• In this essay, I will present 3 or more reasons, citing textual evidence that answers the essential question, “When is war justified?”, and close with how it relates to today.

     

    First, Because the British officials raised taxes, it caused colonists to rise with protests and boycotts against the mercantilist system that disrupted their trade and goods. Page 134, American history book “In addition to riots in Boston, other disturbances broke out in New York City, New Port, and Charleston.” Shortly after the French and Indian War, it caused much debt in Britain. Britain's solution, however, wasn’t the most civil. The primary person running and implying this act was George Grenville. He implied this mercantilist system which spread the idea that everyone must share the burden and serve this colonial power. British officials decided to tax all colonists spread through North America. This caused colonists to resent them and strongly were against these efforts because it significantly affected their trade, prices of goods, and their income. This, however, continued to be a problem when Grenville introduced the Sugar Act. This act taxed all things that had molasses. The next act passed in parliament was the Stamp Act of 1765. This tax was stamped on official papers such as wills, marriage papers, diplomas, newspapers, almanacs, playing cards, and even dice.  Riots against these taxes spread through New York City, Newport, and Charleston. Though the Americans were paying much less than those in Britain, it was the fact they were not represented in the parliament whatsoever, there wasn’t any of the citizen’s say in this, the rulers weren’t elected, but only in power by birth. “No taxation without representation”, they stated, a principle implemented since the Magna Carta. This act continued to unite colonists widely throughout North America. These colonists drew up petitions, boycotted against this system, and wanted now known as a free-enterprise system. The parliament finally canceled the Stamp Act but in return, passed a law that gave them ”the right” to pass taxes as much as they wanted.  After a heated debate circled on taxes, Grenville decided to add yet more taxes upon the people, called the Townshend Acts, taxing glass, paper, lead, tea, etc. Along with the Townshend Acts came the writs of assistance where the red coats would have the “right” to search people’s things without consent. This resulted in yet more boycotts and riots against this unfair system. The colonists gave up everything for Liberty.

     

    Second, King George III enforced the Intolerable Acts, compressing even more in response to the Boston Tea Party. Page 144, American History book, “The British were outraged by what they saw as Boston’s lawless behavior. In 1774, Parliament, encouraged by King George III, acted to punish Massachusetts.”  The Boston Tea Party was an act done by the colonists of Boston in late November of 1773 due to taxation on tea. The colonists were fed up with British rule. After the Stamp Act, and Sugar Act, they were sure to rebel, but when Britain again taxed their favorite drink, they were over it. They needed to do something drastic. The tea was imported to England so taxes were to be paid, then to merchants, to sell the tea. This angered the colonists greatly, they resulted in trading with Dutch and French traders making it cheaper for them to smuggle it back to the colonies. This made British East India, the tea company helping Britain with their tea policy, in deep financial debt. This is when they passed the Tea Act of 1773. This act passed yet more tax on tea charged by colonial tea merchants. To help encourage Americans to buy more British tea, they made the prices lower but to their surprise, they still protested. Especially when British tea merchants were cut out of the trade. This boycott, however, was like no other, leaders like Hannah Griffins, Samuel Adams, and the Sons of Liberty led disguised colonists to a well-known act of civil disobedience, known as the Boston Tea Party by dumping 342 chests of British tea into Boston harbor. Colonists had mixed feelings about this act, some thought this was a fair protest against British law,  while others thought of it as lawless behavior and they could’ve been more thought through with the decision. King George III was infuriated with their decision, so much so, that he passed the Intolerable Acts. The Intolerable Acts made colonists' rights very slim, a lot more than what they were used to. The Parliament shut down boats and ships from coming to and from Boston harbor, which significantly impacted the economy because that was the majority of the colonist's main source of income, as well as repaying British officials from previous boycotts. They furthermore passed that colonists couldn’t hold town meetings more than once a year without, the governor’s notice, who was now chosen by the King. The King issued that officials, charged with major crimes to be tried in Britain or Canada with more sympathetic judges, letting them get away with a lot. The Quartering Act was intensified when King George passed the law that stated that colonists had to house British troops, providing them their food, water, and resources. The king lastly charged the Quebec Act, giving Canadians complete religious freedom and adding yet more land between the Ohio and Missouri rivers. This overjoyed Canadians but not the many colonists who lived in these lands previously. These acts caused great anger among colonists. Not only did they form the first continental congress, calling for a boycott of all British goods. Along with forming a Militia, and later the Continental Congress, an army of colonists trained to serve as soldiers in the likely event of an emergency. 

     

    Third, As the conflicts of war escalated, both the British and the Patriots had to persevere and develop allies.  Page 166 “The British were more successful. They convinced many Native Americans that a Patriot victory would mean more white settlers crossing the Appalachian land taking Indian lands.”  Allies were crucial in the winning of the American victory. Without the help of the French, Netherlands, and the Spanish, Britain would’ve been certain to win the Revolutionary War. To explain, the reason why Americans escalated into war was shown over many years in the cause of British rule, which was shown greatly in the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence was based on the well-renowned “common sense” by Thomas Paine. Stating all fundamental rights of everyone given from birth not from anyone but their creator, God. It stated all causes of rebellion leading up to the Revolutionary War and what they planned to do to make government just and give people freedom in their own lives.  The war was inevitable and Americans were determined to win it. However, the continental army with 20,000 poorly trained troops with no sailors was no match for General Howe’s army with 34,000 greatly trained troops and 10,000 sailors. In desperation, Washington’s troops retreated to Manhattan, and further north to avoid capture. Eventually, they retreated to the Delaware River in Pennsylvania which took a huge toll on the army, with sick and weak men, Washington took a courageous move, to hold a surprise attack on Trenton. Though fridged conditions, the army pursued knocking out 1,408 men and 39 officers in under an hour. General Burgoyne came up with the idea of trapping Washington’s army in Albany New York, by teaming up with three British armies to defeat them making them lose supplies, resulting in the British win. This plan, however, soon faltered when the last army, led by General Howe, was ordered by the King to fight in Philidelphia by the King first. While General Howe's army won many battles there, General Burgoyne and Barry St. Leger were left to fight the many angry Patriots. Led by Benedict Arnold, the army did all in its power to successfully slow down their army and trap them at the village of Saratoga, making the armies surrender all their men.  The battle of Saratoga gave the Americans new hope and gave them many allies to fight by their side. Their allies started with the French, then eventually came along with the Spanish and Netherlands. The French, Spanish, and Netherlands supplied the Americans with needed supplies to give them a fair advantage.    As the British saw Patriots form alliances with countries, they figured they needed to too, they got much help from various Natives such as the Cherokees, the Creeks, Choctaws, and Chickasaws. The British ordered, the Cherokees to fight over the southern frontier, and Iroquois forces, on the Northern, over the year through harsh fighting, the Patriots were able to rise on top and destroy many of their villages and drive them back to the mountains. Toward the end of the war General Cornwallis had the plan of trapping Patriots, making them lose supplies and forfeit the war, however, the plan backfired when the patriots trapped him and his army in a peninsula. Cornwallis ultimately surrendered to the colonists, giving colonists independence from England as they gave an end to the seven bloody years of war.

     

    In conclusion, the British imposing taxes upon colonists resulted in a colonist uprising against “Taxation without representation! giving everything colonists could for their freedom. Colonists wouldn’t give any more reason for the British to tax them or take away the rights given to them by birth, from God. Patriots had many boycotts along with protests against the British all up until the Boston Tea Party and the Intolerable Acts where the colonists lost yet more of their rights to Britain they just snapped and eventually gave into a war. After many years of clever tactics among Patriot soldiers and their generals, such as tricking the British into thinking their army was bigger or a commonly used one, using their knowledge of their environment to their advantage, giving them leverage to win the battles they did. Soon after this, both the Continental Army and the British got into forming alliances that gave them needed resources, required for the eventual winning of the war. After they won the war, the colonists were all free to live in a better society formed on Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. This relates to today because without this the country wouldn’t be close at all to where we are today. We might still have to succumb to some government or rule if no one had stuck up for themselves, for their safety, privacy, and security. Instead, people look up to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to show their rights. The fundamental elements of the Declaration of Independence, are the preamble, stating unalienable rights given by God to give the opportunity of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. Along with the limitation of governmental control aligned with unalienable rights which is the opportunity of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. The rest state what colonists went through and what they imply for the country now to prevent it from ever happening again. Such as unfair taxation without representation, Quartering, and invasion of privacy, overrule of government, unelected individuals in government and power, population and land control, etc.