Question

Select any five grievances against george iii and the english government that jefferson lists in the declaration of independence. copy the grievance, and state for each one a british law or action which may have prompted that complaint.

Answer 1

One is "He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people." This one refers to the King's coercive acts where he dissolved Massachusetts legislature because of what happened during the Boston tea party. basically the King didn't care about the legislative houses and did as he wished when they didn't agree with him.

Another is "He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws of Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encouraged their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands." He is talking here about the king's anti immigration policies to anyone who was not a British Subject. There were many immigrants from countries like Spain or France who wanted to enter the colonies and become citizens but they were denied this right and the colonists wanted them in their country.

Another is "He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance." This refers to king's decisions to create numerous new positions of power like tax collectors or officers of the law who went to the colonies and they had to be taken care of by the colonists since they were royal officials. They had to get food and shelter and things like that from the colonists for nothing in return.

Another is "He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures." This is mentioned because the King had his soldiers stationed in the colonies in people's houses and people didn't have a choice in whether or not they would provide housing for them. They were angry because they had to pay taxes for soldiers that did nothing since there was no war.

The final fifth grievance example can be "For protecting them, by a mock trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:" This is because of the Boston massacre when soldiers killed colonists and had mock trials and weren't punished at all because the British parliament and the king perceived what happened as the fault of the colonists and didn't even care about them.