IMMIGRATION TO THE COLONIES American Civilization

The Program
 The British rule
 The declaration of Independence
 The articles of confederation (union of states)

The British Rules:

Introduction
In 1763 after a war that lasted for 7 years between England and France, France was defeated and
lost the war, so it lost Canada, and after, French people signed a treaty of Paris.

Canada became an English property, when two countries waged in warn they needed money,
weapons, and army…

British power succeeded to obtain Canada, but when they looked at finance ministry, they found
out, and England was financially exhausted, so the result was needed money for obtaining Canada, for
that, they asked people in America to pay taxes to help the mother country.

It was found some difficulties of paying taxes, when they tell to people who were living in
Eastern part of America to pay, they had to go further, so British parliament made some laws1.

Laws of British Parliament

It was made to put bounds (to do not have the right to move further)

It was put especially for colonists in order to:

Make control on them and limit them abuses.

Avoid hostility with the Indians to get their friendship.

B . The Sugar act (1764):

When they imported something from England, they had to pay taxes on sugar on sugar, tea,
and glass. Since the money, which collected, were not sufficient, they made another law.

C . The stamp act (1765):

Stamps had to be affixed on loyal documents, newspapers, pamphlets, wills, and

1
To make law = to enact

12
IMMIGRATION TO THE COLONIES American Civilization

D . The declaratory act (1766):

So people protest against this act, and create an organization (sons of liberty). The aim of
this organization was to intimidate taxpayers, and to intimidate the tax collections. They
refuse to pay taxes because they haven’t benefit in this war. They refuse also because they
said: ” we don’t have American citizen in English government”, so they proclaim: “No
Taxation Without Representation”, so they repealed1 the British acts.

The British government still in need of money, so instead of taxing them externally
(because there are two kinds of taxation: internal tax (which were repealed) and external one).

The idea of Charles Townshend, so they called them Townshend duties (1767).

They repealed again, and in 1770, these duties were repealed: they carried on so till 1773.

There was a British company called “East Indian Company”, it brought and sold tea from
India, China to England. This company at a given time had excess of tea about
17 millions £, and if they didn’t succeed to sell their goods, they will go bankrupt, in other
side; this company brought much money to GB. So they turn to British government to ask 4
help, and the government gave the; the right to sell tea in America (monopoly), but it was
the only company allowed to do so.

For that, they didn’t accept and one of the ships of the company arrived to Boston, the “sons
of Liberty” disguised themselves as Indians and climbed to ships and took 342 boxes of tea
and throw them in the sea (Boston Tea Party).

The British knew that there weren’t the Indians who did that. They told them either to pay
for tea or they would take steps, and they decided to close the port of Boston.

The Americans refused, that was what made British took the “Evercive Acts” in 1774. The
American called them the “Intolerable Laws”

The Intolerable Laws

This act closed the port of Boston till the paid of damages.

F . The Massachusetts Government Act:

It revoked the charter of Massachusetts and latter it becomes a royal colony.

G . The Administration of Justice Act:

British officials who committed crimes in America had to be taken to GB to be judged, the
Americans refused this act, they said: the killer will be released in England.

1
To repeal = to delete a law

13
IMMIGRATION TO THE COLONIES American Civilization

H . The Quartering Act:

Colonist paid taxes because the territory in America was not theirs, but was of Great Britain.
Since they live there, they submit to US laws.

Parliament made laws: sugar, stamp, proclamation and declaratory. The interests were
completely different and dissimilar. They said: America and British do the same in England.

The Americans were compelled to quarter British soldiers in America, all that are to
strangle colony.

About the Tea problem, leaders used to find a solution, if not they shut the company, they
had to buy the damage of tea in order to avoid jughting between acts.

The American citizens had the first meeting of the continent (First Continental Congress) to
find solution for the colony. They wrote a letter to the king George III asking for help,
because he was the one who gave them the permission to go to America.

Great Britain is the mother country for Americans, so they wrote a letter to the king George
III in order to ask him help.

All that to make end to the fourth laws. The answer of the king was “either submit or
triumph crush you”. The Americans must to wage a war against the king and they had to
win, if not he will crush them

The British soldier had heard that Americans collected weapons there in order to fight against
Great Britain. So British went to check and confiscate in their way, they crashed with Americans. It was
a real conflict between them and no one knew who shot first. It was the first shot heard around the
world.

Some historians called it “the war of independence” but the land was Indians property, not
American.

Some others said that it was “a revolution”, so British origin in America fought against British
army of the king and it was a ball of revolution.

The Americans fought and they were ready to die that they live as slaves. “Is better to live as a
dog and die as a lion”.

They organized the second continental congress. It was the second meeting; they raised and
collected an army named “The Continental Army”. They were farmers, traders...etc; on other hand,
British army had experiences of fighting.

For that, they put a commander chief of the continental army; his name was “George
Washington”, who had an experience in military affairs.

There were three categories of people:

14
IMMIGRATION TO THE COLONIES American Civilization

1. Who wanted to fight to obtain independence

3. Indifferent people: ordinary people who didn’t care for fighting and preferred to live in
peace.

American obtained money from Spain, France, and they used money and Soldiers who were
volunteers, they used to do that for the idea of independence, and for the ideal. But Americans needed
who supported their side from the world.

Is what we called “approving conscience” from mankind to be sure that they were right?

On 4 July 1776: the Americans declared their independence. They sent a document to Great
Britain, that they would have their independence.

The writer of the document was “Thomas Jefferson 1”, who said “truths which are self evidence”.
They gave him a task to write a declaration.

The question is: why “Thomas Jefferson”?

Because he was not an ordinary man, he found the Virginia University, he was a Philosopher, he
spoke 6 languages: French, German, Spanish, Latin, Greek and Slaves, he had 8000 Hectares, he wrote
about all mathematic and Lecture, he became minister to France. He would be the 3 rd president of
America. He was a politician and a political figure; he invoked reasons to convince the world. He was an
author.

He became a man before his time, because when his father died, Thomas was 14 years old. He
was the founder of the anti federalist, it was named “the Jeffersonian party”, he was a fine pen, and it
means that he had a good style of writing.

He mentioned two grounds: legal ground and extra.

Legal ground (philosophical) to explain why Americans compelled to ask arms.

All these were the main points that help Thomas to be chosen as a writer for the document to the
king George III.

In 1776, they still fight English Soldiers; English troops needed on accent from mankind that
they are right to do that. But Americans might feel morally strong to convince others about the
independence, to give reason and to say what happened exactly and tell them to judge.

Legal ground: they said: we accept to pay the external taxes, but not the internal one. So they
moved from something specific to something general (internal taxes were something specific).

They invoked 3 points (reasons):

1
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) American statesman, one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence, 3rd
president of the United States (1801-1809)

15
IMMIGRATION TO THE COLONIES American Civilization

1. There is no Taxation without representation, they just invoked reasons. So they refused
to pay neither internal taxes nor external one, than after they refuse also to send
representative because they have not the same interest as Americans.
2. They said that if there was some bode we had to do for the king no the parliament.
Why the king? Because he was the owner of America and the London company, the
body who put the laws is parliament, they got the permission from the king and the
king said to them: either they have to submit or to fight.

3. They moved to natural law; they applied to the natural law, they said: we’ve the same
rights as the English men in Great Britain.

But Benjamin Franklin1 who was not an official representing went to the parliament in order to
mention the bed life of Americans.

The difference is that they live in America, when their rights don’t take into consideration; they
have to go to the justice.

The problem is that they didn’t want to submit their case in British court or to any other court.

Why all these things don’t serve? They wanted to govern themselves by themselves.

Americans said that they live in America, they work in America, they are far from England’s
laws, so “why do they send representative?”

The Americans rebelled, so their claim became extra-legal.

At the same time is to govern themselves by themselves, they refused the Consultation Authority
(British Parliament).

Legislative regius Judicary regius

Why Americans did go to fight against England? The main cause was the Taxation. They said:
”yes to external taxation and no to internal, but American was against both of taxes”. (aye & ny2)

A newspaperman made an interview with a farmer. The newspaperman said: “you will go to
fight because of the stamp act”. The farmer said: “I had never saw it”.

The newspaperman said: “you will do because of the tea act”. The farmer said:”I had never
drunk a drop of it (tea)”, and he claimed: “we fight against red uniform, because we always wanted to
govern ourselves and Great Britain did not want to let us govern ourselves”.

In the declaration, we find political doctrine, which divided on 3 main points:

1
Benjamin Franklin (1706-90), American statesman scientist and author, signer of the Declaration of Independence,
publisher of "Poor Richard's Almanack"
2
Aye  yes & ny  no

16
IMMIGRATION TO THE COLONIES American Civilization

I. All that men are created equal and the right of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
God give us the right of life. Thus you can’t make the end of it.
We don’t have the right to enslave us free, we still like that as far as. Every one wants to
be happy, we obtain this right from God and no one has the right to hate that and make
obstacles.1

II. The origin of government, or the state of nature the survival of the fittest, so there is no
room for weak. If we want something we must be strong. Americans decided to make end
to this situation and establish a new government from themselves.
Why? Because the job is to secure these rights to live.

III. If the government does not secure the right, people can change it or abolish it, and
establish another.

1
In justice, they are in the samle foot (same rights)

17