Were the Americans justified in rebelling against the British?

Deciding if the Americans were justified in rebelling against the British depends on your point of view. I will explain the thinking on both sides of the issue so you can make an informed decision.

Those colonists who favored rebellion had several reasons for doing this.  They were unhappy with some of the restrictions that the British Parliament placed on them. They didn’t like the Proclamation of 1763 that prevented them from moving to the lands Britain gained in the French and Indian War from France. They also didn’t like that they had to provide housing for the British soldiers who were enforcing this unpopular law.

The colonists also thought the British were violating their rights by passing tax laws such as the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts. The colonists believed these laws were illegal because they didn’t have representatives in Parliament that could vote on these proposed taxes.

The colonists were also concerned about some harsh actions that occurred or were put in place in the 1770s. The Boston Massacre was the first time blood was shed in our dispute with Great Britain. This occurred when the British fired into the crowd of colonists gathered outside the Custom House in Boston. The Intolerable Acts were unreasonable in the eyes of the colonists, and they refused to obey them. They felt the punishment that occurred as a result of these laws being passed was way too harsh. The fighting that took place at Lexington and at Concord suggested war was inevitable against the British.

There were people who supported the British. These people believed the British could do whatever they want to do with their colonies. Since the British owned and ran the colonies, they were free to do as they pleased with them. They believed the British had the right to do this.

Some people felt the British were trying to protect the colonies. They felt the Proclamation of 1763 was passed to protect the colonists from potentially getting attacked by the Native Americans. They believed the presence of British troops in the colonies was also to protect the colonists. They felt the British were acting in the best interests of the colonists.

People who supported Britain felt the British were justified in having the colonists pay for some of the costs of running the colonies. They believed many of the actions that the British took were helping the colonists. Since the colonists benefitted from the British actions, it was reasonable to expect the colonists to share in some of the costs of operating the colonies.

Based on the views of each side, do you feel the colonists were justified in revolting against the British?