Question #fada7
1 Answer
The rights they believed were being violated included political, economic, militaristic, geographic, social, and intellectual problems. Ultimately, as the colonists use Locke's ideologies these can be summed up in the natural rights: Life, Liberty, and Property.
Explanation:
Political:
- No taxation without representation: the colonists wanted to tax themselves but were not able to due to parliament
- Loosing rights due to multiple acts enforced (Navigation/Sugar Acts, Townshend Acts, Tea Act, Intolerable Acts)
Economic
- No taxation without representation: dealing with money
- Acts which include tax on direct items/those effecting money (Sugar Act, Townshend Acts, Tea Act)
Militaristic
- After the Fresh and Indian war, the colonies own 'military' was undermined by the British
- Having to house and pay for the Red Coats (Quartering Act)
Geographic
- Being forbidden to go past the Appellation mountains and the extension of Canada's boarder (Intolerable Acts/Quebec Acts)
Social
- Believed they were treated as if they were second class to the British citizens in their mother country due to their unequal treatment
Intellectual
- tax on paper, newspapers, legal documents, etc. which limited the people's ability to be informed. John Adams is a strong believer in Whig Ideology which supports the notion that citizens should be informed and active in government. He even believed this was one step closer to dictatorship. (Stamp Act).
Natural Rights
- Life: The Boston Massacre which had taken away the lives of colonists
- Liberty: Taken away by the Quartering Act, Townshend, and Stamp Act
- Taken away by the Quartering Act, Townshend, and Stamp Act (As being taxed without consent is technically an attack on property)
