.
