UF Why Colonists Declare Independence from Britain & Did the Revolution Solve Those Problems Essay Essay Prompt: Why did colonists declare independence fro

UF Why Colonists Declare Independence from Britain & Did the Revolution Solve Those Problems Essay Essay Prompt: Why did colonists declare independence from Britain, and did the Revolution solve those problems?

In your paper, make an argument for what was the most significant grievance colonists had with Britain, and why/how they thought a revolution was the solution. Also analyze whether the Revolution (as a war and a political transformation) resolved the issue. Be specific about who among the colonial population most identified with the cause you have chosen. Though the Constitution of 1787 does not necessarily need to be central to your thesis, you must state somewhere in your paper whether the Constitution did or did not change the thing you are analyzing. Use Freedoms We Lost, at least one primary source, and at least one lecture as evidence. You may also wish to bring in the American Yawp textbook chapters.

You might base your argument around practical grievances like taxes or threats to slaveholding, or ideological motivations such as republicanism or natural rights. An excellent thesis will connect ideology and material interests.

Format: 1250-1500 words, 12 pt. font, double-spaced. Put all of your citations in footnotes. No parenthetical citations.
You may cite the book in a simplified version of Chicago style, i.e.: Smith, Freedoms We Lost, page number. For primary sources, use the title and date, as in: “Petition for Freedom to Slaves” (1777). For lecture, write Lecture, “Title of Lecture.”

All essays must have a clear thesis which is stated in the introduction and developed throughout the paper. See the History Paper Writing Guide.docx for more.