Omar Bennett
The United States Declaration of Independence, considered the birth certificate of the nation, outlines 27 grievances against King George III that justify the colonists' right to revolution and independence. The Declaration's preamble, which includes the famous line We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, establishes the natural rights of the colonists, including life, liberty, property, and the right to defend them. The Declaration also addresses colonial grievances regarding taxation without representation, the presence of British troops, and the king's interference with colonial laws and governance. These issues influenced the creation of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, which aimed to address these concerns and establish a fair and just government.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of grievances listed | 27 |
| Reason for the grievances | To declare the causes which impelled the colonists to separate from Britain |
| Who the grievances were against | King George III |
| Who wrote the grievances | Thomas Jefferson |
| What the grievances were about | Taxation without representation, quartering, the king's increasing powers, judges' dependence on the king, etc. |
| How the grievances influenced the Constitution | The Constitution gives the House of Representatives the power to draft tax laws; it outlaws quartering; it grants Congress the responsibility to establish a uniform rule of naturalization; it defines a process to add new states with the consent of existing states and Congress; it grants the Federal Government the right to regulate commerce among the states |
| How the grievances influenced the Bill of Rights | The fifth and sixth amendments and the separation of government powers helped establish the identity and foundation of the nation |
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What You'll Learn
The right to revolution
The Declaration of Independence, which lists 27 grievances against King George III, was designed to explain the colonists' right to revolution and to declare the causes that impelled them to separate from Britain. The colonists believed that they had a right to revolution because of the injustices they faced under British rule.
One of the main grievances was taxation without representation. The colonists believed that the taxes imposed on them, such as the Stamp Act, the Tea Act, and the Sugar Act, were unjust because they had no representation in the British Parliament. They also objected to the Quartering Act of 1765, which required them to provide housing and supplies for British soldiers, seeing it as another form of taxation without their consent.
Another grievance was the establishment of a Board of Trade that acted independently of colonial legislation and was given the power to enforce revenue laws. This was seen as a violation of the constitutions of the colonies and led to the remodelling of the admiralty courts to exclude trial by jury. The colonists also felt that the judges and royally appointed governors, who drew their salaries from the King, sympathized more with Parliament than with the colonies.
The colonists further believed that the King had opposed the purpose of governance by withholding his assent to laws that were necessary for the public good. They also objected to the presence of British troops in Boston, which served as a constant reminder of their subservience to the crown and led to clashes between the troops and local workers, such as in the Boston Massacre in 1770.
Overall, the colonists saw British actions from 1767 to 1772 as a systematic conspiracy against their liberties, with tax revenues being used to enrich corrupt British officials and fund the process of "enslaving" colonists. They believed that these grievances justified their right to revolution and their declaration of independence from Britain.
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Taxation without representation
"No taxation without representation" is a phrase used to describe the grievances of American colonists under British rule in the lead-up to the American Revolution. The phrase refers to a populace that is taxed by a government in which they have no representation and, therefore, no say in policy.
The principle of requiring the consent of the people on issues of taxation can be traced back to the Magna Carta in 1215, which was the first step in limiting the power of the English king and transferring it to the legislative body, the Parliament. In 1628, when King Charles I attempted to impose taxes without the consent of Parliament, the Parliament passed the Petition of Right, which stated that the king's subjects:
> should not be compelled to contribute to any tax, tallage, aid, or other like charge not set by common consent, in parliament.
In the 18th century, the British government incurred massive debts from the Seven Years' War and its counterpart in America, the French and Indian War. To recoup some of these losses, Parliament decided to tax the colonists directly for the first time. This resulted in the Stamp Act of 1765, which imposed taxes on printed materials, such as newspapers, legal documents, playing cards, and dice. The Act was particularly unpopular because it required revenue stamps to be affixed to all print publications, and the economic burden fell heavily on printers.
In response to the Stamp Act, nine of the thirteen American colonies met in New York in October 1765 and drafted a Declaration of Rights and Grievances, which asserted:
> That it is inseparably essential to the freedom of a people, and the undoubted right of Englishmen, that no taxes should be imposed on them, but with their own consent, given personally, or by their representatives.
The Act was so unpopular that Parliament repealed it in 1766. However, they also passed the Declaratory Act, which stated that Parliament had the authority to make laws and statutes that "bind the colonies and people of America".
The issue of "taxation without representation" was one of the primary causes of the American Revolution, and it has been argued that this phrase was the first slogan adopted by the American colonists. Today, the phrase is still used to refer to a lack of representation at the federal level, with residents of Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico being U.S. citizens who endure taxation without federal representation.
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Judicial independence
The Declaration of Independence, written in 1776, addressed the grievances of the American colonies against King George III. The document includes a list of complaints and actions taken by the King, including imposing taxes without the consent of the people, dissolving colonial legislatures, and depriving colonists of their rights.
One of the main grievances in the Declaration of Independence was the lack of judicial independence under British rule. The King had obstructed the administration of justice by refusing to assent to laws for establishing judicial powers. In 1774, the Parliament deprived the people of Massachusetts of their right to elect their judges, and the King appointed all the colony's judges, making them dependent on him for their salaries and subject to his directions. This led to concerns about the judges' impartiality and independence, as they did not rely on the colonists for their income.
The Constitution of the newly independent states addressed this colonial grievance by establishing judicial independence. The Constitution gives judges the power to do their jobs and sets out ways to prevent them from abusing their power. Article III of the Constitution states that judges ""... shall hold their offices during good behavior.," indicating that they have life terms as long as they maintain good behavior.
To ensure this good behavior, the Constitution includes "`checks' on judicial power, such as impeachment for committing "high crimes or misdemeanors." The process of impeachment is detailed in Article I, where the House of Representatives investigates and charges the accused, and the Senate acts as the judge and jury. This process allows for the removal of judges who act illegally or unethically.
The Constitution also includes provisions for the selection and salary of judges to protect their independence. Judges are appointed at the federal level, freeing them from partisan politics and the need to please constituents. The Virginia Plan proposed that judges receive a fixed, regular salary that cannot be influenced, preventing external pressure or influence.
Overall, the Constitution's provisions for judicial independence aimed to address the colonial grievance of a lack of impartial and independent courts under British rule, ensuring that the new nation's judiciary would remain faithful to the rule of law.
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Legislative powers
The grievances of the colonists in British America, as outlined in the Declaration of Independence, were largely centred around legislative powers. The colonists felt that their rights as British subjects were being infringed upon by the Crown and Parliament, who were imposing taxes and laws without their consent.
One of the main legislative grievances of the colonists was the imposition of taxes without their consent. The British Parliament passed a series of taxes, including the Stamp Act, the Townshend Act, and the Tea Act, to raise money to pay off debts from the French and Indian War. The colonists, who had no representation in Parliament, protested under the slogan "no taxation without representation". They argued that only an elected legislative body had the legitimate power to impose taxes.
The colonists also objected to the presence of British troops in the colonies, which was enforced by the Quartering Act of 1765. This Act required colonists to provide housing and supplies for British soldiers, which they saw as another form of taxation without their consent. The troops also competed with the local working class for jobs, causing tension and even violence, as seen in the Boston Massacre of 1770.
The King's refusal to ratify colonial legislation further exacerbated tensions. The colonists viewed certain laws, such as the Massachusetts Assembly's law taxing Government officers, as conducive to the public good, but the King often withheld his assent, violating colonial charters and demonstrating the limited power of the colonies. The King also dissolved several attempts by the colonists to form governing bodies and assumed legislative powers for himself, further centralising authority.
In response to these colonial grievances, the Founding Fathers, when writing the U.S. Constitution, sought to separate the government's powers into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. They established a system of checks and balances to ensure that no one branch held too much power and to prevent the formation of an American monarchy. The Constitution also addressed taxation concerns by defining who could collect taxes and granting Congress the power to tax, borrow, pay debt, regulate commerce, and coin money.
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Natural rights
The grievances of the United States Declaration of Independence were a list of issues that colonists had with how King George III treated them. The colonists believed that the King had opposed the very purpose of governance by opposing laws deemed necessary for the public good. The colonists also believed that the King had assumed judicial and legislative powers, dissolving their attempts to form governing bodies. The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson, outlines 27 grievances, including taxation without representation, the presence of a standing army, and the obstruction of the administration of justice.
Natural law and natural rights are critical to understanding the meaning of the Constitution, especially the Bill of Rights. Natural rights are rights that everyone has and do not overlap with other people's rights. They specify what acts one person cannot morally do to another, but they do not specify what a person should do. Natural rights include "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," as well as the right to property. These rights are guaranteed to all, and no person has the right to harm another as it would interfere with the other person's rights.
The Ninth Amendment of the Constitution recognises that there are rights "retained by the people". These rights are natural rights that pre-exist government and are not created by the Ninth Amendment. The amendment provides explicit protections for some natural rights, such as freedom of speech, to ensure that a tyrannical government cannot improperly ignore them. The amendment also states that just because certain rights are not specifically mentioned, it does not mean that they are not protected.
The Declaration of Independence, while not carrying legal authority, has greatly influenced the ideals of the United States. It has been used by abolitionists and civil rights movements to uphold the commitment to equality. Jefferson's ideas on natural rights were influenced by Enlightenment thinking and British history and philosophy. He adopted the "harmonizing sentiments of the day," including John Locke's theory of natural rights and revolution.
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Frequently asked questions
The Declaration of Independence is a document outlining the right of the colonists to revolution and to declare their separation from Britain. It was written by Thomas Jefferson and lists 27 grievances against King George III.
The colonists had many issues with how King George III had been treating them, including taxation without representation, the quartering of British troops, and the dissolution of representative houses. They also believed that the King had opposed the purpose of governance by blocking laws that were necessary for the public good.
The colonists responded to these grievances by boycotting goods subject to the Townshend Duties, forming the Committees of Correspondence in 1774, and ultimately declaring their independence from Britain.
The Declaration of Independence established that people have certain inalienable rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It also served as a guideline for the new American government under the Constitution and Bill of Rights, which aimed to address the problems with British governance.
