The Complaints against King George III

Casey Darbonne

Mrs. McGowan

English III

22 September 2016

The Complaints against King George III

• ·         “For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:” King George III closed off the Boston Port which stopped trade with other countries. I selected this grievance because the people needed goods from other countries to have basic needs. It relates to today’s world because if we didn’t have trade from other countries then we wouldn’t have clothes, some raw materials, and some food items like rice.
• ·         “For imposing taxes on us without our Consent:” King George III created taxes that were not disclosed with the Colonist representatives. I selected this grievance because it was unfair to the people to have surprised taxes out of nowhere. This relates to the real world because if we had increased taxes, then our goods would be more expensive. Our jobs would also still pay the same amount of money which would make the amount of income per household decrease because of taxes.
• ·         “For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:” King George III did not give the people trials and many were convicted guilty because their case was not heard. This was also unfair to the people who were convicted of a crime because their side of the story was not heard they were charged as guilty even if they were innocent. This relates to the world today because some cases are closed with the wrong person convicted, however because of the Declaration of Independence that number of unfair cases had decreased dramatically.
• ·         “For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:” People who were accused of small crimes would sometimes for taken away to be tried. I chose this grievance because King George III punished the people who maybe stole with an unneeded consequence. The people who should have been taken away was the people were charged with murder or something big like that. This relates to the world today because some people are charged with little crimes, however end up with a big consequence. For example, the people who smoked marijuana are sometimes charged with months of jail time. However a person who raped someone could get away with a few weeks of jail.
• ·         “For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:” The King took away the people’s rights, most useful laws, and altered the forms of government. This is the most important grievance of all because the people are born with their rights as a citizen, however the King took those away. This relates to the world today because now, people have freedom and rights of their own. However, without them, people would be stripped of their humanity because freedom is what makes a person unique.
• ·         “For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with Power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.” King George III abolished laws, suspended legislature, and took himself responsible for handling the legislature. I chose this grievance because the Legislature has the power to make laws for the country, but the King took it from the people and decided to make laws of his own which hurt the country even more. Today, without the Legislature in our own hands, our country would be overrun by British control and people would not have rights or freedom of any kind.
• ·          “He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.” The King burnt down the towns of the colonists which essentially destroyed the lives of the people because their homes were gone and their rights were taken away. This was the second most important grievance because the King should care about his people, however he felt the exact opposite and killed some of the Colonist. This relates to the world today because if the President of the United States went to its people’s houses to burn them, then our country would have no one to rely on to fix the problem. Instead, the people would have to petition, just like they did with the Declaration of Independence.
• ·         “He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy of the Head of a civilized nation.” King George III hired foreign troops to fight against the colonists. Again, this was important because the U.S. had no one they could trust and rely on to fix the problem except for themselves. So they country as a whole came together and agreed on the Declaration of Independence. This relates to the world today because foreign troops still continue to attack our country, however they are not hired by the President. If they were, then we would have to elect a new President and hope that he/she can handle the problem in their own hands.
• ·         “He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.” The King wanted the Indians to attack the colonists no matter what age, sex, or condition the person was in. This was a shocking grievance to me because the King would intentionally hire the people that the U.S. took their land from to go and attack the Colonists no matter the person. This grievance is truly gruesome to think about because he would slaughter the U.S. just for power and control. This relates to the world today because without the Declaration, then the U.S. could potentially still be in war with Britain and still be in British control. Now that the U.S. has its own control and freedom, the people are happier and have more control over their own lives.
• ·         “He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.” The King has refused to obey the laws of the country. This was also an important grievance because the King who took over thee control of the Legislature wont obey his own laws. This was completely unfair to the people because they had to obey the laws, however the King did not. This relates to the world today because now everyone in the country is expected to obey the laws, even though this may not happen one hundred percent of the time, the President of the United States obeys and respects his own laws.

This document establishes a sense of identity because the U.S. finally understands that it has power to overrule the King and that it has power to create its own laws. The United States understands that those rules and regulations were unjust to the country and to its people. They also know that the King would have to overlook this document because it is the whole country against one person, so the whole would have to win. The United States has established its sense of self by understanding that the people in it have power and control over their lives, even if all they have to do is agree to the Declaration of Independence.