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Was The American Revolution Inevitable Dbq

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Was the American Revolution inevitable? According to John Adams in 1818, the desire for independence was already in the hearts of Americans long before war broke out in 1775. This was untrue for many loyalists living in the colonies in 1775. However, there was simply nothing the mother country could do to stop her colonies from wanting to move on from its natural state of identity in order to grow into a unique and independent country. To begin with, Richard Bland in his 1766 “An Inquiry Into the Rights of the British Colonies” believed that America should be independent “as to their internal government, of the original Kingdom, but united with her, as to their external policy…” (Doc A). The Navigation Acts were an example of external acts, …show more content…

Great Britain’s victory brought new problems. The British government issued the Proclamation of 1763: this banned all settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains. England could not enforce this; therefore colonists continued to move west. Colonists continued to disapprove of new British policies, and in 1763, tensions between Britain and Massachussetts increase. In 1761, during the French and Indian War, a royal governor was authorized to use the policy of writs of assistance. Writs of assistance allowed British customs officials to search any ships or buildings; some merchants worked out of their homes, so the writs enabled officials to search homes as well. The policy enraged colonists and after this, the British government stationed 1,000 troops that were meant to protect the colonists, but they viewed it as a standing army ready to turn against them at any time. Rather than striving to retain the original mutual understanding of their compact, the colonies and their mother country progressed to constantly be at odds with each …show more content…

The Stamp Act required colonists to purchase stamped paper for every legal document, license, and newspaper and imposed special “stamped duties” on packages of playing cards and dice. All who disobeyed the Act were to be tried in the vice-admiralty courts. By May of 1765, Boston shopkeepers, artisans, and laborers united in a resistance group called Sons of Liberty. By the end of the summer, the Sons of Liberty harassed customs workers, stamp agents, and royal governors faced mob threats and hence stamp agents resigned all over. The Act was to become effective on November 1st, 1765, but colonial protests prevented stamped paper from being sold. In the month of October, 1765, delegates from nine colonies met in NYC. Congress issued a Declaration of Rights and Grievances: it stated that Parliament lacked power to impose taxes on the colonies because they were not represented in Parliament. This was the first time in which colonies began to set aside their differences and unite as one. Eventually, the Act was repealed and in 1766, Parliament issued the Declaratory Act: it addressed Parliament’s full right to make laws “in all cases whatsoever”. The Tea Act was made in 1773 and it granted the East India Company the right to sell directly to the colonies, free of taxes, this would cut colonial merchants out of the tea trade because the company would sell for less. On December

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