Causes Of The Civil War :: essays research papers

Americans fought very had to receive their independence from England. Their determination of self-rule was evident from the very beginning. From early settlement, the colonists gave evidence to this determination. The increase in control of England increased their desire to be treated fairly as English citizens, but England did not give them the feeling of fair treatment. Ever since the beginnings of settlement, England and America had been growing apart. England was still an aristocracy, ruled by men born and bred to a high station in life. The society was one of culture and refinement. Deprived of abundant opportunity at home, the common people accepted a position of dependence rather than independence. But in America, things had gone differently. The society was rather democratic. There were no lords or hereditary officers. “The wilderness had attracted men of independent spirit, and the stern conditions of the frontier had bred self-reliance and self-respect.'; (*) The New World made men enterprising, energetic, and aggressive. The distance between the colonists and England was as equally wide as their political thinking. British statesmen believed that Parliament had complete authority over the colonies. It could make laws for them, tax them and even abolish their elected assemblies. But, patriot leaders in America denied all this. They believed Parliament was bound to respect certain natural rights of man. The colonists did not think Parliament represented them, therefore they did not respect the taxes it imposed. The English leaders, on the other hand, thought members of Parliament looked after the best interests of the whole empire. People all over the world believe that government protects life, liberty, and property. “Were it not for government, the world would soon run into all manner of disorders and confusions,'; (136,Text). The idea that stable and enlightened government could be achieved by balancing the concepts of monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy became a common belief among many individuals. In Europe, individual monarch power was growing. This outraged many of each country’s citizens. Also, poverty was increasing fast, due to people’s belief that nobility, money, and control of land signifies power. Many early settlers chose to explore the New World, in order to escape from politics and religion in their mother country. In the colonies, the settlers had already become used to taking a share in government. Every colony elected an assembly. The Virginians set up their House of Burgesses twelve years after Jamestown was settled.