British Identity Dbq

"To prohibit a great people from making all that they can of every part of their own produce advantageous to themselves, is a manifest violation of the most sacred rights of mankind." These views of Adam Smith were very much supported throughout the mid-18th century. Throughout this time, many new developments were made regarding American colonists view's of their sense of identity and unity as Americans. Due to an over controlling British government and a need for individuality as a country, colonists became Americans through their great fight to highly develop their sense of identity and unity as Americans.

Of the many circumstances that promoted a developing American identity, British mercantilism and their following regulations on it is of the utmost importance. The British government believed that wealth was power and that a country's economic, military, and political wealth could be measured by the amount of gold or silver in its treasury. To amass this wealth, the British passed laws to regulate the mercantilist system. The Navigation Law conceded that all commerce flowing to and from the colonies could be transported only in British vessels. Other events that infuriated the colonists were the insufficient amount of currency in America as well as Britain's right to nullify any legislation passed by the colonial assemblies. One such thing that encouraged a unity amongst the colonists was Benjamin Franklin's cartoon showing the necessity of a unified American government. [Doc A] Although some may say the mercantilist system was excellent for the colonists, it actually burdened the colonists with annoying liabilities. Mercantilism stifled economic initiative and imposed a rankling dependency on British agents and creditors. With the continued efforts of complete control by the British, the colonists became livid and developed a better sense of their identity as Americans; they knew what had to be done!

One such thing that American colonists united themselves upon was the misrepresentation across the Atlantic. British Parliament consisted of many members from many areas, but not one of those members was able to convey the message from the colonies because there were no such representatives. Many members of Parliament, such as Edmund Burke, led the rest of Britain and Parliament to believe that the colonists were simply tenants in their land and were to abide by the laws of the British constitution. [Doc B] This mere thought unified the colonists and presented a situation that they could not take their eyes off of.

Another influential assistant to the greatly developing American unity was the Stamp Tax. When Prime Minister George Grenville imposed this act, the colonists were again angry. The Act mandated the use of stamped paper certifying payment of tax on certain legal documents such as pamphlets, newspapers, diplomas, and marriage licenses. With the implications of this act, Grenville seemed to strike at the local liberties that the colonists had come to assume as a matter of right and the legislation also seemed to jeopardize the basic rights of the colonists as Englishmen. As expressed by Richard Henry Lee, "The wicked violence of the Ministry is so clearly expressed, as to leave no doubt of their fatal determination to ruin both countries." [Doc C] This view was widely believed by most of the colonists throughout this time. The colonists were unified in action against the Stamp Act with the many nonimportation agreements. Mobilizing in support of nonimportation gave ordinary American men and women new opportunities to participate in colonial protests. The Stamp act clearly affected the rights of the colonists and definitely caused for the increase of unity amongst them.

Other incidents which caused for great unity amongst the colonists were the Boston "Massacre", the Boston Tea Party, and the "Intolerable Acts". As control of the British ministry was seized by Charley Townshend, he enacted the Townshend Acts. These Acts held a tax on glass, white lead, paper, paint and tea. The colonists fought this Act greatly. They took the act as least serious as possible, defying it at all costs. They found ways

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