Fixing the Problems.
The colonial grievances (complaints) against Great Britain as listed in the Declaration of Independence
and how the United States fixed them in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
The thirteen American colonies of Great Britain revolted and declared independence for good reason. The actions of the British government (the
king) deprived Americans of numerous rights that were guaranteed to all other British citizens. In fact, many of these rights were guaranteed as
early as 1215—since the American colonists were British citizens, they had good reason to expect those rights to be recognized. They weren’t, and
in 1776, the American colonies declared independence and became the United States of America. When Americans wrote the Constitution and the
Bill of Rights, they made sure to fix the problems.
Grievances listed in the
Declaration of Independence (1776)
Why they were a problem…
The king exercised absolute power.
The power of British kings had been limited
since 1215—almost 400 years before the first
American colony was settled.
Colonials were taxed without their consent.
British citizens were represented in Parliament;
American colonists were not represented in
Parliament, even though they were British
citizens.
The king made war against the American
colonists.
This was a threat to freedoms guaranteed in the
English Bill of Rights (1689).
The king suspended trial by jury.
This right was granted to nobles by the Magna
Carta (1215), and later granted to all British
citizens by the English Bill of Rights (1689).
The king kept standing armies in colonies
and required that citizens quarter them in
their homes.
This action was a threat to the liberties and
economic welfare of the American colonists.
The king dissolved colonial legislatures
because they opposed his violations of the
rights of people.
This action violated the colonial charters
(grants of powers and rights) that the king had
signed when the colonies were created.
How they got fixed…
The US Constitution divides power among three
branches of government, and there are checks
and balances to make sure that no single branch
gets too powerful.
The US Constitution gives Congress the power
to tax US citizens, and US citizens are
represented in Congress by representatives they
elect.
The US Constitution gives Congress the power
to declare war. Troops and militia (citizensoldiers) can only be used inside the US to stop
an invasion, or to enforce laws passed by
Congress and the President (usually in times of
great emergency).
Both the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights
guarantee the right to a fair trial.
The 3rd Amendment to the Constitution protects
people from having to house soldiers during
times of peace.
The US government can only be changed by a
new constitutional convention. Also, both the
Constitution and the Bill of Rights guarantee
the rights of the people.