The Declaratory Act As A Turning Point In The United States

Early America was founded upon the ideas of independence and a republican ideal– the idea that the people would have the voice and that no one person would be in control. America laid the foundation for people to take opportunities and prove that they could do whatever they wanted and live the American dream. However, these ideas did not appear straight away; they were fought for and won by the people who believed in these principles. Being founded on religious opposition, mercantilism, and discovery, while uniting despite differences amongst the colonies, like religion, class, and economic disputes, and fighting their way through adversity, colonial America made its march towards independence from Great Britain. The thirteen colonies were
The Townshend Acts were then put into place, putting a tax on lead, paint, tea, paper, and glass. These taxes made colonists resent Great Britain even more and unified them together. All but the Tea Act were repealed, eventually leading to the Boston Tea Party, an act of rebellion against the British government. A few years prior, the Boston Massacre occurred, ending in the deaths of five innocent people and proving to be a turning point in the fight towards independence. Important steps were taken to ensure the United States could eventually stand on its own away from the mother country of Great Britain. The First Continental Congress was held in 1774, when representatives from the colonies got together to decide how to respond to Great Britain. A year later, parliament would declare the colonies in rebellion. That same year, 1775, the Second Continental Congress was held to discuss whether they should declare independence from Great Britain, but no decision was made. Also in 1775, the Battle of Bunker Hill proved to be a turning point, proving the Confederate army could hold its own against the
Cornwallis, commander of the British army, encouraged partisan warfare, losing support of the civilian population. After years of war and finally getting Cornwallis to surrender with the help of the English, the Articles of Confederation were written in 1777, which granted Congress certain powers and restrictions. The Articles of Confederation almost caused America to collapse, so the Constitutional Convention was held to fix the issues. At this meeting, James Madison suggested the Virginia plan, eliminating the Articles of Confederation and adding an executive branch, two houses of Congress, and representation determined by population. People who lived in small states didn’t like this plan, so Ben Franklin offered a compromise: a lower house, the House of Representatives, would be based on population and an upper house, the Senate, would be based on equal representation. Both sides could agree on this, and the next issue was the slave population. Ben Franklin offered another compromise, saying 35 of the slave population would count. They also determined the legislative branch and the judicial