Declaration Of Independence: The Importance Of The Quartering Act

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British soldiers not only made it a point to steal away the colonist's freedom of speech by convicting them of treason, they also grew to steal away their right to security and freedom of privacy through the Quartering Act established by Parliament. The Quartering Act was generated as one of the many pieces of legislatures devised to diminish the power in which the colonies had, providing that they are required to house and feed the armed British soldiers upon their request or face severe consequences. In the Declaration of Independence, one of the many grievances in which the colonists held with Great Britain involved the forced “quartering [of] large bodies of armed troops among” the unprotected colonists without their consent in addition to the soldiers’ protection “from …show more content…
This was considered a significant invasion of security and privacy meant to belittle them and force them to submission, which angered the population as British tyranny was clearly evident in allowing these soldiers to have such grand authority over them without any respect provided. Due to these events, when establishing their own country after independence was won, they felt the need to ensure the people freedom from such political abuse of freedom and privacy, and ensure safety and security without terror among the masses. Therefore, when the representatives of the colonies sat down to write the Bill of Rights in which to guarantee American citizens certain freedoms, they made sure to address this issue specifically in the second amendment: “No soldier shall, in times of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war” (US Const.