Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
2d - the ideological debate - Coggle Diagram
2d - the ideological debate
the colonists saw their stance as conservative - they opposed the new, innovative and radical policies of the British government
taxation was easy to portray as an attack on colonial property and liberties - eg the Virginia Resolves (May 1765)
colonists were aware how fragile their rights were - they argued only colonial assemblies represented the people and had the right to raise tax
acceptance of one tax would lead to further taxes being imposed - and lead to further tyranny - this was used to justify opposition
the Proclomation Act's block on westward expansion denied colonists the right to self-determination
any legislation imposed by Britain was seen as tyrannical due to the lack of representation
Protestant frugality, hard work and thrift was threatened by arbitrary government
quartering was imposing a standing army on the people - a clear threat to liberty
a standing army was seen as a clear tool of British oppression which could be used to enforce unconstitutional demands
repeated British actions showed how limited colonial rights and freedoms were and gave the impression Britain was undermining these rights
taxation without representation was viewed as 'despotism', with many arguing that liberties were under attack and that the British government needed to be kept in check
the repeal of the Stamp Act was seen as the victory of freedom over tyranny, and gave the colonists greater self-confidence - however the Declaratory Act showed Britain had not relented on supreme legislative control
fuelled by high levels of literacy and education, with large numbers of printing presses and booksellers and over 30 colonial newspapers
influenced by the writings of John Locke, who argued for the concept of 'natural rights' including life, liberty and property
encouraged by Thomas Paine, whose pamphlet 'Common Sense' put forward arguments for independence - this was the biggest selling book in the colonies
colonial assemblies provided a forum for political debate - there were high levels of political engagement, widespread understanding of concepts such as liberty - these debates took place in the coffee houses, inns and around the dinner table
leaders such as Samuel Adams often misrepresented British policy and exploited political ideas to appeal to the masses -fuelling mob action, underpinning resistance and justifying the actions of eg the Sons of Liberty
built around a concept of 'American Whiggism' that sought to uphold popular rights, defend representative institutions, protect freedoms and challenge arbitary and despotic government
a standing army fuelled the concern that executive power was on the increase
colonists made clear links between the actions of the British government and those of Charles I - both were seen to be establishing despotic rule
the Stamp Tax led to colonists reevaluating their relationship with Britain - raising issues of fundamental rights and principles - leading to eg Bland's 'Inquiry into the rights of British Colonies (1766) - this stated internal taxes were an act of power not right
John Dickinson's Letters of a Pennsylvania Farmer (1767-8) raised the view that Britain was determined to subvert the liberties of the colonists
Samuel Adams's Massachusetts Assembly Circular Letter (Feb 1768) argued that certain constitutional rights could not be challenged, particularly that of taxation without representation
British actions - the Townshend Duties, the seizing of the Liberty, the Coersive Acts - raised issues of military occupation and arbitary government, and were seen as proof of a deliberate plan to oppress the colonists