THE INTELLECTUAL AND MORAL AMBIENCE OF COLONIAL AMERICA DURING THE TOWNSHEND ACTS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

This article attempts to study the ambience of Colonial America during the imposition of the Townshend Acts in 1767 in the American colonies by Great Britain. Unlike other revolutions which are characterised by bloodshed and violence, it was marked by pacifism. This was possible because the revolutionaries expressed their resentment against the oppressive British measures not through violence, but through the intellectual method of writing sedate pamphlets and delivering calm and thought-provoking speeches. The colonists also viewed the British oppression as a means to purify themselves from the sin of luxury and to dedicate themselves to industry and hard work. This was responsible in replacing a bloody revolution by a pacifistic one, at least until the last stage of the revolution.