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Grievance #5 of the Declaration of Independence

What happens when a government shuts down your representatives entirely?

In Grievance #5 of the Declaration of Independence, C. David Carlson of Trinity Academy South Bend explains how King George III dissolved colonial legislatures when they pushed back against British policies.

Colonial assemblies had a long history of self-government, managing local affairs and representing the people. But as tensions grew in the late 1760s and 1770s, those assemblies began coordinating resistance to British taxes. The response from the Crown was clear: shut them down.

Massachusetts was one of the first, but it didn’t stop there. Other colonies faced the same fate, especially as they moved toward unified action through the Continental Congress.

This wasn’t just a political disagreement anymore. Dissolving representative governments signaled something bigger: a shift from conflict over policy to a crisis over power and self-rule.

This is Part 5 of our 27-part series breaking down every grievance that led to the American Revolution, building toward Independence Day.

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