Rachel D
The reasons for a rebellion depend on the people and situation,
but what justifies a dissent will remain constant. Groups revolt when
they cannot see another option, feel that their rights are at risk, simply
feel that something is unfair, or do not see a good future with a system
they feel they cannot change. A rebellion is justified when the
population of a given political entity feels it has no help for the amends
of objections other than a revolt against that political entity.
The New England colonists rebelled against England because their
needs as colonies were not met, in fact, they had been taken
advantage of. England ran her economy on mercantilism, which
damaged the colonists economically, due to the fact that mercantilism
was designed to only benefit the “Mother Country at the expense of
colonies. After the French and Indian War England had debt and
expected the colonists to pay a large amount of taxes. “Taxation
without representation,” was the slogan used by the colonists as a
reason to rebel. The American identity took form when the colonists
united against Britain. The colonists tried but were unsuccessful in
making England change her ways, which ultimately lead to their
rebellion.
A rebellion was present in the South during the Antebellum era.
The Southerners felt threatened by the possibility of the abolition of
slavery, as they saw it as a threat to their way of life. The Northerners
had been helping slaves into the free states with the Underground
Railroad which the South interfered with using the Fugitive Slave Act.
To the South, the Fugitive Slave Act was a way to try to gain control of
the slaves, which they saw as private property. Lincoln’s election
triggered the states’ secession because he had only Northern states,