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DBQ #1

Although the American revolution is viewed as a war of independence it is more accurate to call it a civil war. By definition a civil war is between people of the same country. Both the colonists and British soldiers were part of England. In this case the colonies were fighting their own country men.

The British passed laws that concerned the whole empire even the colonies. But the colonies were not being represented in parliament. According to (document A) written by lord Mansfield in 1766 in regards to the debate that was going to repel the stamp act it states that "That the British legislature, as to the power of making laws represents the entire British empire, and has authority to bind every part and every subject without the least distinction, whether such subjects have a right to vote or not, whether the law binds places within the realm or without" . The British legislature felt that the colonists were subjects or citizens of great Britain and that they owed allegiance and subjection to Britain. Analyzing (document c) its showing that king George thought that the colonists were traitors. Britain also couldn't afford to fight another war because they had just been fighting wars with Spain and France that caused them major debt. Them not being able to afford another war is what lead them to taxing imports and exports from other colonies such as tea, sugar and legal documents. The British Parliament was not the only one's that did not want a war. Loyalists, here in the colonies felt that avoiding a war would be most advantageous. This point of view is shown here (document F)"Agriculture, commerce, and industry would resume their wonted vigor....our trade would still have the protection of the greatest naval power in the world," this was said by a loyalist with the name of Charles Inglis in 1776.

Then there's the other side. The side of the Patriots in which they felt that the colonies would be better off without being under the government of Britain. They thought of King George as being a tyrant and that they should be free because of it. This is proven here ( document G)"a prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant..., that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent