Thomas Paine's Radical Proposal

   In 1776 their was a book called "Common Sense" written by Thomas Paine. In this book he expressed his radical ideas in simple, but forceful language.Paine propose a radical course of action. Some ideas he wrote in the book were grievances and were used in the Declaration of Independence. He thought that the enemy was not the Parliament, but the King, also denounce that the king and aristocrats as frauds and parasites.In this book he says that people had to elect the government, not that anyone can inherit the power because they come from a wealthy family, he thought as a Republic. He definitely hated rigid class structure of Britain for smothered hopes for poor people to have success. He also talk about the advisability of separation, the nature of society, and makes some proposals for a new type of government.  He also with other countries in Europe that, Americans can trade freely with other countries without the British checking them.  He considers the issues of population, resources, and the navy and concludes that it is possible to win to the British army.  To conclude, he applies rational argument, supporting his points not only with philosophical but also with economic and political advantages.

Loyalists oppose Patriots demands

   In the colonies 1/5 of the colonists remain loyal to the British government and many others were neutral, bur there was more neutral than there were loyalists. The loyalists fear the Patriots were going to lose a war against one of the most if not the most powerful army in the world like the British were. They also dislike taxes, the Oath of Allegiance, and the militia draft from the Patriots.
   Patriots argue that if they were not independent from the British, their liberty would be in danger, also argue that some laws that the government passed were sort of oppressing them and were not going with colonists rights, no representation in British Parliament, The Quartering of British troops, closing of the port of Boston, British control over the trade.
   In the other hand we have the loyalists arguing that they had common heritage and culture with British, Benefit from trade around the world, many had close relatives in Britain, strong sense of duty to British crown, farms and farm products could be greatly reduced in value, separate government could      degenerate into anarchy, actions taken by revolutionary committees were “illegal”, and it felt like internal tyranny.

Second Continental Congress

   In May 1775 when delegates from all the rest of the Colonies meet in an assembly in Philadelphia. Boston was hoping that the other colonies help them out fighting with the British. It was directed by John Hancock, who had scape from Lexington, replacing Peyton Randolph. Volunteers from the other colonies march to Boston to help the Patriots. Congress agree to give command of the continental army to George Washington.    Some Members recognize that some colonists were not ready for independence from Britain, they still wanted to remain uder British power but they still didn't want to pay taxes.   The congress autorize the printing of money, cause they needed to pay for supplies. They created a committee to deal with other governments.   Then came in July of 1775 after 3 long months of shed, the Congress agree on sending a petition for peace to the king, called "The Olive Branch Petition". The apparently didn't like the request so he rejected it and and even more troops.    

Lexington and Concord Battles

   In April 19, 1775, the war erupted this two cities that were located west of Boston. This battles were provoke by Gage who send troops to capture Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington. The night of April 18th, Paul Revere went to Concord to warn everybody that the British troops were going to attack them. So when the British came, the Minutemen were waiting for them at Lexington. Suddenly someone fired a shot, and the British troops started to fire at the Minutemen. But nobody knows who shot first. It doesn´t matter who it was, the British started shooting and killed 8 colonists and hurt 10 more.
   After that fight, the British found out that Hancock and Adams had escaped. The British were looking to destroy weapons and ammunition. As they were looking, they ran into a group of minutemen at Concord's North Bridge. There was a big fight, and the Minutemen made the British surrender. The Minutemen tried not to let the British retreat, but it was successful.
   The Battles of Lexington and Concord . By the end of the war, British troops had lost around 200 soldiers, the Colonists lost only 94. 18 of these Colonists had died during the battle. This meant that the Revolutionary War had begun.

The Boston Massacre

   In 1767 the Parliament passed another act, the Townshend act, colonists in response to that act, they started again their boycotts. The Massachusetts´ Legislator send a circular letter claiming the Townshend duties. Few payed attention to it, until the Governor dissolve the legislator. This was called "Massachusetts Governor Act". This meant that the colony was in complete control of the Governor, elected assemblies, nor town meetings were allow.
   In June 1768 the merchant ship liberty was seized for smuggling. John Hancock setup riots, and sent 4000 troops to Boston that only had 16000 people. This led to March 1770 that a patriot mob start a fight with snowballs, stones, and sticks to a group of British soldiers. Several colonists were killed and this led to a campaign by speech-writers to rouse the ire of the colonists.
   The presence of British troops in the city of Boston was increasingly unwelcome. The riot began when about 50 citizens attacked a British soldiers. A British officer, Captain Thomas Preston, called in additional soldiers, and these too were attacked, so the soldiers fired into the mob, killing 5 colonists. A black sailor named Crispus Attucks, ropemaker Samuel Gray, and a mariner named James Caldwell, and wounding 8 others, two of whom died later Samuel Maverick and Patrick Carr.
   Later on, John Adams created the Committee of Correspondence, this provided leadership and cooperation.
   But still the parliament tax the tea colonists continue their boycotts from the tea imported from Britain, by smuggling the Dodge tea.
    The Boston Massacre was a sign of an event leading to the American Revolution. It led directly to the Governor evacuating the occupying army from the town of Boston. It would soon bring the revolution to armed rebellion throughout the colonies.

The Boston Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party was a direct action by colonists in Boston, a town in the British colony of Massachusetts, against the British government and the East India Company that controlled all the tea coming into the colonies. On December 16, 1773, after officials in Boston refused to return three shiploads of taxed tea to Britain, a group of colonists boarded the ships and destroyed the tea by throwing it into Boston Harbor.

   Colonists objected to the Tea Act for a variety of reasons, especially because they believed that it violated their right to be taxed only by their own elected representatives. Protestants had successfully boycott the unloading of taxed tea in three other colonies, but in Boston, embattled Royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson refused to allow the tea to be returned to Britain. He apparently did not expect that the protestors would choose to destroy the tea rather than concede the authority of a legislature in which they were not directly represented

   Colonists thought that it was not helpful for the Parliament to continue taxing even though the tea was cheaper than the one they usually buy. They knew the parliament was still taxing and they didn´t wanted to pay the tax.

Patriots leaders emerge

   Colonists were very unhappy with the Stamp Act, they were all affected. They united to fight against it, and those who oppose were called Patriots. Where ever, people showed up their power, and wanted to repeal the Stamp Act. They formed an association called "Sons of liberty", the leader was Samuel Adams.
   Samuel Adams protested that British were taxing colonists for everything, including their own possessions. He also plan all the mobs against the tax collectors, and was one of the principal planners in the Boston Tea Party.
   He`s views became a liitle radical after the british close the harbor. He was one of few who oposed the Sugar act from the start, the other one didn`t care much.
   The protests continued, and if the tax collector went to collect taxes, they would attacked him, destroying their house also. Thanks to this mobs, no one in Boston dare to support the Stamp Act. In October 1765 congress encourage consumers to boycott imported goods from Britain, that was called "non-importation agreement".

Colonial Protests Intensify

The Colonists resistance now took 3 forms:

• Intellectual Protests
• Economic Boycotts
• Violent Intimidations

   They use many enlightenment ideas like Montesquieu´s and Locke´s that every men was born with the same rights. They thought that government had to protect these rights.

   Patrick Henry was a young Virginian Representative that used these ideas to write The Virginia Resolves.The most important resolves were on the stamp act. He argue that the colonial assembly was the only assembly that had the right to tax the colonists. In May 30, 1765 the Virginia House of Burgesses agreed all but 2 ideas Henry proposed because they were too radical. 

   As a result almost all the rest of the colonies accepted similar ideas, therefore Colonists were exposed to these radical ideas Henry proposed. The main idea was: The General Assembly of the colony, have representatives with the capacity of the only exclusive right and power to levy taxes on the inhabitants of this colony and that every attempt to vest such a power in any person.
   They were very angry with the British because they were being tax and they didn´t have representation, their rights were not being respected.