Research Essay-Pre Revolutionary Thinkers

Over the past several weeks, looking out of the window of my modest home and seeing wave after wave of British marauders marching toward the city of Boston, some miles from my own home, my mind wanders to exactly what has taken place over the past several years in the fight for independence for our colonies, and what the future will hold. As a person of means and education, I consider myself infinitely qualified to comment on such matters, and in doing so, have also studied the writings and ideas of the leaders of our revolution, in order to be able to comment about the same.

First, my mind wanders back to the year 1765, when we in the colonies sought to oppose the British attempt to extort monies from us via the Stamp Act, which had as its premise the collection of taxes in order to improve the living conditions and inner workings of the colonies (Ferling, 2002) , but in reality, to those of us who could see through the smoke of British muskets being aimed at us, it was nothing more than a legal form of blackmail, for the taxes that we were being compelled to pay gave us no more of a voice in the halls of British Parliament than the common slave would in fact have.

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When it was said that taxation without representation is nothing more than tyranny, the words rang true in my ears and in my heart. If the British Crown truly wishes to be able to legitimately collect taxes from the colonists, we must be able to exercise our basic freedoms and enjoy the protection of the Crown, including a voice in the halls of Parliament.

Benjamin Franklin, a learned man of science and politics as well as a well traveled diplomat, has stated time and time again that all men are entitled to liberty (Watson, 2003); not the kind of liberty that has conditions of allegiance to a distant ruler attached to it, but the kind of liberty that is completely pure and noble- one that allows everyone to be able to pursue their own interests, contribute to the well-being of the common good, and be able to enjoy the blessing of raising one’s children in a free nation. One of Mr.

Franklin’s best ideas is the plan that he has constructed for the unity of the colonies under one government (Watson, 2003); however, this plan must be clarified for one to truly understand both the simplicity and the beauty of it. Mr. Franklin does not advocate an allegiance to the British Empire, which has thus far added little of value to what we are doing here in the colonies, but rather a freely elected government, with the people choosing the members of the government and that government working at the interests of the people, not oppressing or opposing them.

This is something that is seriously lacking in the thoughts and actions of the English, who believe that we colonists could be stacked like cordwood and used when necessary, ignored the rest of the time. Not only is this ridiculous, but it also makes cleared the importance of what Mr. Franklin has offered thus far. Mr. Franklin is not alone in these beliefs, nor has he been forced to carry the torch of liberty on his own. Yet another brilliant liberator of the colonists can be found in the person of Thomas Jefferson of Virginia.

As a prolific writer as is Mr. Franklin, Jefferson has put pen to paper and created a declaration of the independence that we seek from the Crown of England. While this document has not been intended to fire up controversy, it has raised the anger of those that would hold us back from our destiny, and will surely cause many problems going forward, before it is able to achieve its ultimate goal of freeing us from our political and economic bondage (Dershowitz, 2003).

The Jeffersonian ideal of self government, as he proclaims, is worthwhile to consider, for within it, he feels that if men are given the ability to lead themselves and achieve their own destinies, not only will their nation, but future generations and the whole of mankind will be enriched for all time (Eicholz, 2001). The issue of independence goes so much deeper than the everyday lives of colonists; the issue cuts right to the will of the human race to be free and to lead themselves.

While mistakes surely will and must happen from time to time, these mistakes will take place in an atmosphere of freedom, which is the naturally desirable state of man (Volo, 2003) These gentlemen are worthy of consideration from everyone who would be free for this reason if no other. For all of this talk of independence, I have not yet given much of my own impressions of the goings on and where I think everything will eventually lead. First, let me say this- I believe that it is the will of God almighty that these colonies be able to become something on their own and develop a system of government beyond the shadow of England’s heavy hand.

America offers the bounty of the land, a hardworking population, and all of the materials that one would need to meet their needs- physical and spiritual. With these gifts from God in place, it is inconceivable that He would have us do anything else but to fight as hard as we need to in order to gain freedom and self responsibility. My sentiments are echoed throughout the land; of course, the men who are gathered in Philadelphia have made this abundantly clear through their speech and written words, and the common citizen has shown their interest in the cause by taking up arms when necessary to fight for their lands, hearths and families.

Because we all have put in the labor and money to build homes, plant crops, and establish industry, we should enjoy the fruits of those labors without having to hand over the fruits to greedy dictators from across the sea who would take as much as we could give. This raises the question of where to go from here; all effort must be made to keep our colonies strong through faith, hard work, and lawful behavior (Volo, 2003). Without these factors in place, we would surely fail, but this is not the case.

We have at our disposal all of the tools that we will need to forge the freedom and keep the peace. In conclusion, after taking an educated look at what Mr. Franklin, Mr. Jefferson and their colleagues have thought and practiced in this effort to gain recognition as a nation, away from the oppression of the British crown, I am of like mind with these gentlemen and their confederates. It is essential that we follow this path to its logical conclusion, for while the actions may be risky, the consequences of inaction are even more so pricey. References

Dershowitz, A. (2003). America Declares Independence. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Eicholz, H. L. (2001). Harmonizing Sentiments: The Declaration of Independence and the Jeffersonian Idea of Self Government. New York: Peter Lang. Ferling, J. (2002). Setting the World Ablaze: Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and the American Revolution. New York: Oxford University Press. Volo, D. D. , & M. Volo, J. (2003). Daily Life during the American Revolution. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Watson, J. (2003). Ben Franklin, Protector of Americans Abroad. Biography, 26(3), 438+.

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