preview

The Causes And Consequences Of The American Revolution, By Jonathan Boucher

Decent Essays

America’s thirst for independence from Britain reached an all-time high in the late eighteenth century. In the readings Common Sense by Thomas Paine and “A View of the Causes and Consequences of the American Revolution” by Jonathan Boucher, the authors express their ideas and opinions on the struggle for freedom from Great Britain. In Common Sense, Paine argued that the fight to gain independence was urgent and necessary no matter the consequences. However, in “A View of the Causes and Consequences of the American Revolution,” Boucher approached the subject from a totally different viewpoint. He believed that declaring war on Britain was a very bad and detrimental idea for many reasons that will be explained in greater depth in the following …show more content…

On numerous occasions he stated that by disobeying the government, one would also be disobeying God; “…when Christians are disobedient to human ordinances, they are also disobedient to God.” Boucher made it clear that he believed the King had a divine right to govern the people. This was a very controversial statement that led to death threats against him. As a preacher, it was Boucher’s obligation to the Church to back the rule of divine right. He also quotes John Locke by saying “Where there is no law, there is no freedom,” restating his belief that government, a monarchial one to be specific, is necessary in the American colonies. He attempts to argue that “liberty itself is limited and confined” because liberty means having the ability to do things that are right and refrain from being allowed to do things that are wrong. Being unable to commit a wrong-doing is ultimately restricting one’s so-called “freedom.” Boucher reiterates that it would be disgraceful for anyone (especially Christians) to try overthrowing the king. He failed to recognize that the American colonists were not trying to abolish government all together, but simply create their own and govern

Get Access