Taking Charge of Your Destiny

        At the time the Declaration of Independence was written, the colonists were already becoming increasingly frustrated with King George III’s colonial policies. In the list of grievances, the colonists stated, “He [King George III] has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. “ (pg. 121 in the textbook). This meant that King George III was summoning the legislative bodies, “representing” the colonists, to strange and distant places in order to dissuade them from passing legislation and accepting his unfair policies. As a consequence of ratifying the Constitution, today every state enjoys representation and has it’s own legislative bodies, who can pass laws that would benefit the people of each state. In 1765, Prime Minister George Grenville of Britain passed the Quartering Act, which required the colonies to provide food and quarters for British troops in their homes. This outraged the colonists to an extent in which they included this in their list of grievances in the Declaration of Independence, which stated, “He [King George III] has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the consent of our legislatures.” (pg. 121 in the textbook).  Today, the Third Amendment to the Constitution states, “No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house without the consent of the owner…”  Although the list of grievances are long, the above mentioned are considered to be the most poignant ones.