declaration of independence Flashcards
reasons why it hadnt been signed earlier
- very few had talked about independence until early 1776
- many still saw themselves as britons
- large minority remained loyal
- others prepared to fight for colonial rights, but insisted they remained loyal to the crown
why did it become more clear that independence had to be fought for
- george III did not want to grant independence
- several months of fighting (eg lexington and concord, bunker hill, boston, canada etc) had weakened british american ties
- southern support for separation was strengthened with gov dunmore (british) offered slaves their freedom if they fled their rebel masters and joined the british cause
what influenced calls for independence
- thomas paine’s “common sense”
detail what was paines publication
- pamphlet
- published in jan 1776
- very quickly sold over 120,000 copies and had the greatest influence of all the pamphlets published during the 1770’s
- attacked the english constitution, criticising monarchical rule and hereditary succession.
- he encouraged many americans to establish a republic
- convinced many americans who had feared breaking ties with britain to demand for full independence- this was the only way to stop being oppressed by the british
why was common sense so influential
paines style was clear, direct and accessible- it was aimed at ordinary people rather than intellectual elites. by doing so he democraticised political thought and encouraged active participation in the revolution, galvanising opposition in normal americans. he made the case not just an intellectual debate but a movement that anyone could support and understand.
what were the problems with declaring independence
- had to be unanimous
- delegates of the continental congress did not have the authority of all of their colonies to vote independence
situation in early 1776
- the congressmen believed that foreign aid was needed to help in the fight against britian, but this would not be forthcoming until independence was declared
- rebel governors had replaced the governors
- the colonies congress was organising war, money and preparing treaties
colonies which did want independence
- some colonies such as rhode island declared their independence before july
- other colonies such as virginia gave their delegations instructions that they wanted to declare independence
what colonies did not want independence
- pennsylvania, delaware, new jersey, new york, maryland
all gave instructions thart they did not want separation so decision was delayed until all colonies had decided
vote for independence
- 2nd july 1776
- 12/13 colonies voted independence
- all except NY who abstained due to british military presence in NY
when was the declaration of independence proclaimed
4th July 1776
who drafted the declaration of independence
thomas jefferson
work of thomas jefferson on the declaration of independence
- did most of the work
- influenced by the principles of john locke, other enlightenment writers, and from virginias declaration of rights
- also derived from other previous works of his own- “a summary view of rights of british america”
reasons for the declaration of independence: ideology
- american political ideology linked to british constitutional thought
- believed in no taxation without representation
- many influenced by ideas of john locke, john wilkes, thomas paine
- wrongly believed that a small clique of british evil ministers aimed to destroy american liberties
- view was very strong amongst influential americans
reasons for the declaration of independence: economic factors
- trade & navigation laws and opporessive custom duties influenced revolution
- commercial issues and grievances
- trade grievances were mentioned only once in the declaration of independence
- americans realised that they benefitted from the mercantilist system
- revolution was not caused by high taxes
- the unpopular dutues/taxes proposed by britain in the 1760’s and 70’s were low and affordable
reasons for the declaration of independence: british policies
- these brought demands for independence
- british ministries tried to squeeze money from america
- 1764, 65, 67 and 73 british governments forced the issue of britains power over the colonies
- parliament had backed down on two occasions- repealing the stamp act and the townshend duties
- by bowing to american pressures, parliament undermined its claim to exercise control over the colonies
reasons for the declaration of independence: not british policies
- british failed to anticipate that the colonists would rebel against them
- 1765- little indication that there was going to be anger over the stamp act
- america was a source of valuable raw materials and a major market- determination to hold onto these was understable
