resulted in Colonial opposition to Great Britain. The conditions ofrights of the colonists will slowly be changed as the constriction ofthe parliament becomes more and more intolerable.
During the SevenYears’ War England was not only alarmed by the colonists’ insistenceon trading with the enemy, but also with Boston merchants hiring JamesOtis inorder to protest the legality of the writs of assistance(general search warrants) used to hunt out smuggled goods. “let theparliament lay what burthens they please on us, we must, it is ourduty to submit and patiently bear them, till they will be pleased torelieve us. . . . “.
This is a very strong dictum, that in 1764, thecolonists were of a submissive nature, and were weakly pleading forself-autonomy. This small fire of anger will become a hugeconflagration as the rights are slowly rescinded. On October 19, 1765 the Stamp Act Congress and ParliamentaryTaxation committee’s passed some laws that attempted to strengthen thegrip of the English crown. “I.
That his Majesty’s subjects in thesecolonies, owe the same allegiance to the Crown of Great Britain thatis owing from his subjects born within the realm, and all duesubordination to that august body, the Parliament of Great Britain. “This statement can be used as a summation of the entire document thatthe Stamp Act Congress had initiated. The statement depicts thecolonists has having to be submissive and servile in the view of GreatBritain, this policy angered the colonists very much, and was anothercomponent of the transition of the colonists’ rights and liberties. When the Declatory Act was passed in March of 1766, manycolonies were attempting to claim that they were “seceding” fromEngland.
“Whereas several of the houses of representatives in hisMajesty’s colonies and plantations in America, have of late, againstlaw, or to the general assemblies of the same, the sole and exclusiveright of imposing duties and taxes upon his Majesty’s subjects in thesaid colonies. . . .
be it declared . . . .
, that the said colonies andplantations in America, have been, are, and of right ought to be,subordinate unto, and dependent upon the imperial Crown and Parliamentof Great Britain;”. The Parliament of course denounced the attempt atindependance and still dogmatilcally passed the following law to showthat the colonists were still british subjects. Again, the colonistswere infuriated and later will resist the british imperialism on thecolonies. “All before, are calculated to regulate trade, and preserveprpromote a mutually beneficial intercourse between the severalconstituent parts of the empite””, yet those duties were alwaysimposed with design to restrain the commerce of one part”.
Thisstatement by the colonist (John Dickinson), shows that th sole rasonfor new taxes is just for the British gov’t to make money, at theexpense of the economy of the colonies. Dickinson makes a importantdistinction between the rights of the colonies and the authority ofthe parliament. Dickinson’s comments were ubiquitous among thecolonists, and thus infuriated them to rebellion, and the seizure ofbasic democratic rights. “From necessity of the case, and a regard to the mutualinterest of both countries, we cheerfully consent to the operation ofsuch acts of the British parliament as are bona fide restrained to theregulation of our external commerce, for the purpose of securing thecommercial advantages of the whole empire to the mother country, andthe commercial benefits of it’s respective members excluding everyidea of taxation, internal or external, for raising a revenue on thesubjects in America without their consent . . .
. ” The continentalcongress had presented it’s colonial rights. These rights enable thecolonies to be more autonomous with exception to those several stateswho are under the british control. One important element of thedocument, is the idea of taxation without representation; the saidthat raising taxes without consent was illegal and that the commercialbenefits of the colony should be shared within the colonies, insteadof England becoming more and more economically prosperous. The wholeidea of mercantilism was about to be crushed, due to this idea, ofself-autonomy with respect to colonial economics. “Ye that oppose independence now, ye know not what ye do, yeare opening a door to eternal tyranny.
. . . “. This statement made byThomas Paine shows the foreshadowing, of what colonists would do. TheBritish are trying to prevent independence, and from doing so, theyare being tyrannical.
Again, the rights of the colonists are beingquestioned and rebellion shortly will be forthcoming. “That whenever any form of Government becomes destructive ofthese ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it,and to institute new government, laying it’s foundations on suchprinciples and organizing it’s powers in such form, as to them shallseem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. “. What thedeclaration is really saying, is that a society who has no or littlerights (such as the colonies) should be destroyed, thus separationfrom England. A new society would follow, where the people of thesociety would have these rights necessary for self-autonomy. TheDeclaration of Independence was a strong justification for revolution.
The Revolution follows the Declaration of Independence, where atransition occurs. The transition has to do with the rights of thecolonists. The colonists acquire their rights through resistance tobritish imperial conformity, by resisting certain policies detrimentalto the inalienable rights of a democracy. The transitional period wasfrom 1760’s to 1770’s. This is a crucial period of time, because thisis where the center of power is transferred from the britishgovernment (Parliament) to the colonial citizens.
A major component tothis center of power was the rights of the colonists, the colonistsgained their rights through resistence to an imperial power. Thistransition is depicted through the progression of time in thedocuments.
