James Otis stated his belief that "the world would always be divided between those who were discontent because they didn't have enough power, and those who felt they did." The British knew that if they lost the war they would rapidly decline from the most powerful nation, to one that was weak. They fought to retain their power. The British' motives for fighting ties into James Otis's belief because although the British were content with their power then, they knew if they lost it they would become discontent. The American Revolution was fought for one reason: both the colonists and the British were prepared to do anything just so that they might have complete power over ...view middle of the document...
The First Continental Congress met for the first time in September 1774. The colonists' result of Parliament's Intolerable Acts, the Congress tried to find someway to establish limits over Parliament's power. Later on, the Peace of Paris was made to end all of the French's power in the Americas. Both the Continental Congress and the Intolerable Acts were different ways to gain power: the Congress helped the colonists while the Intolerable Acts aided the British. On July 4, 1776, Thomas Jefferson drafted a document to explain the colonists' reasons for declaring their independence. The Declaration of Independence listed two major reasons: the colonists were being taxed without having actual representation in Parliament, and they were not being tried by a jury. Both factors led to the fact that the colonists didn't have the basic rights to make their own decisions, and in fact led to their desire for power. As stated in the Declaration, the Americans wanted a "separate and equal station among the powers of the earth." In essence, this can only mean one thing: the colonists desired power to become equal. With equality comes independence. What started out as a small dispute over the amount of power the colonists should have been allotted, escalated into a large revolution where each side fought for power. One thing is certain though: both the British and the colonists were fighting for power.
