Name : M Salman Majeed

Roll no / reg no : L1F18LLBH0029

SECTION : A

SUBJECT : US CONSTITUTION

TOPIC : Events That lead to American declaration of

Independence on 4th july 1776 and also explain the content of the
document along with its importance at that time and in present
time for Americans

Submitted to : Ibraheem Hassan

The history (and prehistory) of the United States, started with the arrival of
Native Americans before 15,000 B.C. Numerous indigenous
cultures formed, and many disappeared before 1500. The arrival
of Christopher Columbus in the year 1492 started the European
colonization of the Americas.

Most colonies were formed after 1600, and the early records and writings
of John Winthrop make the United States the first nation whose most
distant origins are fully recorded. By the 1760s, the thirteen British
colonies contained 2.5 million people along the Atlantic Coast east of
the Appalachian Mountains. It is all started when some people from
vergania were looking for the gold and were out for some adventure in
order to discover some new things in that way they found a new land . and
after a time they al settled there due to the massive growth of the tobacco
there . first it started from 1 or 2 colonies then it expended to 12 or 13
colonies . When these peoples are settling in this new land ( North
America ) the Spanish and the French also started to moving in there . 1733,
there were about thirteen major colonies. While these colonies kept
developing there was a war fought between the British and French over
their lands in America from year 1754-1763 .  After defeating France, the
British government imposed a series of taxes, including the Stamp Act of
1765, rejecting the colonists' constitutional argument that new taxes
needed their approval. So after winning this war the king announced a
proclamation in order to organize a british north American empire. so these
are the acts which are enforced by the British and these event lead to
declaration of independence

The Royal Proclamation : is a document that set out guidelines

for European settlement of Aboriginal territories in what is now North
America. The Royal Proclamation was initially issued by King George III in
1763 to officially claim British territory in North America after Britain won
the Seven Years War. In the Royal Proclamation, ownership over North
America is issued to King George. Proclamation forbade settlers from
claiming land from the Aboriginal occupants, unless it has been first bought
by the Crown and then sold to the settlers. The colonial response to these
new impositions gradually built toward the American Revolution in 1776.
The colonists objected to being taxes without representation in British
parliament, Additionally, groups such as the sons of Liberty were formed
and led riots and used the threat of violence against British officials to
protest against them . So after appling all these taxes and all these
procramation the british parliament stated imposing taxes directly on
the colonies this act can a great stress and grivience in the colonies
and they started a movement and in that movement they said that if
they wanted to impose taxes on them there must be some
representation of them in the british parliament if they wont get it
done they will not pay the taxes They called this “No taxation, without
representation”. This meant that colonists shall not have to pay taxes unless
they had votes in the British parliament. But the british king didn’t heard
there and here started the main cause of American revolution . after this to
impose more taxes the British parliament imposed Stamp act 1765 .

Stamp act ( 1864 ) : To recover some of the massive debt left

over from the war with France, Parliament passed laws such as the  Stamp
Act, which for the first time taxed a wide range of transactions in the
colonies.In this act a stamp is used in ever thing made of paper that is
made in colonies and the stamp that is made in London . It was used of
any legal documents , playing cards , calenders and news paper was to
be paid in british currency .

“Up until then, each colony had its own government which decided which
taxes they would have, and collected them, “They felt that they’d spent a
lot of blood and treasure to protect the colonists from the Indians, and so
they should pay their share. The colonists didn’t see it that way. They
resented not only having to buy goods from the British but pay tax on
them as well . Ultimately, Benjamin Franklin convinced the British to
rescind it, but that only made things worse. “That made the Amerviricans
think they could push back against anything the British wanted,” Most
Americans called for a boycott of British goods, and some organized
attacks on the customhouses and homes of tax collectors. But who can
forget The most famous popular resistance took place in Boston, where
opponents of the Stamp Act, calling themselves the Sons of Liberty,
enlisted the rabble of Boston in opposition to the new law. This mob
paraded through the streets with an effigy of Andrew Oliver, Boston’s
stamp distributor, which they hanged from the Liberty Tree and beheaded
before ransacking Oliver’s home. Oliver agreed to resign his commission
as stamp distributor.

Similar events transpired in other colonial towns, as crowds mobbed the

stamp distributors and threatened their physical well-being and their
property. By the beginning of 1766, most of the stamp distributors had
resigned their commissions, many of them under duress. Determined
colonial resistance made it impossible for the British government to bring
the Stamp Act into effect. In 1766, Parliament repealed it.

The end of the Stamp Act did not end Parliament’s conviction that it had
the authority to impose taxes on the colonists. The British government
coupled the repeal of the Stamp Act with the Declaratory Act, a
reaffirmation of its power to pass any laws over the colonists that it saw
fit The issues raised by the Stamp Act festered for 10 years before giving
rise to the REcolutionary war and, ultimately, American independence.
After months of protest, and an appeal by Benjamin Franklin before the
British House of Commons, Parliament voted to repeal the Stamp Act in
March 1766. However, the same day, Parliament passed the Declaratory
Acts.

Townshed acts 1767 :

After this act and seeing its repelion and in irder to collect more
revenue an Series of act named TOWNSHED ACTS passed by the
British Parliament in 1767.The British government thought the colonists
should help pay the cost of their protection. The british
parliment enacted a series of taxes on the colonies for the purpose of
raising revenue. Early attempts, such as the Stamp act of 1765—which
taxed colonists for every piece of paper they used—were met with
widespread protests in America. The acts include imposed duties on
British china, glass, lead, paint, paper and tea imported to the colonies.
Benjamin-franklin had informed the British Parliament that the colonies
intended to start manufacturing their own goods rather than paying
duties on imports. These particular items were chosen for taxation
because Townshend thought they would be difficult things for the
colonists to produce on their own. He estimated the duties would raise
approximately 40,000 pounds, with most of the revenue coming from
tea.

While the original intent of the import duties had been to raise revenue,
Charles Townshend saw the policies as a way to remodel colonial
governments . However, these policies prompted colonists to take action
by boycotting British goods. However this series of act also cause many
riots between the british soliders and the colonies of north americans By
1769, more than 2,000 British troops had arrived in Boston to restore
order—a large number considering only about 16,000 people lived in
Boston at the time.

Tensions between the colonists and British troops finally boiled over on
March 5, 1770, when British soldiers shot into an angry mob, killing five
American colonists in an event known as the Boston massacre  

Little did the colonists or British soldiers know that across the ocean on
the same day as the Boston Massacre, the Prime Minister of Great Britain,
Lord North, had asked Parliament to repeal the Townshend Acts.

All of the Townshend Acts—except for the tax on tea—were repealed in

April 1770 that lead to Americans revolution .such as the Boston
massacre in which the british solider shoot 5 peoples of the American
community and thus led to a big fight and blow a air to futher riots
The boston massacare : (1770) : On the night of March 5, 1770,
the streets of Boston ,  were coated with snow and tension was thick
between angry colonists and the British soldiers who occupied their town.
As British Private Hugh White stood guard near the Custom House on
King Street around 8 o’clock, he was approached by a small group of
frustrated young male colonists.

Reports vary as to exactly what happened next, but insults and taunts
were exchanged, and a physical confrontation ensued. Church bells rang
out and incensed colonists flooded the streets. After that the colonist
beat british soliders with broom , oysters . sticks , many of them were
hurted badly . all of this is because the colonist are fed up by the taxes
with out representation , this lead the british soliders to open fire and as
a result about 5 to 6 man died and many of them were seriously injured
By this time, some of the colonists’ weapons of choice had changed from
snowballs to clubs and sticks . The boston massacre escalated existing anti-
Britain sentiment and made the colonists more determined than ever to fight for
independence.

BOSTON TEA PARTY ( 1773 ):

The Boston Tea Party was a political protest that occurred on December
16, 1773, at Griffin’s Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts. American
colonists, frustrated and angry at Britain for imposing “taxation without
representation,” dumped 342 chests of tea, imported by the British East
India Company into the harbor. The event was the first major act of
defiance to British rule over the colonists. It showed Great Britain that
Americans wouldn’t take taxation and tyranny sitting down, and rallied
American patriots across the 13 colonies to fight for independence. The
British government felt the taxes were fair since much of its debt was
earned fighting wars on the colonists’ behalf.  The colonists, however,
disagreed. They were furious at being taxed without having any
representation in Parliament, and felt it was wrong for Britain to
impose taxes on them to gain revenue. Britain eventually repealed the
taxes it had imposed on the colonists except the tea tax. It wasn’t
about to give up tax revenue on the nearly 1.2 million pounds of tea
the colonists drank each year.

In protest, the colonists boycotted tea sold by British East India

Company and smuggled in Dutch tea, leaving British East India
Company with millions of pounds of bankruptcy.

In May 1773, British Parliament passed the Tea Act which allowed

British East India Company to sell tea to the colonies duty-free and
much cheaper than other tea companies – but still tax the tea when it
reached colonial ports. Tea smuggling in the colonies increased,
although the cost of the smuggled tea soon surpassed that of tea from
British East India Company with the added tea tax.

Led by Adams, the Sons of Liberty held meetings rallying against British
Parliament and protested the Griffin’s Wharf arrival of Dartmouth, a
British East India Company ship carrying tea. By December 16, 1773,   all
three ships loaded with tea from China.

That morning, as thousands of colonists convened at the wharf and its

surrounding streets, a meeting was held at the Old South Meeting
House where a large group of colonists voted to refuse to pay taxes on
the tea or allow the tea to be unloaded, stored, sold or used.

Governor Thomas Hutchison refused to allow the ships to return to

Britain and ordered the tea tariff be paid and the tea unloaded. The
colonists refused, and Hutchison never offered a satisfactory
compromise.
 That night, a large group of men – many reportedly members of the
Sons of Liberty – disguised themselves in Native American garb,
boarded the docked ships and threw 342 chests of tea into the water.

This is answered by the British parliament and the king George III they
acted coercive act on the British people and further after this many
more riots are done by the people of the colonies and these types of
measure are taken by the parliament these make tension among all of
them and make a step forward to revolution.

Coercive acts ( INTOLERABLE ACT ) (March-June

1774)

This event is not ignored by the parliament and the king and hence
they enforced an act which is called conceive act also known as
intolerable act

These are some things which are acted or enforced in this act :

1. Closed Boston Harbor until the tea lost in the Boston Tea Party
was paid for .
2. Ended the Massachusetts Constitution and ended free elections
of town officials
3. moved judicial authority to Britain and British judges, basically
creating martial law in Massachusetts
4. required colonists to quarter British troops on demand, using their
private homes if needed
5. extended freedom of worship to French-Canadian Catholics under
British rule, which angered the mostly Protestant colonists
Britain hoped the Coercive Acts would squelch rebellion in New
England and keep the remaining colonies from uniting, but the opposite
happened: All the colonies viewed the punitive laws as further
evidence of Britain’s tyranny and rallied to Massachusetts’ aid, sending
supplies and plotting further resistance.

THE FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS ( 1774-1775 ):

This event created a unity bond between the 13 colonies and thus in
this context a first continental congress is made. Many colonists felt
Britain’s Coercive Acts went too far. On September 5, 1774, elected
delegates from all 13 American colonies except Georgia met in
Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia for the First Continental Congress to
figure out how to resist British oppression. This act created a reason for
the colonials to fight and to protest for their independence.

After the event of intolerable act the delegates of 13 colonies are much
united and here comes the first continental congress which are officially
the member or officials of the 12 out of 13 states . The First Continental
Congress (1774-1775) and The Second Continental Congress (May, 1775
to 1781). On September 5, 1774, delegates from each of the 13
colonies except for Georgia (which was fighting a Native American
uprising and was dependent on the British for military supplies) met
in Philadelphia as the First Continental Congress to organize colonial
resistance to Parliament’s Coercive Acts. The delegates included a
number of future luminaries, such as future presidents  John
Adams (1735-1826) of Massachusetts and George Washington (1732-
99) of VIRGINIA and future U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice and
diplomat John Jay (1745-1829) of New York. The Congress was
structured with emphasis on the equality of participants, and to
promote free debate .

After much discussion, the Congress issued a Declaration of Rights ,

affirming its loyalty to the British Crown but disputing the British
Parliament’s right to tax it. The Congress also passed the Articles of
Association , which called on the colonies to stop importing goods
from the British Isles beginning on December 1, 1774, if the Coercive
Acts were not repealed. Should Britain fail to redress the colonists’
grievances in a timely manner, the Congress declared, then it would
reconvene on May 10, 1775, and the colonies would cease to export
goods to Britain on September 10, 1775. After proclaiming these
measures, the First Continental Congress disbanded on October 26,
1774.

The Battles of Lexington and Concord ( April 19, 1775 ) :

The Battles of Lexington and Concord, fought on April 19, 1775, kicked
off the  American revolutionary war (1775-83). Tensions had been
building for many years between residents of the 13 American colonies
and the British authorities, particularly in Massachusetts. On the night
of April 18, 1775, hundreds of British troops marched from Boston to
nearby Concord in order to seize an arms cache. Paul Revere and other
riders sounded the alarm, and colonial militiamen began mobilizing to
intercept the Redcoat column. A confrontation on the Lexington town
green started off the fighting, and soon the British were hastily
retreating under intense fire. This all lead to a staring of a war that will
lead to the revolutionary war April 18, 1775,  Joseph warren, and Sons of
Liberty, learned from a source inside the British high command that
Redcoat troops would march that night on Concord. Warren dispatched
two couriers, to alert residents of the news. They went by separate
routes in case one of them was captured. Revere crossed the Charles
River by boat to get to Charlestown, where fellow patriots were waiting.
The patriots had been instructed to look at the steeple of Boston’s Old
North Church, If there was one lantern hanging in the steeple, the
British were arriving by land. If there were two, the British were coming
by sea. As Revere did his strategic Charlestown, Dawes left Boston and
went along the Boston Neck promontory. The two got together in
Lexington, a couple of miles east of Concord, where progressive
pioneers Samuel Adams and John Hancock had briefly stayed. Having
convinced those two to escape, an exhausted Revere and Dawes at that
point set out once more. Out and about, they met a third rider, Samuel
Prescott, who alone made it right to Concord. Adore was caught by a
British watch, while Dawes continue back to Lexington by walking.

Fighting break out in Lexington and Concord : At dawn on April

19, some 700 British troops arrived in Lexington and came upon 77
militiamen gathered on the town green. A British major yelled, “Throw
down your arms! Ye villains, ye rebels.” The heavily outnumbered
militiamen had just been ordered by their commander to disperse when
a shot rang out. To this day, no one knows which side fired first.
Several British volleys were subsequently unleashed before order could
be restored. When the smoke cleared, eight militiamen lay dead and
nine were wounded, while only one Redcoat was injured. The British
then continued into Concord to search for arms, not realizing that the
vast majority had already been relocated. They decided to burn what
little they found, and the fire got slightly out of control.

Effect of Lexington and concord : The colonists did not show great
marksmanship that day. As many as 3,500 militiamen firing
constantly for 18 miles only killed or wounded roughly 250 Redcoats,
compared to about 90 killed and wounded on their side.

THE SECOND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS and THE

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE :

As promised, Congress reconvened in Philadelphia as the Second

Continental Congress on May 10, 1775–and by then the American
revolution had already begun. The British army in Boston had met
with armed resistance on the morning of April 19, 1775, when it
marched out to the towns of lexingon and concord  to seize a cache of
weapons held by colonial Patriots who had ceased to recognize the
authority of the royal government of Massachusetts. The Patriots
drove the British expedition back to Boston and laid siege to the
town. The revolutionary war had begun. Before that Second Continental
Congress assembled in the Pennsylvania State House, hostilities had
already broken out between Americans and British troops at LEXINGTON
AND CONCORD , MASSACHUSETTS . New members of the Second
Congress included BENJAMIN FRANKLIN and THOMAS JEFFERSON , JOHN
HANCOCK  and JOHN JAY  were among those who served as president. On
July 2, 1776, with Newe york abstaining, the Congress “unanimously”
resolved that “these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and
independent states.” Two days later it solemnly approved this Declaration
of independence  . The Congress also prepared the Articles of
confederation which, after being sanctioned by all the states, became the
first U.S. constitution in March 1781. Which was raified by the all states .

SO as I have Explained above that those are the main events that lead to
the revolution war and that lead to the declaration of the INDEPENDENCE .
As these event plays an important role in the Declaration of Independence
and also The peoples of these colonies suffered much to gain what that was
their right , as they have the right to live as they want to and they havr the
right that they own their country and can run the country however they
like to . so these declaration of independence plays an important role in the
lifr og peoples of USA .

Document of Declaration of Independence 1867 :

The Declaration of Independence is one of the most significant records
throughout the entire existence of the United States. It was an official
demonstration taken by every one of the 13 American colonies in
announcing freedom from British principle. It clarified why the Congress on
July 2 "collectively" by the votes of 12 colonies (with New York declining)
had settled that "these United Colonies are, and of right should be Free and
Independent States . The Declaration contained 3 sections: a general
statement of natural rights theory and the purpose of government; a list of
grievances against the British King; and the declaration of independence
from England. The Congress officially received the Declaration of
Independence—composed to a great extent by Jefferson—in
Philadelphia on July 4, The document of declaration of Independence
consist of 3 main parts which explain the whole document ( 1 ) :
Introduction/Preamble ( 2 ) : Body of the Declaration ( 3 ) : Concluding
statement
Preamble : 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. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among
Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed .

Summary : Basically the first part of it is written by john locke and as you
kniw that he is a philosopher and in the first part its is some typr=e of
philosophical things are written. Basiccaly in the first part of the document
of declaration of independednce its is wriiten that every human being has
the right to life and right to freedom and life and he has the right to live
and govern his life according to his own will and he has the right to choose
government that can ensure these right for him so in the preamble its is
stated that why is the independence is imporatnat for the americans
colomiews , The early on explanation fundamentally invigorates the
progressives, that their insubordination is an authentic activity since the
British had neglected to live up to the implicit understanding (for example
to ensure regular rights). That due to their disappointment, the British have
lost case to their authenticity and consequently, the colonies reserve an
option to make another administration for themselves.
2 nd part : Main body :

In this part of the document they write the 27 grievances to the king
George III that has done and that cause the declaration of
independence . Although this is one of the main part of the document .
some of the grivences are given below :

1. :He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public
good.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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:
5. For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
6. For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they
should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
7. For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
8. For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
9. For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

Summary :
It is critical to acknowledge here that the initial segment puts the case of autonomy; while,
the subsequent part praises it by featuring the uninformed mentality of the King and his
Government. It is clear from perusing the above section that this piece of the Declaration is
undeniably progressively evidentiary in nature and involves a rundown of allegations
against the King George and the British Government. so this clear that these are some of the
things that the king has done and which lead the colonies fight for their independence
because they are not given the right of life and many other tights are infringed

3rd part : CONCLUDING STATEMENT :

The most important and dramatic statement comes near the end: “That these United
Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States.” It declares a
complete break with Britain and its King and claims the powers of an independent
country .

Summary : In this part it is clearly seen that the americans are now
declaring their independence from the British rule and noe they have the
right anf the poer to make their own rules and have the power to make law
for their own and to make alliance and to make lw that are suitable for
them . This parts goes about as a finishing up explanation and a firm
assertion that the states are independent from Britain and they currently
have the ability to lead their own undertakings. This goes about as an
announcement to the World everywhere that these states have a different
character from the Great Britain and are completely enabled to direct
remote issues too. It can be handily assembled from perusing the above
entries that the initial two areas put forward the contentions and proof
which favors the partition of the states from the British, while, the last
segment voices the pioneer aims to conjure said the said guarantee and set
regarding making their own assembled position that would be utilitarian
Worldwide.

 WHY THE DECLARATION OF INDPENDECE IS IMPORTANT IN PAST AND IN

PRESENT : It is clearly seen from above that the declaration of
independence is important in past because the Americans are uner great
stress and not able to do what they want to do . they are buried under a
number of taxes and immoral duties they are not given the right that
they deserve so thism declaration gives them the hope and the power to
direct their life the the laws according to their own will and to live alife
that have all the rights and after this declaration they are able to freee
trade make their mown leas expand their land , and to make their life on
their own this declaration give them a separate identity on the map of
the world and in the present age its is important because this give them
their life , liberty and pursuit of happiness . This give them the think that
all mens are created Equal, Effects among foreign nations The
Declaration of Independence has also left lasting effects upon other
foreign nations, including the French Declaration of the Rights of Man
and Citizen, and the Declaration of Independence for the Democratic
Republic of Vietnam. So its is clearly seen that the declaration of
Independence had a great importance in past as well as present .