American Colonists

5 Pages 1172 Words

The American colonists resisted taxation by the British Parliament in the 1760’s and 1770’s. This was set on the grounds that no man’s property could be legitimately taken from him without his own precise consent, either directly with the owner or even through his representatives. The slogan “No taxation without representation” came about and caused the colonists to rally behind it’s true meaning. So can it be justified that a man’s property may be taken away from him just for the sole purpose of British Parliament rules? We cannot also forget that another key battle was brewing about over the colonists and Parliament. We have also heard about the supporter’s of Parliament and their agreement in taxation without representation. Was this in fact true? During the 17th century the British people themselves went so far as to overthrow their monarch first in 1649 and again in 1688. This was because of the fact that the king tried to rule without seeking the advice and consent of the nation’s own representative body, the House of Commons. These two growing problems led to the potential agreement that both American and Englishmen believed that private property could not be taken by the government without proper consent.
Virtually all American and Englishmen did in fact believe that a form of government without the owner’s consent could not legitimately take private property. For the English in the 17th century, “no one had more power than another” according to John Locke (1632-1704). Locke also stated “All men may be restrained from invading others’ rights.” God has given the world to all men in common, and he has also given them reason to make use of it to the best advantage of life and convenience. The surrounding earth was in fact given to men for the support and comfort of their being. Every man has a property in his own way, and nobody has any right to it but himself. What makes the land a ma...