Essay #2 Rough Draft

-Written during 1684-
"Who was the old mother? Why, England of course! We were the colonists. Ben Franklin was right. King George III and his ministers didn't believe the colonists were grown up and capable of ruling themselves (Hakim, pg.50)." When Ben Franklin said this it how little the English knew about us Americans. I'm a patriot colonist born and raised here in New Hampshire and I, to this day, still believe that the English were wrong for trying to rule over the American colonies and strip us of our independence. While many believe that the English having control over the American colonies was a good way of life, in reality, you have to realize that there was peace between the American colonies and the English when they left us alone. In New Hampshire, we strived while having independent spirits, but when the British Parliament abused their power and took control we started to have problems. The unfair taxation on us and having no representation in the British Parliament were two reasons why I supported my colony, the Declaration of Independence, and the American Revolution.

The British did help the colonies grow but they somewhat assumed that since they were helping us, we all would be fine with giving back something in return. But that wasn't the case was it. When the British Parliament started putting taxes on the supplies we imported from them I was outraged not only by the tax act but by fact that this act was passed without the recognition of the New Hampshire colonists. In fact, none of the colonies' colonists knew about the taxes till it happened. I mean some of us rely on these resources and now we're being taxed to receive them just like that. Now that is completely messed up. This is only such a problem for me because I'm not a very wealthy colonist and I do rely on some of these resources from the English. I can't afford to pay more money to receive these resources. I can see if I was a wealthy merchant at the time, then I'd feel comfortable with British rule because the taxes wouldn't felt like much and I would have known that my fellow colonial people and most importantly, my trade ships, were protected by the Royal British Fleet. But I'm not a wealthy merchant; I'm just a man with nowhere to go. This isn't' fair to me or to others who are in my shoes or worse. I had to fight for those who were hurting from this because I knew how they felt. That act was part of the townshend acts that the British Parliament passed. I remember when theses acts took effect the merchants in New Hampshire boycotted British goods.

Back in 68, after the taxes were put into action, a circular letter was sent to each governor of the American colonies from the House of Representatives of the colony of Massachusetts Bay. Our governor spoke upon the people of New Hampshire and said that his Majesty wants us to take no notice of the Parliaments actions. I didn't understand why the King would say something like that but I knew that none of us were going to let this go. The merchants certainly didn't. Their boycotts took effect toward British shipments. The British repealed the tax acts in 1770. The truth is, the King doesn't really know anything about us. He has never even been here to New Hampshire. Along with most of the other English leaders, it seemed as if the King care much about our problems; he just blamed the Parliament and denied having authority over them. That's when I figured that being part of the Parliament was where the real power was at.

The New Hampshire Congress took action in 1776. The members of the Congress voted to take up civil government for New Hampshire in a constitution going against the British Parliament's abuse of power. We “Have taken into our serious consideration the unhappy circumstances, into which this colony is involved by means of many grievous and oppressive acts of the British Parliament, depriving us of our natural and constitutional rights and privileges; to enforce obedience to which acts a powerful fleet and army have been sent to this country by the ministry of Great Britain, who have exercised a wanton and cruel abuse of their power, in destroying the lives and properties of the colonists in many places with fire and sword, taking the ships and lading from many of the honest and industrious inhabitants of this colony employed in commerce, agreeable to the laws and customs a long time used here(http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/nh09.asp).”They were right. It is time to do something. We've waited to long I, now is the time to do something. I would have been happy to be under the Britain's protection if I got to keep my rights including constitutional rights and the right for my colony's independence. But now the British have just pushed us to that point where it is plain and obvious what we should do next.

There were very many Patriots all over the American colonies, and to see all of us come together and fight for our rights was a beautiful thing. I saw many who shared my same dream and my same opinions toward the actions of the British Parliament. To me this war seemed to bring the Americans together almost as if we were an independent country, instead of individual colonies, fighting for the right we all deserved to share. I didn't hate the British and I didn't want any harm put on the British people, but what I was fighting for was pure and should have been unquestionable. Great Britain abused their power in many ways but one way that stood out for me was when they claimed that they had the "so called" right to bind us under their control which to me seemed almost like slavery. Thomas Paine, who was a Patriot although he was English, said something like this in is document, "Common Sense." “Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to TAX) but "to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER" and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong only to God.” The American Revolution was painful and discouraging, but I wouldn't of have changed a thing that happened during this historical event because in the end I got what I was praying for, an independent country.

Citations:
Title: A History of Taxation in New Hampshire
Author(s): Maurice H. Robinson
Source: Publications of the American Economic Association, 3rd Series, Vol. 3, No 3 (Aug., 1902), pp 1-226
Publisher(s): American Economic Associations table
URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2485865?

Primary documents-
Constitution of New Hampshire
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/nh09.asp

Circular Letter to the Governors in America
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/circ_let_gov_1768.asp

Books-
A History of U.S
Hakim, Joy. .: From colonies to Country. New York, Third Edition: Published by Oxford University Press, inc., third edition copyright 2003