What were the reasons the colonists gave for not wanting to declare their independence?

Answer 1

They had been dependant of the British government for so long that declaring independance was hugely controversial at the time. So naturally, some members of the Continental Congress favored independance while others were in favor of ultimately making peace with the British. But they realized that this was not possible and even if it were, they would all be hing for treason.

Answer 2

Most people were loyal to the King and thought that the enemy of America was Parliament. To declare independence, they would have to separate from the king for he was the true enemy. There was no way that they could win the war without the support of all of the colonist. Once Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" came out (Thomas Paine was an average citizen at the time) and changed the mind set.

Answer 3

Well there is a lot of revolutions that colonists took part in. I can answer anything about the American Revolution. The reasons were 1. They were loyal to King George. 2. Economic reasons 3. They did not truly believe in the government that the was formed by the Americans was either legitimate, and would work/last in the long run. 4. Protection that the British government offered. 5. Believed that the 13 Colonies could work out any problems with Great Britain without using violence, and separating from the British Empire. 6. They wanted to stay British or remain members of the British Empire.

Answer 4

Initially, it was mainly because they saw themselves as British subjects. They believed in the British system and British laws, and did not want that relationship to end. They felt that their problem was simply a political disagreement with Parliament, and not with the entirety of the British government. Others, especially those influenced by certain pacifist religious persuasions such as the Quakers, were fundamentally opposed to war and would not support independence, knowing it would certainly lead to a war.

Once the Revolutionary War started, some of the opposition finally got on board. Those who continued to oppose declaring independence generally wanted to make sure things were ready- for example, they wanted to make sure that the colonies had the support of foreign allies, and wanted to make sure a new government and laws were already set up before making the declaration. They wound up not getting those demands either, at least not until much later (the war started in 1775, but France didn't ally with the Colonists until 1778, and the Articles of Confederation were written in 1777 but not fully ratified until 1781).

John Dickinson of Pennsylvania was one of the Founding Fathers who led the small anti-war faction of the Continental Congress. He wrote two petitions to King George to attempt reconciliation; when those failed, he still refused to sign the Declaration of Independence. He did help write the Articles of Confederation, and also briefly served in Pennsylvania's militia during the war. He continued to serve in Congress (for some time representing Delaware), and helped write the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Answer 5

they would lose the support of powerful friends in England

Answer 6

The British were still open to compromise and negotiations