The American Revolutionary War was a significant event in world history, and the constitutional republic that followed has produced the freest, most productive society ever. Most of the Founding Fathers were religious men. No one can deny that the independence they fought for has benefitted millions of people. Does this make their revolt against the British monarch morally acceptable though? More specifically, was the American Revolution a violation of what Romans 13:1-7 tells us? During the years before the Revolutionary War, the issue of justified rebellion was widely debated, with good men on both sides of the issue. Not surprisingly, most English preachers, urged restraint and submission on the part of the colonists; while most Colonial …show more content…
The colonists saw themselves not as anti-government but as anti-tyranny. That is, they were not promoting anarchy or the casting off of all restraint. They believed Romans 13 taught honor for the institution of government, but not necessarily for the individuals who ruled government. Therefore, since they supported God’s institution of government, the colonists believed that their actions against a specific oppressive authority were not a violation of the general principle of Romans 13. The colonists pointed out that it was the king of England himself who was in violation of Scripture. No king who behaved so wickedly, they said, could be considered “God’s servant.” Therefore, they believed it was a Christian’s duty to resist him. The colonists saw the war as a defensive action, not as an offensive war. And it is true that, in 1775 and 1776, the Americans had presented the king with formal appeals for reconciliation. These peaceful pleas were met with armed military force and several violations of British Common Law and the English Bill of Rights. In 1770, the British fired upon unarmed citizens in the Boston Massacre. At Lexington, the command was “Don’t fire unless fired upon.” The colonists, therefore, saw their actions as simply defending themselves after the conflict had been initiated by the
“Speech to the Virginia Convention” was the famous speech both written and argued by Patrick Henry in March of 1775. This statement managed to catapult the countrymen of the west, and declare war against the British forces and ultimately gain their freedom and independence. Henry’s view about the use of war to maintain freedom often has many ways of being interpreted. Why must Henry hastily look to war as a means of solving their problem with the British? As a matter of fact, in Henry’s speech, he believes that they have exercised all possible options to maintain peace and have been too passive and must take firm action.
How did the British North American colonies in 1750 differ politically and economically from those in 1650? Were there important continuities? There are an abundant amount of differences, some major and some minor, between the two time periods of 1650 and 1750. There were also quite a few similarities as well. Firstly focusing specifically on the economics portion, in 1650 the slavery business wasn’t as widespread as it was in 1750.
In “The Captive Exile Hasteth,” William J. Scheick exemplifies the content that the colonists showed towards English law. At a particular point in his work, Scheick explains, “the attraction to England, as the traditional center of cultural authority remained strong among Puritan colonists” (Scheick 183). As the essay progresses, he begins to approach a different side. Scheick writes about how Charles II, the king of England in the late 1600’s, brought on a shadow of displeasure among the colonists. After an incident regarding the loss of the Massachusetts Bay Charter, “the Puritan colonies felt increasingly isolated” (Scheick 185).
Colonial America is known for its end product of the United States and its ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is also known for the rebellions that have occurred against the government. This theme of anger and rebellion can be exemplified of Bacon’s Rebellion and the Salem Witch Trials. These instances contain events that redeem tensions throughout colonial society through hardships such as corruption, mass hysteria, and contradicting the ideas of the government. Initially, corruption inhabited a major issue that had driven the two rebellions to become majorly eventful within American History.
Imagine of your friend used you to copy off of your homework, and you feel like you are not getting anything in return. How would you feel? That is exactly how the colonists felt with Britain. The angry colonists wanted to start a revolution against Britain because their unalienable rights were being intruded in their own country. They were used to salutary neglect, but the tight control the British had over them angered the colonists.
Escaping established religion was one of the purposes for the foundation of several new colonies. Rebellion was seated in the ideal of fleeing establishment from the crown and popular religion. When writing the Declaration many thought the inclusion of a statement of religious liberty should be included. Many founders were subjected or witness subjection of religious intolerance. Historian Lewis Peyton Little states that between 1760 to 1778 there were at least 153 serious persecutions just involving Baptists (p. 101).
In 1689 an English bill of rights was put into effect protecting its citizen’s rights; this was the beginning of a long road of pushing back the British for the Americans. From then, until the brink of the war in 1775, the British passed act after act utilising the American’s for their raw materials and attempting to contain them under the British
The colonists were patriotic to a country not yet established. They fought for liberty because they saw a future in which they could be free from tyrant rule. This hope guided their long fight for freedom from tyranny. They wanted to become their own nation and give the people the rights King George III had deprived them of. In the distance they saw the future of a fair, kind nation that treat its citizens with respect.
In 1775 the American Colonies stood at a tipping point. Britain and the Colonies had been embroiled in a continuing struggle over numerous injustices, and the Colonies seemed at long last situated to engage in a revolution against Britain. However, the colonial representatives were still tied up in negotiations with Britain, and many delegates of the Virginia Convention wanted to delay actions until the negotiations had concluded. Patrick Henry disagreed with the delay, so he addressed the Convention, arguing for the need to mobilize troops against the British, a request tantamount to treason. Instead of shying away from the polarizing nature of his argument, Henry adopted a respectful, but urgent, tone, crafting an argument that would inspire his audience into action.
Under the control of the British Parliament in 1775, the American colonies consider going to war in order to gain independence from Britain. In “Patrick Henry’s Speech in the Virginia Convention,” Henry addresses the need for American colonists to work together to stop the British from controlling them. Thus, Henry’s periodic sentence, rhetorical questions, antithesis, and anaphora successfully convince the American colonists to unite against the British and to bring awareness to their wrongdoings. Firstly, Henry applies periodic sentences and rhetorical questions to convey the idea that the American Colonists must fight back against the British by working together if they want to gain freedom. Henry believes that “if [they] wish to
When the shooting ended, several people were dead and more were wounded. ”(Document C). With no freedoms, the colonists felt caged
Britain was forcing the colonists to house the British soldiers and there was no compensation. The British government also violated the colonist’s rights by restricting trade by preventing other nations from purchasing products form the North American colonial market. Obviously, the Founding Fathers were justified in rebelling because the British government was taking advantage of the colonists. Parliament applied various taxes, and forced the colonists to house British soldiers which violated the rights of the colonists.
Because of the great amount of power Britain possessed, the colonists were under oppression, ultimately taking action to defend themselves. Namely, according to document 5, the author states, “what is to defend us against so enormous, so unlimited power?”. As the taxes began to mound on top of one over the other, the colonists began to feel overwhelmed. In response, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and three others, created the Declaration of Independence as a call to war, to offset British rule. Like the Stamp Act, the colonists answered with violence, and the violence only increased as the British made sure to oppress the
American History - Mid Term Essay This essay will explore how the differences in religion affected the founding of New England, and why religion was such a major part of colonial life. The differences in religion affected the founding of New England in a variety of ways. One of the reasons the colonists came to America, was because they were unable to worship freely in the European countries; especially in England.
On the other hand the British deprived the colonists of even the most basic of rights. The American Revolution was more about Civil Liberties because there are three main arguments that support it: Taxation without Representation, the Quartering Act, and the Intolerable (Coercive) Acts. These actions that the British did justified the colonists’ revolution. First of all, one civil liberty that was exempt from the colonists reaches was taxation without representation.