s and Britain became quite distinguishable and apparent. The ancestors of the early adventurers experienced a different sort of liberty and patriotism in America than in its parent state. Suddenly though, this sense of self-rule came to an abrupt end. Britain began challenging the autonomous rule that they had indirectly granted the colonies. John Locke argued that all individuals possessed certain “natural rights” such as life, liberty, and property (Greene, 96). It was the responsibility of the government to protect those inalienable rights. When Britain began imposing sanctions that limited the colonists’ natural rights, it violated its responsibility to its dependents. Therefore, Locke’s theory provided an intellectual justification for resistance to British authority. Furthermore, Locke believed that if the government failed in preserving the natural rights of the individual then rebellion is justified (Greene, 96). Due to the development of powerful colonial cities, the end of salutary neglect of the colonies by Britain, and the increasing tension between Britain and the colonies, the American Revolution was inevitable.What was once considered a territory of rural communities and towns grew to states consisting of large urban cities. As the society of the states became more complex and integrated, dependence upon the parent country began to dwindle. As the states matured, their inhabitants were no longer immigrants of Great Britain, but were born and raised in colonial America. A sense of patriotism was bred, and the younger generations cared less about the roots of their country than the future of it. Many leaders emerged, their thoughts were spread, and opponents of “foreign” rule arose.Stephen Hopkins, the colonial governor of Rhode Island at the time of the Stamp Act controversy, stated that, “those who are governed at the will of another, or of others, and whose property m...
