Study VS.5a

• The colonists and the English Parliament disagreed over how the colonies should be governed.
• - Parliament believed it had legal authority in the colonies, while the colonists believed their local assemblies had legal authority.
• -Parliament believed it had the right to tax the colonies, while the colonists believed they should not be taxed since they had no representation in Parliament.
• Conflicts developed between the colonies and England over how the colonies should be governed.

The Declaration of Independence gave reasons for independence and ideas for self-government.

The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson

The Declaration of Independence states that authority to govern belongs to the people rather than to kings and that all people are created equal and have rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.