History

Role of the Government

For hundreds of years, the American colonies were the most profitable piece of real estate owned by the English government. As one of the dominant world powers, the English relied on the goods and resources that came from the colonies in order to keep them strong. Controlling the territory was not easy given the distance and ocean that separated the two lands. Given that, the English established the policy of salutary neglect toward the colonies. This worked for both parties as it gave the colonies local control of their government affairs (and got the British off their backs a bit) and secured the economic control the English government desired. 

Things began to sour between the two sides in the 1760s as the British passed a number of restrictive taxes that deeply angered the colonists. The Stamp Act, the Sugar Act, the Quartering Act, and the Townshend Acts all impacted the colonists' financial well-being. Not only were the colonists forced to pay more money for the necessary materials for their lives and businesses, but they weren't even consulted about the laws. Anyone in the American colonies was considered an English citizen. As such, the colonists felt they deserved a seat in the British Parliament to voice their opinion. The British never allowed it, thus leading to the famous protest slogan of "no taxation without representation." As colonial tempers continued to rise, so the did the level of British restrictions. From the perspective of many colonists, there was no going back and the only recourse would be war.

Conditions for the People

For many of the colonists, life under the British monarchy had been pretty good. People were able to make a successful living and live rather comfortably given the time. The life expectancy was better, the cost of living was cheaper, and people were even taller in the American colonies than back home in England. But as the British clamped down and rules became more restrictive, so did life in many places in the colonies. All of a sudden, it became a lot more expense to survive because of British taxes on paper goods, sugar, tea, and many other items that were part of people's daily lives. In some places, life would become more violent as clashes with tax collection officers rose and tension between the British and colonists escalated. 

Things were especially difficult in Boston, which became the center of both revolutionary action and British punishment. Despite the success of the Boston Massacre trials - where the colonists found British soldiers not guilty of murder in spite of public pressure - Britain decided to make the city an example to all others that dared to protest. Soon after the trial, the Intolerable Acts were passed. While it would cost Bostonians more money, they were most upset about the loss of rights. Trials would now take place in England and the king ordered that the colonists house any British soldiers that required it. Soon the colonists plotted attacks on the British and it led to the Battles of Lexington and Concord. From that point forward, American colonists would endure years of difficult war.

UDHR Violations

Article 1 - The English were not upholding their duty of brotherhood in regards to the American colonies. Through their actions, the British took away rights they were expected to uphold as fellow Englishmen and human beings. This was a result of the various acts listed above.

Article 3 - By enacting the Quartering Act the British clearly violated the colonists right to life and security of person. By forcibly living with the colonists, many people suffered an unfair invasion of privacy.

Article 7 - One could argue the American colonists were a discriminated segment of the English society and did not receive equal treatment under the law that their fellow British citizens living at home received. This is proved by looking additional taxes, quartering of soldiers, and removal of trials and local government. Additionally, this was the only part of the English population that did not have any representation within Parliament.

Articles 8 and 10 - Once certain trials were removed from the colonies, the right to an effective remedy to problems was removed as well. This also makes it highly unlikely that any colonist shipped to England could receive a fair trial.

Article 21 (1) - Led by the Sons of Liberty, the cries of, "No taxation without representation," could be heard throughout the colonies. Not having a representative in Parliament was a clear violation of this article.