Category: Boston Tea Party

Every consequence has its causation and it is inevitable to pay for the result of its action. Coercive Acts, also known as Intolerable Acts, was a series of a law passed by the angry British Empire after continuous conflicts with colonies. No matter how angry the colonial people would be, if the actions that had been taken were unlawful, then they should pay the price for it and seek forgiveness. However, this was not the case for the Boston tea party and how they reacted toward the British Empire. To begin with, the Boston Tea party was a rebellion against the British Empire by the Sons of Liberty: they threw 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. The tea act was an act that triggered them; it was an act to make the colonists purchase tea on which the Townshend duties were paid. No matter how bad the colonists might feel about the actions they should have followed the law that has been passed by the British Empire since the law is presented to be followed.

According to fellow philosopher John Locke’s belief, “The law of nature binds all human beings to the pursuit of life, liberty, and property.” (Locke) This is one of the famous quotes spoken by notable English Philosopher John Locke. And the action that has taken by the Sons of Liberty broke the part in which property was involved. Additionally, Locke stated, “rebellion, revolution, and treason are not legitimate responses to merely bad administration”, which aligns with my ideology. The reason that people form governments is to protect their property and by agreeing to agree to be judged by the government and accept the decisions that have been made by the government, which gives each individual the benefits of increased order and security. Hence the ownership of private property is one of the major causes of the existence of the state. Even though Bostonians and colonists might felt that the law was a little too harsh on them, it was passed due to their bad deeds and it would not be enacted if they stick to the British Empire in the first place: diligently paying the taxes to the British Empire and act accordingly to the British Empire. Related to Samuel Johnson, an English writer who contributed to English literature in various aspects, stated that “A tax is a payment, exacted by authority, from part of the community, for the benefit of the whole. From whom, and in what proportion such payment shall be required, and to what uses it shall be applied, those only are to judge to whom the government is entrusted. In the British dominions, taxes are apportioned, levied, and appropriated by the states assembled in parliament”. This statement agrees with my idea of why taxes should be paid and the duties of colonists are justified. The British Empire provided the protection of the country and supported the flourishment of country by helping the colonists in various aspects every empire is required to perform their duty of taxation because they all share the benefits of government, and, therefore, ought all to provide their proportion of the expense.

Lastly, we should consider the downside of the economy by going against the British Empire and consider the farmers’ and merchants’ economic interests: keep the trading flowing and prevent agitators from putting a restraint on it. It does not require rocket science to figure out that if the quantity of goods gets decreased due to the importation ceasing in New York, the prices will gradually increase. Furthermore, because of the non-importation and non-exportation movement held by the radical patriots, farmers, and merchants are in great danger of making profits or even maintaining their current situation. The following statement was from Samuel Seabury which I agree with, “From the day that the exports from this province are stopped, the farmers may date the commencement of their run”. What is the point of producing crops and farm goods when you cannot sell them? If Congress was attentive to the least common interests of farmers and merchants, this would never happen. They do not give or care about your circumstances and your well-being. Additionally, if Great Britain decided to close up the ports stirred by the Non-Importation Agreement or the Non-Exportation act passed by Congress then the economy of farmers and merchants will undoubtedly collapse. Since many farmers and merchants are in debt, they will be in a situation where they cannot even pay the interest on the money they have borrowed. The last thing we ever want to do is provoke the British Empire by going against them and adhering to the beliefs of radical patriots and mobs.

The Intolerable Acts (also known as the Coercive Acts) is the name given to a group of policies enforced by the Government for the colonies in America in response to the French and Indian war (as mentioned in section 1), these were seen as fair to but not to the colonists. It is the opinion of some that had the government backed down and relaxed its hold on the colonists; the revolution would have never happened. The intolerable acts themselves appear to support this view due to the fact the fierce oppression from the crown spurred the colonists into total rebellion. The Intolerable Acts were a response to the Boston Tea Party which saw the forced closure of the Boston Port and demanded the colonists repay the money lost from the ruined cargo. Town meetings were banned and lost more support in the Americas. It can be argued this was a fatal error in the decision as the First Continental Congress was formed in response to creating a government in which all the colonies were represented. The situation in America can definitely be considered misgovernance as were greatly divided on how to deal with the colonists, the Whigs saw the need for reform however the Tories wanted to employ a more aggressive policy, it seemed the lives of thousands of colonists were in the hands of the wealthy elite who acted partly on a whim and partially to suit their own desires.

The acts were brought into law decades after the end of the Seven Years War however they are often attributed to having started at the end of the war, between 1763-6514 Lord Grenville was prime minister and was a staunch believer that the colonists should pay back the debt incurred on their behalf, he had the support of parliament even if the monarch himself referred to him as an insufferable bore, there were some members of parliament against this however as even Grenville`s brother in law worried the colonists would resent the sudden intrusion and as it proved his fears became reality, it could be argued that it was not misgovernance due to the fact that to parliament the measures seemed reasonable since America as it was, was prospering and therefore it made no sense to exclude the Americans from taxation since they could afford it. However, where it can be considered gross misgovernance is the fact parliament was warned of the consequences of enforcing harsher policies on the colonists and ultimately directly caused the revolution therefore it appears Government purposely ignored the will of the colonists.

The news of the Boston Tea Party reached the king in early 177414, he personally approved of the Intolerable Acts that were intended to force the colonists into submission (a rather heavy-handed policy), parliament, therefore, produced four new laws and updated a previous one, this included The Boston Port Bill, the Administration of Justice Act, the Massachusetts Government Act, The Quebec Act, and the Quartering Act, since the colonists were defying parliaments right to tax and rule over them, the acts were designed to be what they were called by the colonists- intolerable.

The first of these laws in 1774 was intended to be a direct punishment for the tea party. The Boston Port Act enacted march 31st 177414 was in the words of the act itself an act to discontinue, in such manner, and for such time as are therein mentioned, the landing and discharging, lading, or shipping, of goods, wares, and merchandise, at the town, and within the harbor, or Boston the wording of the act itself suggests that ignoring parliament would only lead to a destruction of public peace and disorder, it tried to vilify protests against the government suggesting it would lead to the death of the king`s officials as well as threatening society, to this extent it is clear that the intent of the act was to make the colonists submissive as well as portray Government in a more favorable light as peacekeepers against rebellious subjects. The Boston Port Act closed Boston`s ports except for deliveries for the king or for fuels and supplies however considering it was in effect for almost four months it would have crippled Boston`s economy, It could be suggested that this was gross misgovernance as it was purposely hindering the economy of Boston and making lives more difficult for those who lived there, purposely causing suffering; Since these measures in Boston garnered mass sympathy for the Boston colonists and encouraged other colonies to rebel, it can be argued that here, Misgovernance was directly responsible for the revolution.

The Administration of Justice Act enacted May 20th, 177414 further severed ties between the colonists and the imperial government as it involved trials for Officials being moved to Britain to appear before the king`s bench. This insulted the colonists in two ways, the first was that it implied the colonists could not administer true justice, insulting the judiciary system within the colonies. The second way it was offensive was that to some it felt was just protecting their own sending them back to where they were unlikely to get punished14. The serious consequences this act resulted in increased the growing divides between the colonists and forces and a rebuttal from the colonists which saw them create their own rival government, however, it is not necessarily misgovernance since the government may have judged the times too unstable to justify safe trials in the Americas and therefore trial in Britain would be safer for the officials where they were unlikely to be lynched. However, the act also limited local authority since assemblies and town councils had their powers restricted and given to the governor, this can be considered misgovernance since it was a well-known fact the colonists feared losing their autonomy and government instead of appeasing them and set out to prove them right.

The other two notable acts The Massachusetts Government Act of May 20th, 1774, and the Quartering Act of June 177414 further divided the colonists, in the Massachusetts Government Act the government of Massachusetts was brought directly under the king`s control with the governor being the king`s direct representative, it also implied that the frequent number of meetings held by colonists implied an abuse of power which is why the number of meetings was limited. This created huge sympathy for the colonists within Massachusetts since the Americans were ignoring the colonies right to self-govern that had existed since they were established1. These measures were intended to quell disturbances but only ended up increasing violent opposition meaning this can be considered gross misgovernance. The Quartering Act amended previous legislation before colonists had to only supply soldiers with unoccupied buildings and food but the change now required colonists to welcome soldiers into their own homes14. This was massively unpopular with the colonists and constitutes misgovernance since effectively the crown was spying on the colonists in their own homes. This change in legislation was a violation of privacy as people now had soldiers staying in their homes. The Quartering Act along with the other Intolerable Acts pushed the colonists into outward rebellion suggesting that the revolution was to a great extent caused by misgovernance.

The response to the acts was that almost all the colonies barring Georgia sent delegates to a continental congress in September 177414, this was a direct result of the acts as other colonies became highly sympathetic to Massachusetts. The outcome of the congress declared the colonists wanted greater rights however crucially they did not want independence. They advocated for the colonies to have the right to tax and legislation, but parliament could retain the power to regulate trade, instead of agreeing to these concessions and appeasing the colonists, the Government responded with King George`s speech to parliament on October 26th, 177514, in this the king declared to parliament that the colonies were in open rebellion, and force was permitted to be used on the rebels. As of his speech, the king had declared war on his own subjects, in this instance this could be considered an act of misgovernance since the king refused to compromise with the colonists, and the heavy-handed approach he then took, caused the deaths of thousands of people and a revolutionary war that would drastically weaken the empire.

Boston tea party – Synthesis – 1773

The Boston Tea Party was an act of protest done by the colonists to show the English that they were over the hassle and unfair taxes of the English. It was a political move with economic issues because they went into more debt with the English before the revolutionary war which fueled their ambitions to leave English rule. It was a big move by the colonists and was very impactful and showed the English they were ready.

This act of protest and disrespect to the English was a very important factor in the ending of the English rule over the colonies. It was an important social political and economic move by the colonists that helped push them over the edge with their issues with the English. It showed them they were ready for a fight and wanted to leave them and would do anything necessary to make them stop or leave the English rule. It was also a big economic issue because they were then charged with the amount of the lost tea and had to pay more. It showed the English they were ready and willing to do anything necessary.

I put this event with synthesis skills. It was a big choice by the colonist because of many past events that led them to do this. The taxation, no representation, unfair rights to explore, and different treatment from the English all came together in these riots, and others like it where they were finally done with the English. It was this collection of events and issues that really kicked them in the direction to do something with force about it but ended up hurting them until the war was over.

“Once vigorous measures appear to be the only means left of bringing the Americans to a due submission to the mother country, the colonies will submit.” -King George III. “King George III is most well known for being the King of England during the American Revolutionary War.” ( Pavao, October 5) When most people hear of King George III, they either think of the American Revolutionary War or the king that went insane. King George was a very influential person in history beginning with the king’s early life, his actions in the Revolutionary War, and his last moments as acting King of Great Britain.

King George the Third was born on June 4, 1738. His parents were Frederick, Prince of Wales, and Augusta of Saxe- Gotha. Growing up, George had a learning disability. “This made it extremely hard for him to do his studies and he did not even learn to read until he was at the age of eleven.” ( Pavao, October 5) By this age, he was able to speak English, German, and French. In 1751, at the age of 12, he became the Prince of Wales. When he was 23, he became the King of Great Britain and Ireland in 1760. The King then married Charlotte Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz one year after being king. Even though their marriage was strictly political, they had a very successful marriage. They were married for fifty-seven years and had fifteen children together. Unfortunately, 3 of their children died while they were very young. One of the reasons they were married was because, “They needed a highly born lady, preferably not one from England since that could cause all kinds of power plays, but also one that would not be seen as giving ‘too’ much influence to a foreign nation by her access to the king.” (Cornelius, October 5)She was also chosen because “ [she was a] German duchy that had very little political importance, and she would most likely have “no experience or interest in power politics or party intrigues”. ( Pavao, October 5)

Even though George became king, he also inherited the Seven Year War. He worked very hard to try and end the war. The Treaty of Paris of 1763 was signed to put a finish to the war. This treaty was a huge accomplishment for Britain. “Britain received Spanish Florida, Upper Canada, and various French holdings overseas.”(History.com, October 9) After the Seven Years’ War, Britain was in deep, major debt. Since Britain was in such great debt, the king began to tax the colonies in America very heavily. This caused a huge outcry from the colonies. They wrote him letters, most of which were never opened, but he just simply tossed them to the side. The colonies then started to boycott British goods and buy from other countries such as the Dutch. This made the king extremely furious. Thus he told whoever was bound for the Americas to make sure the tea was to be loaded and unloaded on the ground correctly and safely. This eventually led to the Boston Tea Party. This is when the hundred and fifty white men dressed up as Native Americans and threw tea into the Boston Harbor. After the Boston Tea Party happened, the king basically went crazy. Therefore, he imposed the Intolerable Acts. These laws were meant to punish the colonies from the Boston Tea Party. The five Intolerable Acts included: the Boston Port Act, the Massachusetts Government Act, the Administration Justice Act, the Quartering Act of 1774, and the Quebec Act of 1774. This was one of the many reasons that started the American Revolutionary War. Britain was hugely in debt and could not afford another war, but King George did not want to lose to the colonies. He knew that the war was a lost cause but he still fought. “By 1776, The Americans declared themselves free, but George kept the war going until the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783.” ( Pavao, October 5)

King George never recovered emotionally or financially from the war. The people of Britain did not like him because of that. Even though in 1783, he stopped a reform of the East India Company. At first, he supported it, but then realized it was a scheme for parliament corruption. Also, the French rebelled and Britain struggled to overtake them. After all that fighting, in 1788, King George III experienced an insanity episode. It was thought to be a genetic disease, porphyria. Porphyria is a disease in which a buildup of chemicals relating to the red blood cells. One of the main symptoms was mental changes, that the king had. His insanity episode went away till 1811. “ George’s health deteriorated. He developed dementia and became completely blind and increasingly deaf. He was incapable of knowing or understanding either that he was declared King of Hanover in 1814, or that his wife died in 1818 At Christmas 1819, he spoke nonsense for 58 hours, and for the last few weeks of his life was unable to walk” (europeanroyalhistory.wordpress.com., October 5) Also in 1810 his daughter Amiliea died and was believed to be one of the reasons he was not able to come back to reality from being mad. Everyone around him figured that he was too unstable to rule as king. The result was that parliament passed the Regency Act and his power was passed to his son Prince George. The dying king “lived in seclusion at Windsor Castle until his death.” Sadly, after reigning for 59 years, the king died on January 29, 1820, at the age of 81 years old. He was buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on February 16.

In conclusion, King George’s life was nothing shy of significant. He inherited the throne at twenty-two. He was also forced into a political marriage. He imposed the Intolerable Acts which caused the American Revolutionary war. He fought to the very end during the American Revolutionary War. He was eventually defeated and developed a genetic disease that caused him to go insane. In his lifetime, he achieved a lot for his country and has truly influenced history today.

Citations

1. History.com Editors. “George III.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Nov. 2009, https://www.history.com/topics/british-history/george-iii.
2. Timmons, Greg. “George III.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 25 June 2019, https://www.biography.com/royalty/king-george-iii.
3. Kyra, Author. “Home.” Kyra Cornelius Kramer, 8 Sept. 2017, https://www.kyrackramer.com/2017/09/08/the-marriage-of-king-george-iii-and-queen-charlotte/.
4. liamfoley63, and liamfoley63. “The Death of King George III.” European Royal History, 29 Jan. 2018, https://europeanroyalhistory.wordpress.com/2018/01/29/the-death-of-king-george-iii/.
5. “George III of the United Kingdom Quotes.” BrainyQuote, Xplore, https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/george-iii-of-the-united-quotes.
6. “The French and Indian War Ends.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2 Mar. 2010, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-french-and-indian-war-ends.
7. “Siteseen Limited.” Colonial America for Kids ***, Siteseen Limited, 1 Jan. 2018, https://m.landofthebrave.info/intolerable-acts.htm.

My dear mother and father, I must apologize for my mistake first. I did not send any letters to any of you because I’ve been pretty busy now here in America. I’ve been busy writing something that is very important to America now and on the same side, may seem harmful to England’s interests. Actually, I am writing a document that states the necessity of the 13 colonies uniting together and being a new, free, and united country.

I know this idea may sound crazy and overwhelming to both of you. Also, you might think that I do not love my mother country. Actually, I’m trying to save our country which ought to be great as its name of Great Britain implies. I will explain this whole complicated case by using nice details.

You all know that I had two wives before during my life in England. The two marriages were not very happy. Among all my children, many of them died due to serious diseases. At that time, I really felt very depressed. When it comes to my career, I even met more failures. I was always an ambitious person. When I was young, I only received a plain education. By plain education, I mean I only learned how to do basic reading and writing. Later in my life, my only way of learning was through reading more academic and professional books. When I grew up as an adult, I tried many different occupations. However, I always ended up with failures. That was definitely not the thing I want. I always dreamed of doing something big. Several months ago, I met a great person name, Benjamin Franklin. Actually, because of him, I came to America. We had a conversation a few days after we met. While we were chatting, I could see that a surge of new and glittering thoughts was coming out from his head like a fountain and dancing around his head like a bunch of butterflies.

Also, I decided to write this because I witnessed the horrible acts and crimes that were acted upon the poor colonists by my own country which is a devil to them. As a soldier who participated in the Seven Years’ War, I knew that the failure of the British side was actually devastating instead of minimal as the news reported. In order to save the country’s economy, they are now imposing a huge amount of taxes on the poor colonists who are not responsible for either the failure of the British side or paying the excessive amount of debt for the English people. Two major acts were the Stamp Act and the Tea Act. The Stamp Act imposes taxes on all of the documents that require the usage of paper, including things like letters which is literally the thing that you are looking at now, and newspapers. The Tea Act imposes taxes on tea. I know that the major group of people who consume tea is the English due to my identity as an English man. Then can you even imagine the brutal act of letting others pay the costs of your own actions? It’s hard, right? The colonists definitely rebelled because of all of the brutal acts and behaviors that have done to them. For example, at the time when the Stamp Act was passed, almost all of the newspapers in America reported this event and expressed the message of the need to rebel. Among all of the resistance to the act, the most famous and fierce one was the parade which was held by the Sons of Liberty who was a group of colonists. During the parade, they killed an English man whose name was called Andrew Oliver and who was responsible for giving out the stamps. As a result, the British government passed the Declaratory Law which states their right to pass any law that concerns the colonists. The colonists also responded with the Boston Tea Party. In this event, the colonists overturned 342 chests of tea into the sea. About 4 years before, a bloody fight occurred which was known as the Boston Massacre which started as a little street fight between a single British soldier and several colonists. Later, it became larger. The British soldier killed some of the colonists. All of the information above is basically all of the things that happen with the American colonists. I believe after my paper is finished and the opening of the First Continental Congress, the newly born America will be ready to take on its flight to independence and kick the ball of war. I know it’s hard for both of you to accept anyway. Still, I’m going to do this. Finally, I love you all and I will respond to your letter as soon as possible.

Best Wished and Love you all

Your Son

Thomas Paine

Works Cited

1. Foner, Philip S. “Thomas Paine.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 30 Aug. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Paine.
2. Harris, James T., and Paul H. Oehser. “The American Revolutionary War.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 3 Nov. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States/The-American-Revolutionary-War.
3. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Stamp Act.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 16 Oct. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/event/Stamp-Act-Great-Britain-1765.
4. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Tea Act.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 23 Jan. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/event/Tea-Act.
5. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Continental Congress.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 18 Oct. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Continental-Congress.
6. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Boston Tea Party.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 5 Apr. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/event/Boston-Tea-Party.
7. Wallenfeldt, Jeff. “Boston Massacre.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 18 Oct. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/event/Boston-Massacre.

When a society or community feels its government or a higher power has failed them, they take action itself. This resulted in the term vigilantism, in which law enforcement is undertaken without legal authority by a self-appointed group of people. Historically, there are cultures that don’t trust their governments at baseline, such as most of Africa, including South Africa, which has shown its distrust for government numerous times. Vigilantism is not a foreign concept to the domestic USA either, as, many individuals have taken it upon themselves to take action against the government within the US throughout the years. Exploring the history of vigilantism and its reproduction in today’s pop culture and everyday life can help to understand the fine lines that vigilantes walk on when carrying out their actions. No matter what is black and white, instead of filled with gray areas that many people struggle to understand, one thing can be certain, Vigilantes believe they are doing what is right, and what is just.

Vigilantes are those who take enforcement of the law or moral code into their own hands. The term developed in ancient Rome, and today it applies to citizens carrying out frontier justice when they perceive established authorities as weak, corrupt, and/or insufficient. The word vigilante originated in Spain. When no established law exists, private citizens may find it necessary to impose the values of their group. Lawyers call vigilantism “extra-judicial self-help,” and many often equate it with vengeance. However, vigilantism becomes vilified when it leads to such criminal behavior as lynching. That is the most extreme case, yet murder is not vague in this category and has often been committed for the sake of one cause.

Vigalitism is not new, it has been around since the beginning of the government, as it can be seen in the United States as early as the beginning of the American Revolution. There were many groups formed as militias for the defense of their colony when they felt threatened by Great Britain and its tyrannical government. Those who were a part of this movement weren’t army soldiers, but instead local townspeople who took it upon themselves to take action as they feared for their liberties and believed Britain to be impeding on their rights. In American history, one of the first examples of vigilantism comes about due to a simple tax, but one that held a much bigger meaning of British power over American colonies. On December 16, 1773, the most memorable and most crucial vigilante movement in possibly in American history was carried out. Several American colonists, tired of British direct taxation, took part in what came to be known as the Boston Tea Party. Britain had imposed many tax acts, referred to as the Townshend Acts on the American colonies. Many of the colonists spoke out against these taxes and many of them were eventually repealed. All of them except for the tax on imported tea. This was kept in place to demonstrate power over the colonies, and show that Britain still held authority and could take money in whichever ways it pleased. Many colonists began to boycott tea in resistance. Most famously, as part of the resistance, a group of colonists, who by definition would be referred to as vigilantes, but to their community were considered heroes, threw 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. The Boston Tea Party was responsible for initiating many other vigilante revolts, including the burning of the ship the “Peggy Stewart”, and eventually the American revolution.

The Tea Party Movement was started in 1773 and its aim was teaching Americans about intolerable acts, the constitution, human rights, and civil liberties, free market system and capitalism. Other works that they have done are set up meetings in halls where people can air the elected people can meet the electorate, give open forums to all wanting seats of power without caring for political affiliation. The Party is composed of the richest whites in America who do not give a damn about the lives of poor Americans. This essay is a causal analysis of the change occurred in the Tea Party Movement in the past three years.The Bush Administration squandered a lot of money belonging to the American Taxpayer. Then came the Great Economic Depression in middle 2007, which had America devastated to big extent. When Barrack Obama took over as the America’s president, he found the national debt skyrocketed and an economy almost failed with little to offer on healthcare. His bill on Healthcare is what had the rich people in the Tea Party like billionaire George Soros, Koch brothers oppose it.

Obama’s bill wants to give healthcare for the poor and the rich Americans but the Tea Party movement does not want that at all. They are calling it ‘Obamacare’ a very sarcastic term. The rise of a black man to an American Presidency also fuelled the momentums of the Tea Party. They never wanted a black man for America and this is why they support the people likes of Sarah Palin and John McCain. The other thing that added energy to the Tea Party is the ‘failure’ of Obama’s government to meet the ‘hope’ deadline. This pushed many democrats to give up and started supporting the Republicans, most of which are in support or in the Tea Party.Most electorate thought that if they elect Obama, he will do everything in a flash of a minute but as time went by, the soon realize that he is human and gave up. Mortgages, collapsing corporations, foreclosures are all to blame and George Bush not Obama. With all those problems and lack of jobs and benefits, people stopped supporting the Democratic Party and supported republicans. This was very clear when the Democrats lost many seats in their midterm elections. Obama could not help with anything but wondered on the impatience of America’s people. In the Congress, the Democrats found it hard to implement some laws and bills which could help the poor and suffering Americans. They lack the voting and veto power (Bilal). The Republicans now rule much to the chagrin and despair of the electorate who gave up.

In the month of February, the Tea Party was at it again. It used its strong hands to throttle the labor laws of Wisconsin workers especially teachers. This is a great punishment to an electorate who lost hope in the Obama administration. The workers in Wisconsin especially teachers are being removed of collective bargaining. This means that they cannot be able to bargain for a salary or a rise or negotiate on working conditions. Governor Walker, a Republican is being used by The Tea Party movement to do this to his people. Koch Brothers have paid Fox News, Heritage Foundation and sponsored the Tea Party to spread lies about collective bargaining. Wisconsin state has the second highest amount of graduated per year. Its graduation level is 82%. If teachers are denied collective bargaining, it is necessary that it will lead to many problems in the education system.This law, Walker says will only affect teachers but it is a lie. Firefighters, police, nurses and every worker skilled or unskilled will be affected. The union that fights for the rights of workers will be tied to Walker’s demands, the Tea Party and the rich people who fund it like Koch Brothers. The Union helps in collective bargaining and knows that its members do the best job ever. Whenever a case is presented to the Union, people know that they have to have the best case possible. This means that they have to do their work to the best or else union is not going to support any of them workers.Although the Tea Party Movement claims that it is doing justice to Americans it is a lie. The ‘Obamacare’ is intended to take care of the poor Americans who live in an independent nation, a superpower and yet they cannot afford healthcare. Everyone has the right to access good healthcare as this bill wants to do exactly that. Liberty is not seen in the acts of Governor Walker and his friends. Liberty comes form hope and waiting for the best. The Tea Party lies that America will govern itself (Mathew). People should ask themselves is America being governed by a foreigner.This means that the Tea Party is against its original cause and key among them is that it is opposing the Obama administration. The American electorates should wake up, open their eyes and see that they are being duded and striped of their civil liberties and human rights. After the Wisconsin teachers are removed of their collective bargain next will come another group. At the end of the day, the millionaires and billionaires who own huge corporations will be having free labor, a deprived worker who is very desperate. They do not care about the poor; all they want is personal wealth that will last into the next ten centuries!

An ideology can be defined as a body of ideas that reflects the beliefs and interests of a nation, political system, etc. and underlies political action. Ideologies can reflect beliefs and interests of a large group or even just a few people. Political Ideologies, though, are about organizing and directing action. There are hundreds of ideologies throughout the world because every nation and every state has their own beliefs, interests, ways of organizing, and directing action. Development of states into industrial societies has caused, in certain states and regions, there to be only a few main ideologies to stand out. Ideologies mainly reflect how the government is set up and work to maintain government stability by acting through the organized plan in which they think is best fit for the state. Also, time shapes and changes these ideologies. It forms the ideologies into what is important and present at that place in time, then those different interests get absorbed by differing ideologies. In Europe, during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries there were three main ideologies that arose: conservatism, socialism, and liberalism. In the United States, there are two main ideologies, American liberalism and American conservatism, they both originated from one European ideology, liberalism.

The conservative ideology that originated in Europe is incredibly different than the American conservative ideology. One of the most influential thinkers on the development of conservative thought was Edmund Burke, an eighteenth century parliamentarian. His experiences and ideas were shaped by what he saw as excesses of the French Revolution (Shively 32). The idea of conservatism is based around the thought that social institutions are the product of gained knowledge and wisdom about how to regulate and maintain society with government. Also, conservatives believe that it can be risky and unstable to negligently change or eliminate prized institutions. Conservatives see having order and structure as a rather important in their society. Additionally, conservatives regard the maintenance of an ordered community and common values is the highest good in society.

Conversely, socialism is the idea that people are not seen as individuals but rather as classes. A class is a group of people who are similarly placed economically in society. Karl Marx was the greatest socialist writer of the nineteenth century. He believed that this division of classes causes constant conflict between them. Socialists, like Marx, believe that eventually classes will be eliminated and everyone will live socially, politically, and economically equal (Shively 35). Furthermore, socialists vision a society where the working class takes over the state and directs all industries.

The last of the main ideologies that originated in Europe is the ideology of classical liberalism. Liberalism is similar to socialism in the idea and belief that all persons deserve equal treatment by the state and should have equal opportunities to develop themselves (Shively 35). However, unlike socialism, liberalism believes that people can develop individually. Also, liberalism is suspicious of centralized or concentrated power in government and liberals believe that individuals should be predominantly free from governmental constraints. Liberalism is largely different from conservatism; whereas conservatives believe that the more government the better, liberals believe the best government is that which governs least. Liberals ideally vision a society where government should aid and regulate people as little as possible, because then people hold the responsibility for their own decisions and are able to learn from their experiences.

The two main ideologies in America are both stemmed from the same liberalism ideology into American liberalism and American conservatism. These ideologies started with the main ideas of what the United States was founded on, which is the idea that people should be free and that the government should have minimal control over the people. This idea was brought about after the American Revolution, where the people in the American colonies insurrected from Great Britain because they were unhappy with the control of the British government. American liberalism and American conservatism have distinct features that separates and makes each unique in their purest forms, although, most Americans find themselves somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, agreeing and disagreeing with specific features of both.

American liberalism, most distinctly, has a large support for the underdogs in society. They see a major concern in economic equality, as well as interests in support for ethnic minorities, women, and gays. American liberals also have a considerable care for environmental protection. Something American liberals believe that is very similar to the European origin of liberalism is the strong belief of individual freedoms. For instance, the freedom of expression and the freedom of privacy are two that liberals are particularly concerned for preserving and protecting.

On the other hand, American conservatism has a recognizable concern for maintaining an efficient and minimally regulated economy. Traditionally, American conservatives have emphasized on trying to keep governmental regulation of people’s lives to a minimum (Shively 25). A main feature of American conservatism reflecting this belief is the support for the right to own guns without governmental regulation. Recently, over the past few decades, there has been a significant component of American conservatism in which there is a high passion for maintaining common values of morality and spirituality. This includes the strong opposition to legalized abortion which also has become a prominent view of American conservatives. In recent years, there has been a movement in America where people are fed up with the government and want to see a restoration of the ideas and freedoms that have been taken. These people have organized this movement into what they are referring to as the “Tea Party.” The Tea Party supporters share similar core principles of the original United States Constitution where the founders intended limited federal government, individual freedom, personal responsibility, free markets, and power to the States and people. The Tea Party is more of an ideology than an actual political party, because they have a set of beliefs and ideas that differ from the American ideologies. The Tea Party is a movement where members of different political parties and ideologies find some similarities in believing that the current system of government for the United States is broken and the government has itself too much power. It has been debated that the Tea Party falls more under the ideology of American conservatism rather than American liberalism.

I believe that the Tea Party goes back to the main ideology of the United States, which is classic liberalism. The Tea Party members believe that the government has gotten too big and they don’t agree with the concentration of power that has formed in the federal government. This belief is the same one found in the European origin of liberalism, where liberals vision a society that the government regulates and aids as little as possible. I think that current American conservatism has actually developed into having many ideas and theories similar to that of classic liberalism. For instance, American conservatism, classic liberalism, and the Tea Party all share the belief that oppose the regulation of people’s lives and the regulation of businesses. Contrastingly, I feel that current American liberalism reflects parallel ideals on institutions as to that of classic conservatism. For example, current American liberal views on institutions is that they want to maintain those established institutions, such as Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, welfare, etc. This follows the belief of classic conservatives where it is believed that it is reckless and foolish to carelessly change or remove established institutions.

Finally, I do believe the Tea Party beliefs fit mostly under the conservative ideology. I believe there are certain aspects of the Tea Party that most American liberals would agree with in addition to American conservatives, such as the keeping and maintaining of individual freedoms. However, as far the Tea Party’s views on limited government, personal responsibility, and free and minimally regulated markets, I think that those beliefs fit much more neatly in the current American conservative ideology.

Most people have heard about the Boston Tea Party. When Americans dumped British Tea in Boston Harbor. But not everyone understands the importance of it, and why the Tea Party is still remembered today. It was on December 16, 1773, when American patriots disguised as Mohawk Indians threw 342 chests of tea belonging to the British East India Company from ships into Boston Harbor. The Americans were protesting both a tax on tea (the Townshend Acts) and the perceived monopoly of the East India Company (also the called English East India Company) (Britannica p.1).

The Townshend Acts were a series of four acts passed by the British Parliament in an attempt to assert what it considered to be its historic right of colonial authority through suspension of a recalcitrant representative assembly and through strict collection provisions of additional revenue duties. The British-American colonists named the acts after Charles Townshend, who sponsored them. The Suspending Act prohibited the New York Assembly from conducting any further business until it complied with the financial requirements of the Quartering Act (1765) for the expenses of British troops stationed there (Britannica p.1). The second act, often called the Townshend duties, and imposed direct revenue duties payable at colonial ports, on lead, glass, paper, paint, and tea. It was the second time in the history of the colonies that a tax had been levied solely for the purpose of raising revenue. The third act established strict and often arbitrary machinery of customs collection in the American Colonies, including additional officers, searchers, spies, coast guard vessels, search warrants, writs of assistance, and a Board of Customs Commissioners at Boston, all to be financed out of customs revenues (Britannica p.2). The fourth, and most important Townshend Act, lifted commercial duties on tea, allowing it to be exported to the Colonies free of all British taxes.

The acts posed an immediate threat to established traditions of colonial self-government. They were resisted everywhere with verbal agitation and physical violence, deliberate evasion of duties, renewed importation arguments among merchants, and overt acts of hostility toward British enforcement agents, especially in Boston. Colonial tumult, coupled with the instability of frequently changing British ministries resulted at the Boston Massacre (Britannica p1). In repeal all revenue duties except that on tea were lifted. In 1773 Parliament passed a Tea Act designed to aid the financially troubled East Indian Company by granting it a monopoly on all tea exported to the colonies, an exemption on the export tax, and a ‘drawback’ (refund) on duties owed on certain surplus quantities of tea in its possession. The tea sent to the colonies was to be carried only in East India Company ships and sold only through its own agents, bypassing the independent colonial shippers and merchants. The company thus could sell the tea at a less-than-usual price in either America or Britain; it could undersell anyone else (Britannica p.1). The perception of monopoly drove the normally conservative colonial merchants into an alliance with radicals, Sons of Liberty led by Samuel Adams.

In such cities as New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston, tea agents resigned or canceled orders and merchants refused consignments. In Boston, however, the royal governor Thomas Hutchinson determined to uphold the law and maintained that three arriving ships, the Dartmouth, Eleanor, and Beaver, should be allowed to deposit their cargoes and that appropriate duties should be honored. On the night of Dec. 16, 1773, a group of about 60 men, encouraged by a large crowd of Bostonians, donned blankets and Indian headdresses, marched to Griffin’s wharf, boarded the ships, and dumped the tea chests, valued at £18,000, into the water (Britannica p.1).

In retaliation, Parliament passed the series of punitive measures known in the colonies as the Intolerable Acts, firs the Boston Port Bill, which shut off the city’s sea trade pending payment for the destroyed tea. Second, the Massachusetts Government Act abrogated the colony’s charter of 1691, reducing it to the level of a crown colony, substituting a military government under General Thomas Gage, and forbidding town meetings without approval. Third, the Administration of Justice Act, was aimed at protecting British officials charged with capital offenses during law enforcement by allowing them to go to England or another colony for trial. The fourth Coercive Act included new arrangements for housing British troops in occupied American dwellings, thus reviving the indignation that surrounded the earlier Quartering Act, which had been allowed to expire in 1770. The British government’s efforts to single out Massachusetts for punishment served only to unite the colonies and impel the drift toward war. (Britannica p.2)

Hopefully I have enlightened you on the subject of the Boston Tea party. It is easy to see how the first protest from the Sons of Liberty was so important. This event set the stage for many gruesome years in the fight for our nations independence. The Boston Tea Party helped to shape our great country to what it is today.

Americans nowadays start using the civil rights act as a way to allow the civilians to become free and have equal rights. A recent example of this is when Donald Trump sued the Black Lives Matter Organization because the organizer DeRay Mckensson “did nothing to prevent the violence or to calm the crowd.”

The definition of civil disobedience is to peacefully protest to go against certain laws, orders, or commands of a government. This method has been a crucial part throughout history and is now rarely used in out time. It also has been called as a way to show as an expression of freedom of speech for individuals. Within Thoreau’s essay, he states that, “ but if it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law(98).” This event shows how he sides with the thought of going against the law to make unjust laws better. Civil disobedience also shows in the Boston Tea Party, Women’s Suffrage Movement, and The Civil Rights Movement.

The american government suppresses civil disobedience by calling “incited the violence.”

The government is supposed to protect civilians from harm but instead it’s been using violence to make laws just. In the article titled “Speech Rights for Trump, but Not DeRay Mckensson,” written by Garrett Epps, talks about how the Black Lives Organization got sued by Donald Trump. Donald Trump said “Get ‘em out of here,” and the supporters assaulted them and later were led out. Both the Black Lives Matter group and Trump should of been protected by the First Amendment. Trump later on has decided that the First Amendment needed to be worked on or changed.

The issue we had that many people apart from the Black Lives Matter organization are getting killed by police officers. An example was on July 5, 2016, when Alton Sterling was shot 6 times in the chest by 2 white officers in front of a convenience store. The next day Obama announced that “Americans should feel outraged at episodes of police brutality since they’re rooted in long-simmering racial discord.” This shows that the community are becoming more violent and that civil disobedience has to become more justified, while laws start to become more regulated.