Assignment Due September 8

Compare and contrast the “Suffolk Resolves” with “The Declaration of Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms.” Include in your analysis information regarding the context (time, events occurring simultaneously) of each document.

Remember, ANALYSIS, not NARRATIVE!

An example:

The “Suffolk Resolves” were written in 1774 in response to the Intolerable Acts, and were later adopted by the First Continental Congress. No mention is made of a military response to the provocations of which the colonists accused the British; instead, the Suffolk Resolves called for an economic response to the Intolerable Acts. The Resolves called for boycott, developing manufactures to foster independence, supporting the colonial Congress, and urged that no property be damaged in the course of protest. The situation facing the colonies at the time of the Second Continental Congress’ drafting (May 1775) of “A Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms” was far more serious. The clashes at Lexington, Concord, and Breed’s Hill had taken place, moving the colonies inexorably closer to outright rebellion. The drafting of this Declaration was simultaneous with the creation of the Continental Army. The colonists were openly preparing for war, and the bellicose tone of this document is obvious. This document does not try so hard to persuade George III to rein in Parliament as it decries the justifications for possible future warfare. Emotionally loaded words in this document, such as “pernicious,” “despotism,” “slavery” and “infamy,” seek not to soothe kings but to rally patriots. Both documents seek to appeal to George III, and both attempt to blame Parliament for the current straits facing colonial-Bristish relations. However, the “Suffolk Resolves” attempt to concilate, while the “Declaration of Causes” seeks to justify.