THE PATRIOTS

THE PATRIOTS

WHAT WERE THE PATRIOTS FIGHTING AGAINST?
Declaring independence and going to war against the British were very hard steps to take. America's founders wanted everyone to know that they weren't doing this over something trivial. It took lots and lots of unfair actions over a long period of time before they chose drastic action. As they explained in the Declaration of Independence,

"Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury" 

The second half of the Declaration of Independence is a list of what the Patriots were angry about. See if you can tell why they were upset. If you need help understanding what they said, use the notes.
The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
The Patriots said, "here are the facts that support our case."
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

The King wouldn't give up his right to approve laws, but when laws were proposed to him, he wouldn't act on them. It's not that he turned them down. It's just that he wouldn't make a decision one way or another.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
The King said he would only approve requests from some groups of people if those people would give up the right to have representation in government.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
The King has tried to discourage people from participating in representative government by making them meet in places that were hard to reach.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

When elected groups disagreed with him, the King took away their governing powers.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

When the King would shut down a governing group, he would put off holding elections for replacements.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

The King made it difficult for people who might be interested in becoming citizens, to come to the Colonies.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
The King would not let the Colonists create their own courts.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

The King, alone, got to select and fire judges. He also said how much they would be paid. So judges had a strong motive to do what the King wanted rather than always following the law.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

The King sent a lot of bureaucrats (government officials) to enforce his decisions. Colonists had to pay these officials, even though they often enforced laws that the Colonists disagreed with and had no part in making.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
Without asking the Colonists, the King sent his army (not police, but soldiers) to keep order in the Colonies, even when there was no war.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
Soldiers were not subject to the same laws that everyone else had to follow. Military leaders could make up their own laws.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended

Legislation:

The King pretends that Colonists took part in creating the laws they have to live by, but he has imposed lots of laws that the Colonists did not approve of, including:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

When troops were moving from one place to another, they could stay wherever they wanted, even in people's homes.
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

Soldiers who murdered Colonists were put on trial for show, but were never really punished.
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

The King did not allow Colonists to buy and sell things from people in other parts of the world.
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

The King taxed Colonists without any input from those paying the taxes.
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

Some people who were accused of breaking the law were never given trials. Instead, representatives of the King just punished them.

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
People who were accused of breaking the law could be taken far away for trial, even when the case against them wasn't very strong.

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

When the King couldn't control the Colonists the way he wanted, he expanded the boundaries of nearby territory controlled by Great Britain as a way of making sure that Patriots could not extend their influence.
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

The King replaced laws created by the Colonists with his own laws.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

One responsibility of the King to his subjects was to protect them when they were attacked. In this case, not only did the King not protect the Colonists - he attacked them!

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

The British troops fought in ways that were sometimes cruel.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

The British forced Colonists to serve in the military against their will and forced them to fight against friends and family.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

The British encouraged Indians to fight against the Patriots.


THINK MORE ABOUT IT
Why did the Colonists think they were being treated unfairly?

The Patriots were reluctant to declare independence because they knew it would lead to war. Is anything so important to you that you would fight a war over it?

The final sentence of the Declaration of Independence is:
"We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends."
What does "acquiesce" mean? According to this sentence, do you think the Colonists were eager to separate from Great Britain? Why do you think the last sentence of the Declaration was about peace?


WHAT WERE THE PATRIOTS FIGHTING FOR?

On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress, with representatives from all thirteen original colonies, declared independence from Great Britain and formed the United States of America. The first part of that Declaration for Independence explained the ideals that the U.S. government would uphold. See if you can find those ideas in the words of the Declaration. If you need help, look at the notes.
We hold these truths to be self-evident,
The things we are saying here should be obvious to all people.
that all men are created equal,
Everyone should be treated equally
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
Human beings have certain rights just because they are human. These rights are given by God.
that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

The rights that all people have are the right to live, the right to live in freedom, and the right to do what makes them happy.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,
Governments should be run according to what the people who are being governed want. Governments exist to preserve people's rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
People have a right to get rid of a government that doesn't protect their rights and replace it with a government that they think will be able to keep them safe and happy.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
Changing a government is a very serious thing to do, and most of the time people won't do it, even if the government does things that people don't like. But when the government won't recognize or protect people's rights, the people should make a change.

Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity, which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.

That is why we are changing our government.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved;
and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.
As people who represent and speak for all the citizens in the Colonies, and with God's approval, we break our ties to the British government and declare that we are an independent nation. Like other countries, we have the right to trade, fight wars, make agreements, and do other things as we see fit.

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

We agree to work with one another and support one another with our lives, money, and honor.

THINK MORE ABOUT IT

What does it mean to have the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"? Does it mean that all people can do whatever they want? What would your classroom or team or club be like if everyone did whatever they wanted whenever they wanted? Do you think you would like it? Would you feel safe there?

You can't have rights without responsibilities. For example, we may have a right to pursue happiness, but not if what makes us happy harms another person. What kind of responsibilities do you think citizens should have in exchange for the right to liberty?

We know that slaves, Indians, women, children, people who weren't Christians, and men without property were not originally granted the same rights as white, Christian men with property. So why does the Declaration say that "all men are created equal"? What kinds of things can governments and people do to achieve this ideal?