u/AnimeArtPersona1208

DBQ
With the end of the French and indian war, new westward land had been opened in the Ohio River Valley. However, Britain issued the Proclamation of 1763, not allowing the colonists to use the new land. to prevent future expenses due to native american conflicts. The change in ideas about American independence changed drastically from 1763 to 1783, with the colonists changing from wanting to be fairly treated as British citizens to wanting to be a fully independent nation. This was caused by the British Parliament refusing to hear the colonists’ pleas, the release of independence literature, and the Enlightenment ideas.
The British Parliament refused to hear the colonists’ pleas on the unfair taxes being placed on them without representation. These taxes include the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, and the Sugar Acts. All these taxes were placed to lower the British debt following the 7 years war. In document 2, the Virginia House of Burgesses, one of the main forms of independent governing that the colonists created during the time period of salutary neglect, sent a letter to the king. In this letter, written in 1769, shortly after the end of the 7 years war, the burgesses ask the king to fix their complaints about the new taxes. This shows a change in the colonists’ mindset because it leads them to think that the British government is becoming tyrannical and is not listening to their requests. In document 4, written by the Quaker leaders in England to the Quaker colony in Pennsylvania, they address that they are sorry, but they cannot help the colonists stop the unfair taxes. This is because they want to maintain the good relationship they currently have with the king. These instances of the colonists' inability to convince the British to remove the unfair taxes create tensions and make the colonists start to question if their human rights are being stripped from them.
Independent literature being released to change the minds of the colonists was one of the driving factors of the march to independence. Works like the one seen in document 7 were made to change the colonists’ ideas from wanting to be loyal subjects to the crown, to being their own independent nation by 1783. Document 7 was written by Thomas Paine, an influential author who specialized in independence literature. In document 7, the main goal of the author was to make it clear that Britain is a tyranny, referring to the Declaratory Act. This shows a change in colonists’ mindset because Paine brought in the idea of freedom being stripped from them by Britain, showing a change in mindset. Document 7, unlike document 2, does not compliment the crown; instead, they insult it. This also shows the drifting away from wanting to be British subjects toward wanting to be an independent nation. Another piece of independence literature that holds significant standing in the change of ideology of the colonists would be Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. In Common Sense, Paine explores the fact that Britain is a tyrannical leader and the colonies should not have to be subject to its abuse. This shows a change in the colonists’ mindsets, because unlike document 7, Common Sense was written before the Declaration of Independence, and was one of the driving forces that brought out the patriot cause. However, not all colonists were patriots; roughly 1/3 of colonists were loyal to the crown. One example of a piece of loyalist literature would be in document 5. Document 5 displays the negatives of the patriot army, talking about their negative drafting practices. The Patriots only did this because of their low number of soldiers, judging that only 1/3 of colonists were truly part of the Patriot movements.
The use of enlightenment ideas like the human rights of life, land, and liberty made the colonists feel like they needed to revolt against Britain. Due to the Great Awakening, the colonists believed that their human rights were their own God-given rights, and Britain didn't have the authority to remove the colonists’ freedom/liberty. In document 3, Samuel Adams argues that the natural liberty of a man is free from any superior power. This document was written for the neutral and loyalist colonists in an attempt to stir up these enlightenment ideas in their heads to aid in independence from Britain. This was successful, as the Declaration of Independence was centered around many Enlightenment ideas, including liberty. Document 1 displays a teapot made in England. This connects to enlightenment ideas because it says on the pot that the liberty of the Americas is restored after the repeal of the Stamp Act. However, the repeal of the Stamp Act wasn’t enough for the colonists, and their ideologies continued to move toward independence.