History Western Civilization 2: Lesson 60 Essay- (1) “What was ‘enlightened absolutism’?” (2) “What was the constitutional dispute between the colonists and the British government that led to the American Revolution? Give specific examples of how this constitutional dispute was evident in particular events (e.g., the Stamp Act).”

“Enlightened absolutism” was when some absolute rulers tried to use Enlightenment ideas. Most absolute rulers who implemented Enlightenment ideas did so because they were friends with Enlightenment thinkers.

The colonists believed the British Parliament could not make laws for them. The colonists thought they should be able to make their own laws. The colonists thought the British government should only have authority over issues of foreign policy, war, and foreign trade policy. The colonists believed the British government did not have the authority to get involved with the internal affairs of the colonists. The colonists believed that they had the same rights as British people over in England, which meant only representatives they elect could tax them or legislate for them. Since Parliament had no representatives from the colonies, the colonists believed Parliament could not tax or legislate for them with regard to internal affairs of the colonies. The colonists believed they should govern themselves. The British government allowed the colonists to govern themselves for a while, so the colonists believed that the traditional and customary right to govern their own internal affairs wa part of the British constitution. The British constitution was not a written document, but was thought of as the traditional a rights people exercise over time. The conflict began when the British Parliament began to think it no longer had to conform to tradition and that it could do as it pleased. The issue was evident in the writs of assistance controversy. The writs of assistance gave the British troops broad search powers. The colonists thought this was unconstitutional because the British troops had never searched people’s homes before. The Stamp Act required revenue stamps to be placed on all documents and paper products to prove that you had payed a tax to the British government. The colonists thought this was unconstitutional because the British had never done this before. The British eventually revoked the writs of assistance and the Stamp Act, but they still believed Parliament could do whatever it wanted to the colonists, which led to the American Revolution.