(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

James Otis

            Gordon Wood in his research on the American Revolution describes it as radical as any revolution in modern history based on the fact that it produced a society that was free and democratic beyond the expectations of the nation's founding fathers. One of the most passionate spokesmen for that movement to create a nation free from empirical rule was James Otis. Otis helped in the fight to change the governmental system and bring a fundamental change for a structured society. John Adams described Otis" passionate arguments against the Writs of Assistance as watching kindling burst into flames (Langguth, 26).
             To understand James Otis and his passion for the ideals that embodied the American Revolution it is important to understand the man and the reasons that many believe fostered his radical opposition to British rule. Otis even when growing up was prone to unpredictable moods and bursts of energy. He graduated from Harvard after seven years, although he had been accepted at the early age of fourteen. Otis was slow to begin his legal career due in part to his indifference about money, although he would eventually garner large legal fees in Boston. It was not uncommon for him to take cases free of charge if he believed in the cause or more likely the defendant's right to assemble and voice their discontentment. For example Otis defended a gang of youths who paraded through town in a ceremony called Pope's Day that commemorated a Catholic plot to blow up King James I and the Parliament in 1605. Even though violence had erupted between opposing gangs Otis contented that the youths were simply exercising their right to free speech and that there was intention of malice. Otis won an acquittal, which was typical (Langguth, 21).
             It was with the same exuberance that Otis lobbied for a position for his father as Chief Justice. James Otis Sr. was the Speaker of the House of Representatives in Massachusetts but was viewed by the political elite as having too many ties to the lesser class.


Essays Related to James Otis

1. Comparative Analysis - James Otis and Thomas Paine

The following essay is a comparative analysis work done on Thomas Paine's Common Sense against James Otis' the rights of the British colonies, Asserted and proved. I will try to bring to surface answers to few questions like: What ... how a society is positive and constructive for its people, whereas a government originates from the evil of man and has main duties to protect liberty, life and property. James Otis makes a similar remark regarding the duties of a government however, he adds that as long as there is a society, a government needs to be there regulating the & ... unjust and fa...

  • Word Count: 1192
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. James Madison

In James Madison's "Federalist number 10", he gives his views on how a new government should be put. Madison was a strong Federalist and he believed in the Constitution. I think that the point that ... . The best solution and way of dealing with this problem is by going with the majority of what the people want. And this is how it ended up. However, Mercy Otis Warren, an Anti-federalist, had a little bit of a different view on the matters of the constitution. She wrote "Observations of the New Constitution." She wanted the best for the United ... States. She and James Madison had some same v...

  • Word Count: 404
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Punishing Criminals and the Death Penalty

... the United States. He starts off by telling a story about a man, who arranged to have his quadriplegic son and wife killed. He hired a hit man, James Perry, who shot the victims and a private nurse. Perry was sentenced to death, and Lawrence Horn was sentenced to life in prison without parole1. By using ... debate. He is not subjective as he is discussing from both points of view, which makes him a reliable source for discussing the topic. In the article, Otis is focusing a lot on the abolishment of the death penalty. There has been a moratorium, that is just abolition in disguise, beca...

  • Word Count: 939
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

4. The Early Colonies and Independence from Great Britain

... Britain; which wanted to remain under Britain rule? The Sugar Act placed a tax on sugar, molasses, and other products shipped to the colonies. James Otis Jr., a Harvard-educated lawyer, argued that Parliament had no right to tax the colonies. Every British Subject born on the continent of America, ... exclusive of all charters from the crown) entitled to all natural, essential, inherent and inseparable rights of our fellow subjects in Great-Britain. Otis believed that all British subjects are equal and are entitled to all essential civil rights under the supreme power of God. American col...

  • Word Count: 2045
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. Patriots

... concern for liberty and who believed in man's singular sovereignty, while publicly guarding against the practice of absolutism in government found in England under the rule of Charles II and James II. Otis argued that every man lived in a state of nature and was subjected to laws "engraved in his hearts."" He warned the new king Charles II that his usage owas ... ...

  • Word Count: 2505
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

6. The Westing Game

... Fourth of July celebrations where he would have pageants and put on firework displays. His pseudonyms were Barney Northrup, Sandy McSouthers, and Julian R. Eastman. James Shin Hoo was born in Chicago. He is 50 yesra old. He added Shin to his name because when he went into the restaurant business, ... a child who suffered from Down syndrome. She made the wedding gown for Violet Westing, which she never got to wear. She is teamed with Turtle Wexler. Otis Joseph Amber is a 62 year old delivery boy. He is a fourth grade dropout. His IQ is 50. He is a bachelor with no living relatives. He .....

  • Word Count: 1075
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Hank ballard and the midnighters

... members were said to have also included Levi Stubbs who later moved on the Four Tops and Jackie Wilson. By 1952, when bandleader Johnny Otis discovered the group at the Paradise Theater in Detroit and recommended them to Federal Records producer Ralph Bass, the personnel comprised of lead singers ... Booth and Sutton, harmony vocalists Lawson Smith and Sonny Woods, and guitarist Alonzo Tucker. Booth led the Royals' first big hit, the Otis doo wop composition "Every Beat of My Heart", which was then made into a smash hit for Gladys Knight and the Pips. "The Royals' ... Woods, and guitar...

  • Word Count: 1549
  • Approx Pages: 6

8. Revolutionary War's envability

... to the freedom of a people, and the undoubted rights of Englishmen, that no taxes should be imposed on them, but with their own consent, given personally, or by their representatives. (James Otis) 3. The straw that really started the breaking of America with Britain started with the passing of the Sugar Act of 1764. This act hit the colonists where the Britains thought ... . 2002 < http://www.twilightbridge.com/hobbies/festivals/independence/quotes.htm >. Jefferson, Thomas. " Great quotations from the revolutionary war." 17 Dec. 2002 < http://www.twilightbridge.com/hobbies/festivals/inde...

  • Word Count: 1351
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Britain to Blame for the American Revolution

... order, the British had practically taken all rights away from the colonists. Now, they did not even have privacy in their own homes. James Otis, a lawyer, opposed these writs so much that he tried to oppose them in the court. Otis" views caused other colonists, mainly the northern, to think about the idea of liberty and "their passion to attain it would only ... ...

  • Word Count: 1048
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question