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Britain's Idea Of Virtual Representation In The American Revolutionary War

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The American revolutionary war is an event that has forever etched itself into the annals of history. It has been a testament to the world of how even the greatest empires of the world can be overcome; with self-determination, perseverance and an iron will. Albeit, there were a few aspects of the event that have rarely been brought to light. In our part of the world it is commonly misunderstood that the War of Independence was a series of heroic battles between the valiant militiamen of America, and the tyrannical British soldiers. Yet upon closer examination of the facts a far different reality emerges. The war against the British was not based on the nationalistic passions of the Patriots; rather …show more content…

They refused to accept the British's notion of virtual representation, a concept devised by the House of Commons vowing to represent the interests of all citizens of the British Empire, whether or not they were represented. A viable reason for this rejection by the colonist may lie in the fact that the Americans colonists had always enjoyed direct representation - electing members to represent the people. Privileges such as this and salutary neglect are what seeded the revolt in the first place. The British opine somewhat differently from the colonial Americans. They instead point out that it was the Americans who refused to co-operate. The British had incurred a staggering debt of 130M pounds as a result of the Seven Years War. A war that was fought to wrest control of North America, in essence, a war that was fought for the colony of America. Yet when the British expected a meager sum contributed towards the expense of the military, the Americans responded with little more then petty complaints. Furthermore, the Americans raised an uproar when ordered to contribute a fraction of the cost of the 7,500 British troops garrisoned in New York. It is a mind boggling concept to think

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