Friday, January 27, 2006

No Taxation without Representation

No Taxation without Representation

Enlightenment

  • Deism
  • Laws of nature & natural law
  • Human beings use reason to create harmonious society
  • Natural rights
  • Any laws that conflict with natural law should be removed
  • Human dignity

Property

  • Status symbol for England
  • Property à rights, prosperity, power, freedom

Labor

  • Should contribute to the good of society
  • Should be against slavery (but were not necessarily)
  • Workers’ rights (laws protecting the abuse of indentured servants)
  • Work should be free & human
  • Work represents an investment of self

Money

  • Representation of freedom, power, status, etc.
  • Potential to gain good
  • Money represents your work, time, personal investment

Taxation = taking money = work, time, personal investment

Without representation – without choice (freedom)

= slavery

posted by Jeffrey @ Friday, January 27, 2006 0 comments

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Resolutions of the Stamp Act Congress

Complaints

  1. English Rights
  2. No Taxation without representation
  3. Right to secure private property
  4. Trial by jury
  5. Right to petition
  6. Local government


Action

  • Possible veiled threat to boycott
  • No direct threat of action


Audience

  • Crown & Parliament - explicitly stated


Effect

  • Contributed to the dialogue that led to the repeal of the Stamp Act

posted by Jeffrey @ Tuesday, January 10, 2006 0 comments

Monday, January 09, 2006

British Colonial Policy: a Tradition of Neglect

British
  • How do you feel about the colonies becoming self-governing?

  • Why do you think Salutary Neglect was the correct policy for dealing with the colonies?

  • How has England’s recent interest in the colonies affected the colonies and their government?

  • How much did the debt motivate you to suddenly take an interest in the colonies?

  • Why did Walpole believe that the colonies would flourish without English intervention?

  • Why does England believe the colonies owe England financial support when England did not give the colonies financial support previously?

  • Why doesn’t Parliament or the Crown give more power to royal governors if local governments are becoming so overpowering?

  • Why would England not allow the colonies to be independence if the colonies agreed to give England exclusive trading rights?

  • Do you see colonial self-government as a major problem?

  • Would you consider the problems between the colonies and England to be due to lack of communication or an unwillingness on the colonists’ part to bow to authority?

  • Although a lot of benefit has been seen from the policy of Salutary Neglect, in what ways has it hurt the colonies?

  • Why were these colonies not set up like other English colonies around the world in order to gain more money for the Mother Country?

  • Why wouldn’t England move its power to a colonial section that was not posing so much opposition?

  • Did all of England have problems with the “new thinking” of the colonies – social mobility, self government, etc.?

  • Why didn’t the English create a strong government body that would govern the colonies and be stronger than the Board of Trade?

  • Why were some colonial sections allowed to gain so much power even though it caused problems?

  • Why are so few people from England interested in the colonies when the colonies bring in raw materials and seem to be economically important?

  • Why did the English government assume that the colonies could be ignored and didn’t need help from the Mother Country?

  • Why wasn’t more effort made to set up relationships between England and colonists other than merchants?
Colonial
  • Why are you objecting to paying taxes when people in Britain are paying so much more than you already?

  • To what extent is your objection to taxes financial vs. philosophical/political?

  • Don’t you think you should have to pay some of the debt caused by the French & Indian War since you benefited from the war?

  • How has Salutary Neglect changed your views of England?

  • How has taxation affected local government?

  • Why didn’t more colonies set themselves to be more independent on England like the Middle Colonies (between Albany and Baltimore)?

  • What is the colonial reaction to the statement, “Colonies are only a source of raw material to serve the Mother Country and a safety valve for unwanted populations” (Rossiter).

  • Why were the New England colonies the hotbed of independence?

  • How do you think the lack of agricultural productivity of New England affected its relationship with England?

posted by Jeffrey @ Monday, January 09, 2006 0 comments

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Colonial Exploitation: A Matter of Perception

Mark each statement "true" or "false" and mark the textual evidence that supports your answer. Be sure to notice who wrote the document.

Watch for statements of judgment in econdary sources. They may be biased. They need to be supported by historical evidence.

posted by Jeffrey @ Tuesday, January 03, 2006 0 comments