AP History/ British didn't have to lose the Colonies
Were it not for the oversights, mistakes, and misjudgments of British leadership, the American colonies would still be territory of Great Britain. Parliament had the power to declare the colonies exempt from taxation, increased colonial dependency on Britain, or given the colonies a form of government that while subject to the King’s veto, would have been an equally powerful counterpart of Parliament that would have ruled over the colonies alone, circumventing the need for rebellion by allowing more freedoms.I. Parliament/King could have declared the colonies exempt from the taxes enforced on English merchants. A. Even if the British merchants complained, they were powerless. 1. They relied on the colonies for a large portion of business. 2. The non-importation agreements proved the power of the colonies over the British economy. 3. The repealing of the Stamp Act proved that mercantilism was a double-edged sword, forcing the economy to become dependent on the colonies for trade and material. B. Keeping on good terms with the colonial merchants proved important. 1. There was a monopoly on tobacco and tobacco prices, an important and widely exported staple product.
1. The colonies would feel represented, controlling their own government while still answering to the Crown. 3. Colonialists would submit to a federal tax easier than one imposed by officials across the Atlantic. 2. The Navy was dependent on lumber from the colonies to build and repair ships, maintaining British dominance of the shipping lanes. 1. The enforcement of mercantilist policies would be simple if the colonists could profit more from the deal. American succession from Great Britain was avoidable had Britain not made critical political mistakes. Taxing a people who had found a new sense of freedom would only be seen as oppression, even if the taxes were light. Letting the colonies become too independent and allowing the “wrong kind,” or rebellious type of government to form was a dangerous elixir that eventually would explode in the face of the British Empire. 2. The colonists would have been completely dependent on Britain for defense. The French or the Native Americans would have over-run colonial militias easily if the colonies were not protected by English troops.
Some topics in this essay:
III Parliament/King,
Stamp Act,
Britain Parliament,
Native Americans,
Atlantic England,
West Indies,
,
Britain British,
stamp act,
2 colonists,
British Empire,
veto equally powerful,
colonies feel represented,
government answering crown,
british economy,
2 “colonial,
1 colonists,
3 colonists,
own government answering,
equally powerful,
controlling own government,
powerful counterpart,
non-importation agreements,
counterpart parliament,
Join now to see the rest of the essay!
Approximate Word count = 797
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
Example Essays Home
