Chapter 5 Road to Revolution

I believe the British made it really hard to live in the colonies due to the many Acts they enforced. If I lived during the time of the 1760's I think I would stay in Britain to avoid all the chaos and avoid paying the high cost of taxes. Although the colonies seemed like a new adventure and a start to the new beginning, Britain made the colonies undesirable to live there. I got the impression that the British made the Sugar Act as a way for them to continue their search and seizures in homes and ships without it being illegal. As Otis believed, “The Parliament had no authority to violate the rights of the Englishmen” (Boyer, 98). I stand by what he believed because it was not right on the British part to violate the people’s homes or even ships, without evidence to lead them for the search. I feel like the British took advantage of their power over the colonist. It surprises me how badly they treat the colonist and not expect them to revolt. To me I thought the Sugar Act and the Stamp Act were taking away the colonist rights. In lecture as a class we talked about the push, the pull, and the means to going and living in the Americas. Over time I think the push, the pull, and means greatly changed when the Acts were put into place, I wouldn't be surprise it there was a push to move back to Britain. The pull could of being going back to the comfort of home, not paying a large amount of taxes, and not having your rights violated. The push I believe would definitely get away from Acts. The means would be just sailing back to Britain but that was probably more easily said than done. I assumed that the British did not treat people on the “homeland” the same as the colonist. I did not quite understand why the British only taxed the colonist instead of taxing the people back on the homeland as well. When I think about the situation of how Britain was in debt, I think they handled it not in the proper manner with the colonist. If I was a colonist I would definitely move back to the homeland I would not want to live in such chaos and have my rights be violated. With all the Acts Britain is putting into action with the colonist, it is their own fault in losing control over their colonies. It was impressive to read how the colonist took action to revolt against the British. Despite Britain’s power over the  colonist, the colonist were not afraid to fight back such as creating groups and secrete meeting to plot how to overcome the Acts. It was inspiring to read how the colonist did not take action by using their weapons but they used their word and knowledge as a way to revolt against the British.