The Breakdown in Relations between the Thirteen English Colonies in North America and Great Britain - Essay Example

?Breakdown in Relations: 1750 to 1776 While colonies had been established in the New World as early as the 17th century, the 18th century witnessed considerable development and gradual autonomy of this region. During this time period thirteen colonies emerged that were under the auspices of Great Britain. While the colonists living in this region were originally British citizens, this century increasingly saw them identify themselves as residents of America. Contributing to their newfound sense of identification was a number of policies and incidents that weakened relations between America and Great Britain. This essay discusses and explains what caused the breakdown in relations between the thirteen English colonies in North America and Great Britain during the period of 1750 to 1776. One of the most prominent incidents that strained relations between America and Great Britain is what has come to be referred to as the Boston Massacre. Indeed, the Boston Massacre was a pivotal event in American history for the significant contributions it made to the eventual start of the American Revolutionary War. The actual events of the Boston Massacre are that on March 5, 1770 the British army shot and killed five men living in the American colonies. While this is the eventual occurrence, the Boston Massacre is perhaps more significant as the symbolic representation of nearly thirty years of perceived slights at the hand of Great Britain. For a number of years surrounding the Massacre the British government had increasingly taxed the colonies causing large amounts of strife within the colonial residents. One of the major incidents in these matters was the occurrence of the French and Indian War. The French and Indian War was a conflict that extended between 1754 and 1763 between Great Britain and French/Indian forces. While ultimately this conflict proved successful for Great Britain, it came at great cost. As a means of counteracting the cost of this conflict, Britain began instituting a variety of taxes on their colonial empire. These taxes were met with considerable resistance among residents of the colonies. Perhaps the major tax in these regards was the 1765 Stamp Act, which resulted in the now seminal calls of, ‘no taxation without representation’ from the colonists. In terms of specific tax acts that contributed to the tensions surrounding the Boston Massacre, the Townshend Acts had recently been passed within colonial America. The Townshend Acts went beyond merely taxing the colonies, but were designed to ensure that the governors and judges ruling over the colonial empire were entirely under British control. This tactic was put in place to further solidify colonial compliance with British taxes and to better gain control of trade regulations within the colonial empire. As one might imagine, such a tactic was met with great resistance in the colonies. Petitions were sent to King George asking that the Townshend Acts be repealed. In making no progress in direct petitions to King George, increasing amount of assemblies began to take place throughout Massachusetts. These assemblies began to threaten British officials residing within the colonies. Lord Hillsborough, who had recently been made the Colonial Secretary, became alarmed by the growing amount of resistance to the Townshend Acts. He began to instruct the colonies that they needed to cease resistance operations to the British laws. As the colonists continued their resistance to the Townshend Acts, the British government responded by sending military enforcement to the colonies to ensure they followed the new regulations. On June 10th the British troops acquisitioned the colonial ship Liberty because, they claimed, the ship had been involved in smuggling actions. This prompted great outrage from the colonists and riots among the local sailors began to occur. These riots resulted in increasing tensions between British and colonials, with the British sending soldiers to Boston. The actual incident of the Boston Massacre occurred in the commotion of these swirling tensions. After a British officer had been accused of not paying his bill at a local tavern, he struck one of the employees with a musket. This resulted in general public unrest. A crowd of angry protestors began to gather and by the evening the number reached between 300 and 400. The crowd slowly encroached on the British soldiers’ positions and eventually the other British officers fired into the crowd, injuring many and murdering five individuals. These events would be used as fodder for propaganda for a populace that was already thirsting for rebellion. While the Boston Massacre and Townshend Acts represented considerable events that strained relations between the two regions the Boston Tea Party and the Intolerable Acts would subsequently follow these incidents. Similar to the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party was a response to taxation that had been instituted within the colonial empire. In this incident the British Empire had recently instituted the Tea Act, which placed considerable financial burden on the colonies. Continuing to resent their lack of representation, a group of colonists dressed up as Indians and boarded a British ship importing tea. The group of individuals then proceeded to throw much of the expensive tea overboard. The British government whom subsequently issued what came to be termed the Intolerable Acts did not receive this incident favorably. The Intolerable Acts included five laws that greatly affected British and American relations. Perhaps the most notable among these acts was the Quartering Act, which allowed British troops to be quartered within the households of colonial residents. The Boston Port Act was also significant. This act closed the port in Boston until the East India Company had been paid for the damages they incurred during the Boston Tea Party. Similar to earlier acts of taxation, the Intolerable Acts were greatly resented for the lack of representation the colonists received. In conclusion, this essay has considered elements that contributed to strained relations between the American colonies and Great Britain in the period between 1750 and 1776. While it’s demonstrated that a great variety of incidents contributed to the eventual revolution, including the Townshend Acts, the Boston Massacre, and the Intolerable Acts, if there was a singular unifying element it would the colonists’ resentment at receiving no representation in the major policy decisions that occurred during this period. Ultimately, this would prove a fateful decision, as it would lead to the eventual declaration of independence in 1776. References Keene, Jennifer, Saul Cornell, and Edward O'Donnell. Visions of America: A History of the United States, Volume 1. Prentice Hall, 20009. Read More