Liberty and Loyalists

Entrance ticket (5min) What does Liberty mean to you?

Whigs and Tories Whigs- The political party within the colonies that rejected being under British rule and laws. Tories- Any colonist that was perceived to support the British or were against the Revolution. It was not a political party in the United States, but a term to be used to present a unified colonial opponent inside the colonies. Not all Tories were Loyalists (colonists who support the king of Britain). https://allthingsliberty.com/2013/07/establishing-the-tory-myth/

Taxes by Britain Britain was in debt after the French and Indian War and needed funds for more troops to occupy the newly obtained land won after the war. Saw taxation as a easy way to gain funding for the troops to occupy the new land and pay off their debt. https://historyofmassachusetts.org/american-revolution-acts/

Central issue: Taxation without representation The colonies resented the acts approved by the British government. Colonists felt it was an attempt to make more money off of the colonies. Since the colonists were unable to vote on the government officials who passed the acts, they felt they were being taxed unfairly. Colonists saw the Revolution as a response to a Constitutional issue: The British Constitution failed to provide for the governance of colonies settled by English subjects.

Discussion How would a Loyalist try to fix the issue of taxation without representation? Why would a patriot not like the Loyalist’s solution?