for the name of all things holy, DO NOT COPY THIS WORD FOR WORD!! Just use it for reference... got 100 on edgenuity btw
Explanation:
Politics, culture, and society during the late colonial periods were shaped hugely by the rise of Protestantism and its opposition to Catholicism, Enlightenment ideas proposed by influencers such as John Locke, and changing views on government, suggested by people such as Thomas Paine. These factors would all work together to increase colonial resistance to British rule as they did quite the opposite of supporting the British, often calling for unity in the colonies to fight the British.
Protestantism saw a dramatic increase in popularity throughout the northern part of Europe. The whole reason for the Pilgrims even coming to the colonies in the first place was to be allowed to practice Protestantism freely without the persecution of the British. Then, when the Anglican king still tried to rule over the colonies, they felt that it wasn’t his place. They were on a whole other settlement of land, they were perfectly capable of governing themselves, and quite frankly, they didn’t appreciate his rules and regulations anyways. This would lead to many conflicts, such as the Boston Tea Party and many boycotts and protests against British rule over the colonies, especially in Massachusetts.
John Locke was one of the main enlightened influencers whose works would encourage the colonies to change their ways and eventually challenge the English government over several matters. John Locke wrote about the natural rights of man as well as a nation’s natural born right to govern itself, and that in the case that a government was not doing its job, the people had the right to overthrow it. The colonists took such things into account when they wrote documents like the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. They wanted to govern in a way that suited the majority of people, rather than just benefit the king, which would eventually lead to the colonists declaring their independence on July 4, 1776.
Thomas Paine was a British-born man who wrote a short pamphlet, titled Common Sense, and published it anonymously. This document would encourage the colonists to break away from Briish rule and create a representative government. Paine rejected monarchy and believed that the colonists should unite against Britain in order to fight back and establish their own nation. Paine was hugely influenced by Locke as well in his ideas, and his pamphlet would reach many people and be a huge encouragement to the colonists. Not long after, the colonists declared independence from Britain.
All of the above factors increased opposition to British rule because the colonists were shown the reality of the circumstances under which they were living. The true corruption of the king and his parliament was revealed as well as the lack of stability and certainty that the colonists found under British power. They realized that soon enough, they would have to do something about their circumstances because tensions were only growing and the results would not be pretty.
