The Impact of the French and Indian War To get to the point of revolution took a few years and several actions on the part of the British. To begin, we must look back to 1763 and the end of the French and Indian War. This was the first true world war in human history and made England a truly great empire. In truth, the sun never set on the British Empire. But wars cost money, lots and lots of money. The treasury of Great Britain was in dire need of a large infusion of funds. Since the taxpayers in England thought they were already too burdened to accept more taxes, the only logical place to look for money was in the colonies. After all, reasoned the governing circles in London, was not this war fought for the benefit of those colonies? They have never been burdened like we have, it is time they pay their fair share of taxes to pay off this huge debt. There is only one hitch in this scenario. The colonists had no representation in Parliament. According to English law and tradition, no one can be taxed unless they have representation in Parliament. The British government sought to use “virtual representation” to argue that the colonists were indeed represented. Leaders on both sides of the Atlantic knew this fiction for what it was. In 1763, American colonists were proud to call themselves "Englishmen", but as the years rolled by, they began to realize that Englishmen in England did not see them as anything more than subjects of the crown, not brothers in citizenship. The American colonists continually resisted attempts by the government in London to tax them. They recognized the truth in the words of the Commonwealthmen, that liberty must be zealously guarded and that it can never compromise with power. The acceptance of even one tax, however small and innocuous, would have started them on the dark road to doom. Acceptance of a small tax would make it easier to accept another and another and another until their liberty had been lost to tyranny. The efforts of the British to enforce payment of taxes only further reinforced the tenets of liberty in the minds of the colonists. The British knew that Boston was the center of resistance so they began stationing regular British troops there after several taxes had been repealed due to colonial boycotts. These troops were quartered in the homes of the colonists. Imagine a situation where three or four or five Redcoats are sent to live in your house. They are armed while you most likely are not. They will sleep in your bed, eat your food, use your facilities, and you will not receive one shilling in compensation. This is a direct assault on liberty. Formation of the Continental Congress As events continued, both sides stiffened their necks. The British were determined to put the colonists in their place while the colonists were equally determined to resist. The point-of-no-return loomed ever nearer. In 1774, a Continental Congress met to decide what to do in response to British provocations. Th ...

1. The Impact of the French and Indian War
To get to the point of revolution took a few years and several
actions on the part of the British. To begin, we must look back
to 1763 and the end of the French and Indian War. This was the
first true world war in human history and made England a truly
great empire. In truth, the sun never set on the British Empire.
But wars cost money, lots and lots of money. The treasury of
Great Britain was in dire need of a large infusion of funds.
Since the taxpayers in England thought they were already too
burdened to accept more taxes, the only logical place to look for
money was in the colonies.
After all, reasoned the governing circles in London, was not this
war fought for the benefit of those colonies? They have never
been burdened like we have, it is time they pay their fair share
of taxes to pay off this huge debt. There is only one hitch in this
scenario. The colonists had no representation in Parliament.
According to English law and tradition, no one can be taxed
unless they have representation in Parliament.
The British government sought to use “virtual representation” to
argue that the colonists were indeed represented. Leaders on
both sides of the Atlantic knew this fiction for what it was. In
1763, American colonists were proud to call themselves
"Englishmen", but as the years rolled by, they began to realize
that Englishmen in England did not see them as anything more
than subjects of the crown, not brothers in citizenship.
The American colonists continually resisted attempts by the
government in London to tax them. They recognized the truth in
the words of the Commonwealthmen, that liberty must be
zealously guarded and that it can never compromise with power.

2. The acceptance of even one tax, however small and innocuous,
would have started them on the dark road to doom. Acceptance
of a small tax would make it easier to accept another and
another and another until their liberty had been lost to tyranny.
The efforts of the British to enforce payment of taxes only
further reinforced the tenets of liberty in the minds of the
colonists. The British knew that Boston was the center of
resistance so they began stationing regular British troops there
after several taxes had been repealed due to colonial boycotts.
These troops were quartered in the homes of the colonists.
Imagine a situation where three or four or five Redcoats are sent
to live in your house. They are armed while you most likely are
not. They will sleep in your bed, eat your food, use your
facilities, and you will not receive one shilling in compensation.
This is a direct assault on liberty.
Formation of the Continental Congress
As events continued, both sides stiffened their necks. The
British were determined to put the colonists in their place while
the colonists were equally determined to resist. The point-of-no-
return loomed ever nearer. In 1774, a Continental Congress met
to decide what to do in response to British provocations. They
sent a declaration to the King. This declaration argued that the
colonists were Englishmen; their forefathers did not give up the
rights of Englishmen when they sailed to America. They had
long established the right to tax themselves through their
colonial assemblies. Therefore, let Parliament request funds
through these assemblies. But, as long as there is no colonial
representation in Parliament, then there is no legal tax. The
declaration did not hint at independence but did state that if
these conditions were not met, they would meet again in 1775.
The 2nd Continental Congress was set to meet in May 1775 as
the King had the rejected the colonial demands. Before they

3. could meet, the Battles of Lexington and Concord were fought.
The Redcoats were sent out to retrieve a store of gunpowder the
colonists had in Concord. They were also to arrest Samuel
Adams and John Hancock so they could be tried for treason.
At the Lexington Green they were met by a small group of
Minutemen. No one knows who fired first, but the “shot heard
round the world,” fired early in the morning in quiet Lexington
ignited the American Revolution. Of course, no one wanted this
to be so, but it was fact. The colonial leadership spent a year
trying to get back from the brink of war. However, events
continued to push the colonists into war.
The publication of Thomas Paine’s booklet Common Sense
distilled the issues down to a level that anyone could
understand. The King is a tyrant, and it’s high time to say so. It
is time to stop pretending that George III is a good King; he is
not, he is a tyrant. Paine insisted America could become a
republic and that Americans could govern themselves without a
King. This book became the radical force that pushed America
into rebellion.
When the 2nd Continental Congress published The Declaration
of Independence on July 4, 1776, it clearly spelled out how
Americans viewed liberty. Americans had been loyal subjects of
the King until he became a tyrant and tried repeatedly to usurp
their liberty. It is now their duty, right, and obligation to rebel
and create a new governmental contract as the old one is
broken.
Note: Look at politics today - every governmental act is about
liberty. How much liberty are we as citizens willing to
surrender to our government in order for society to function
smoothly and the public order maintained? This question is the
foundation and backbone of American government.

4. The Impact of the French and Indian War
To get to the point of revolution took a few years and several
actions on the part of the British. To begin,
we must look back to 1763 and the end of the French and Indian
War. This was the first true world war
in human history and made England a truly gre
at empire. In truth, the sun never set on the British
Empire.
But wars cost money, lots and lots of money. The treasury of
Great Britain was in dire need of a large
infusion of funds. Since the taxpayers in England thought they
were already too burdened t
o accept
more taxes, the only logical place to look for money was in the
colonies.
After all, reasoned the governing circles in London, was not this
war fought for the benefit of those
colonies? They have never been burdened like we have, it is
time they
pay their fair share of taxes to
pay off this huge debt. There is only one hitch in this scenario.
The colonists had no representation in
Parliament. According to English law and tradition, no one can
be taxed unless they have representation
in Parliament.
The British government sought to use “virtual representation” to
argue that the colonists were indeed

5. represented. Leaders on both sides of the Atlantic knew this
fiction for what it was. In 1763, American
colonists were proud to call themselves "English
men", but as the years rolled by, they began to realize
that Englishmen in England did not see them as anything more
than subjects of the crown, not brothers
in citizenship.
The American colonists continually resisted attempts by the
government in London
to tax them. They
recognized the truth in the words of the Commonwealthmen,
that liberty must be zealously guarded
and that it can never compromise with power. The acceptance of
even one tax, however small and
innocuous, would have started them on the dark
road to doom. Acceptance of a small tax would make it
easier to accept another and another and another until their
liberty had been lost to tyranny.
The efforts of the British to enforce payment of taxes only
further reinforced the tenets of liberty in t
he
minds of the colonists. The British knew that Boston was the
center of resistance so they began
stationing regular British troops there after several taxes had
been repealed due to colonial boycotts.
These troops were quartered in the homes of the colon
ists. Imagine a situation where three or four or
five Redcoats are sent to live in your house. They are armed
while you most likely are not. They will
sleep in your bed, eat your food, use your facilities, and you
will not receive one shilling in

6. compensat
ion. This is a direct assault on liberty.
The Impact of the French and Indian War
To get to the point of revolution took a few years and several
actions on the part of the British. To begin,
we must look back to 1763 and the end of the French and Indian
War. This was the first true world war
in human history and made England a truly great empire. In
truth, the sun never set on the British
Empire.
But wars cost money, lots and lots of money. The treasury of
Great Britain was in dire need of a large
infusion of funds. Since the taxpayers in England thought they
were already too burdened to accept
more taxes, the only logical place to look for money was in the
colonies.
After all, reasoned the governing circles in London, was not this
war fought for the benefit of those
colonies? They have never been burdened like we have, it is
time they pay their fair share of taxes to
pay off this huge debt. There is only one hitch in this scenario.
The colonists had no representation in
Parliament. According to English law and tradition, no one can
be taxed unless they have representation
in Parliament.
The British government sought to use “virtual representation” to
argue that the colonists were indeed
represented. Leaders on both sides of the Atlantic knew this
fiction for what it was. In 1763, American
colonists were proud to call themselves "Englishmen", but as

7. the years rolled by, they began to realize
that Englishmen in England did not see them as anything more
than subjects of the crown, not brothers
in citizenship.
The American colonists continually resisted attempts by the
government in London to tax them. They
recognized the truth in the words of the Commonwealthmen,
that liberty must be zealously guarded
and that it can never compromise with power. The acceptance of
even one tax, however small and
innocuous, would have started them on the dark road to doom.
Acceptance of a small tax would make it
easier to accept another and another and another until their
liberty had been lost to tyranny.
The efforts of the British to enforce payment of taxes only
further reinforced the tenets of liberty in the
minds of the colonists. The British knew that Boston was the
center of resistance so they began
stationing regular British troops there after several taxes had
been repealed due to colonial boycotts.
These troops were quartered in the homes of the colonists.
Imagine a situation where three or four or
five Redcoats are sent to live in your house. They are armed
while you most likely are not. They will
sleep in your bed, eat your food, use your facilities, and you
will not receive one shilling in
compensation. This is a direct assault on liberty.
Liberty
The concept of liberty was a revolutionary ideology. The notion
of liberty did not come from one source. It was drawn from
history and from classical political literature. The direct

8. democracy of Greek city-states such as Athens and the form of
democracy practiced in the Roman Republic were sources.
English political writers and their ideas on good government
helped shape the Founders of the American Constitution.
The first of these political writers to influence the colonists
were John Trenchard and Thomas Gordon. These men were
Whigs and became known as the Commonwealthmen. They were
suspicious of power. In their minds, power equaled aggression.
Power is always out to steal liberty and take away individual
freedom.
To protect liberty, the people need to be vigilant, to always be
on the lookout against power because liberty is always at risk.
Liberty will and can only survive if the people protect it. This is
an eternal battle. Those who treasure their liberty can never
compromise with power.
In the eyes of the Commonwealthmen, the loss of liberty
equaled slavery. This is not to be confused with chattel slavery
(where the slaves were seen as personal property), but rather
with the loss of control over one’s destiny and becoming subject
to arbitrary power. The Commonwealthmen argued that men
need to be independent, free from the control of government and
arbitrary power. Central to this independence is property.
Owning property is a sign of one’s independence. If a man owns
his own land, grows his own food, and has a gun to protect his
property, then he cannot be forced to submit to arbitrary power.
He has the means to feed himself and protect himself. He is
free. The “powerful” cannot starve a free man into submission.
John Locke
The works of the Commonwealthmen were important in the
formulation of “liberty” in the colonies, but they were not the
only source for this doctrine. The political theorist John Locke

9. also influenced the colonists. Locke argued that government
was a contract between the governed and the governing.
According to Locke, government does not and cannot exist
independent of the people. God did not create government; it
has no life of its own. Government exists because people
created it. At some point in the history of mankind, people
realized that government was necessary to police society and
protect the majority from criminals and threats from outsiders.
According to Locke, people only wanted a limited government.
Government was to have the powers given to it by the people.
The government was to be the servant of the people, not their
master. The government had no intrinsic powers; it only had
those powers given to it by the people in order to protect them.
According to Locke, government is a contract between the
people and the King. The King is to govern for the people, not
exercise authority they did not give him. In turn, the people are
to submit to the laws of the King. It is important to note that
monarchy was the only form of government in the world at the
time Locke wrote his treatise.
So, any government is a contract between the governing and the
governed. If the contract is broken by the King, then the people
would have the right, the duty, and the obligation to rebel,
overthrow the King and replace him. Once a King has tried to
usurp powers not given him by the people, he has become a
tyrant. The contract is broken. It is the duty of the people to
overthrow the usurper of their rights and liberty and replace him
with a law abiding King.
In Locke’s view, the aim of a legitimate government is to
preserve the rights to life, liberty, health and property of its
citizens. The government is also tasked to prosecute and punish
those of its citizens who violate the rights of others. Finally it is

10. the government’s duty to pursue the public good even where
this may conflict with the rights of individuals. An illegitimate
government on the other hand, does not protect the rights to
life, liberty, health and property of its subjects. In extreme
cases such governments will violate the rights of its subjects.
The government in this case becomes despotic.
The American colonists read these works by the
Commonwealthmen, Locke and others, and distilled all this
down into their own American version of Liberty. They
accepted that government was a contract. They believed that
King George III had broken that contract and had become a
tyrant. It was, therefore, their duty, obligation, and right to
rebel and replace him.
Liberty
The concept of liberty was a revolutionary ideology. The notion
of liberty did not come from one source.
It was drawn from history and from classical political literature.
The direct democracy of Greek city
-
states such as Athens and the form of democracy p
racticed in the Roman Republic were sources. English
political writers and their ideas on good government helped
shape the Founders of the American
Constitution.
The first of these political writers to influence the colonists
were John Trenchard and Thoma
s Gordon.

11. These men were Whigs and became known as the
Commonwealthmen. They were suspicious of power.
In their minds, power equaled aggression. Power is always out
to steal liberty and take away individual
freedom.
To protect liberty, the people need to
be vigilant, to always be on the lookout against power because
liberty is always at risk. Liberty will and can only survive if the
people protect it. This is an eternal battle.
Those who treasure their liberty can never compromise with
power.
In the eyes
of the Commonwealthmen, the loss of liberty equaled slavery.
This is not to be confused
with chattel slavery (where the slaves were seen as personal
property), but rather with the loss of
control over one’s destiny and becoming subject to arbitrary
power.
The Commonwealthmen argued
that men need to be independent, free from the control of
government and arbitrary power. Central to
this independence is property. Owning property is a sign of
one’s independence. If a man owns his own
land, grows his own food,
and has a gun to protect his property, then he cannot be forced
to submit to
arbitrary power. He has the means to feed himself and protect
himself. He is free. The “powerful”
cannot starve a free man into submission.
John Locke

12. The works of the Commonwea
lthmen were important in the formulation of “liberty” in the
colonies, but
they were not the only source for this doctrine. The political
theorist John Locke also influenced the
colonists. Locke argued that government was a contract between
the governed an
d the governing.
According to Locke, government does not and cannot exist
independent of the people. God did not
create government; it has no life of its own. Government exists
because people created it. At some point
in the history of mankind, people rea
lized that government was necessary to police society and
protect
the majority from criminals and threats from outsiders.
Liberty
The concept of liberty was a revolutionary ideology. The notion
of liberty did not come from one source.
It was drawn from history and from classical political literature.
The direct democracy of Greek city-
states such as Athens and the form of democracy practiced in
the Roman Republic were sources. English
political writers and their ideas on good government helped
shape the Founders of the American
Constitution.
The first of these political writers to influence the colonists
were John Trenchard and Thomas Gordon.
These men were Whigs and became known as the

13. Commonwealthmen. They were suspicious of power.
In their minds, power equaled aggression. Power is always out
to steal liberty and take away individual
freedom.
To protect liberty, the people need to be vigilant, to always be
on the lookout against power because
liberty is always at risk. Liberty will and can only survive if the
people protect it. This is an eternal battle.
Those who treasure their liberty can never compromise with
power.
In the eyes of the Commonwealthmen, the loss of liberty
equaled slavery. This is not to be confused
with chattel slavery (where the slaves were seen as personal
property), but rather with the loss of
control over one’s destiny and becoming subject to arbitrary
power. The Commonwealthmen argued
that men need to be independent, free from the control of
government and arbitrary power. Central to
this independence is property. Owning property is a sign of
one’s independence. If a man owns his own
land, grows his own food, and has a gun to protect his property,
then he cannot be forced to submit to
arbitrary power. He has the means to feed himself and protect
himself. He is free. The “powerful”
cannot starve a free man into submission.
John Locke
The works of the Commonwealthmen were important in the
formulation of “liberty” in the colonies, but
they were not the only source for this doctrine. The political
theorist John Locke also influenced the
colonists. Locke argued that government was a contract between
the governed and the governing.

14. According to Locke, government does not and cannot exist
independent of the people. God did not
create government; it has no life of its own. Government exists
because people created it. At some point
in the history of mankind, people realized that government was
necessary to police society and protect
the majority from criminals and threats from outsiders.