In the American Revolution, Enlightenment ideas of rationality and democracy collide with feudal ideas about the monarchy, fealty, and being subjects of a king. Britain had already created a parliament and so had already gone part way down the path to democracy. It would have been more accurate to argue that the colonies were not adequately represented in parliament and that a governing body across the sea could
not make effective or fair decisions. Blaming George III is probably a rhetorical strategy. The activity below is designed to help you understand the rhetorical choices the signers of the document have made.
Respond to each of these with at least a paragraph.
Are you convinced? The writers of the Declaration of Independence argue that when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. In other words, when a tyrant keeps doing tyrannical things to the people he governs, the people have a right to depose the tyrant and create a new government. Do the writers of the Declaration make their case? To what degree have they shown that they have no choice but to rebel against British rule? Are you convinced by their arguments? Be sure to support your responses with examples from the text or from the historical record.
Why blame the king? The writers blame King George III for all of their troubles when it was actually the British Parliament that approved most of these actions. The writers are quite aware of this. Why did they blame everything on the king instead?
