![]() ![]() This difference is best understood via the Revolutionary cry of “no taxation without representation.” Contrary to the understanding of representation that sits at the core of the Declaration, the English Parliament did not serve as a forum for particular regions or people to advance their parochial interests, but rather was thought to serve the interests of the whole. ![]() In the 1760s and 70’s, English constitutional theory stood on a different understanding of representation than those that the principles articulated in the Declaration would advance. Mercantilism was orthodoxy, and as such, the thought was that the colonies should contribute more to the common security of the realm.Īside from noting in detail the grievances, or “usurpations” of Britain, the Declaration reflects the shift in ideas of representation and democratic legitimacy taking place at the time. At issue: trade and taxes and duties on goods that were levied on the colonies to pay for the cost of Empire. Either an Enlightemnent battle over natural rights and citizenship, or an expression of pique by merchant interests, by the mid 1760’s, differences between Britain and the colonies were exacerbated by a series of economic disputes. It has been said that the American Revolution was a tax revolt in patriotic dress. Historians differ on whether the American Revolution was primarily an intellectual movement or an economic dispute. Locke, Grotius, and Samuel Pufendorf deeply shaped Jefferson’s thinking. He drafted the Declaration of Independence, signed on July 4, 1776. In 1775 Jefferson was elected to the Continental Congress. Portrait of Thomas Jefferson in London by Mather Brown, 1786 (Wikimedia Commons) ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |