Stamp+Act+Project

Louisa Tse Mr. Hurley Period 5 October 26, 2010


 * __Support or Refute: The Sons of Liberty were justified in using the mob as a political tactic. Use evidence from the document to support your opinion.__**

The Sons of Liberty were NOT justified in using the mob as a political tactic. The Sons of Liberty had their own reasons for rebelling against the British, but using the mob as a political tactic was not the best way to get the British’s attention. In their point of view, they were doing a good thing by using this tactic, but in reality, they hurt a lot of innocent people and caused more problems than they intended to. Whether or not they intended to hurt people, the fact that they did cannot be overlooked. If it meant hurting people just for their benefit, then they could not have been justified.

Yes, it was the British’s fault for giving the colonists a luxurious life, then taking it away, and I understand that the colonists were upset about this, but causing trouble and suffering would not give them the rights that they wanted. Instead, they would have become less likely to get those rights, with their behavior; they didn’t deserve to have rights. Wanting to be British and not paying taxes like a British, then using a mob tactic just because they’re angry is really stupid. The British voluntarily helped the colonists during the French & Indian war, and saved their lives. The least the colonists could do was pay their taxes in peace, and not causing a riot. Due to the mob tactic, many British properties were vandalized and destroyed. For example, Governor Thomas Hutchinson’s house was vandalized and wrecked, just because he supported the Stamp Act. His house was broken into; all his personal items were destroyed and thrown out of his house by angry colonists. Anger overcame the Sons of Liberty, causing them to go too far into this rebellion.

The Sons of Liberty were wrong to have used the mob tactic. Violence was frowned upon and no one would be happy to have gone through with this. There were many ways to achieve their goal, but they didn’t necessarily have to use violence to do it. Vandalizing property, not paying taxes to your own country, hurting innocent people? No matter what view you look from, the Sons of Liberty could not have been justified. If they had thought of the problems and consequences that would have happened, then maybe things wouldn’t have turned out the way it did. This is why the Sons of Liberty were not justified in using the mob as a political tactic.