It’s been over 200 years since the original thirteen colonies of America fought their revolutionary war against Great Britain, in hopes of achieving their independence. We shall be going through a few areas of the Revolution, such as the military, social hierarchy, the role of men and women during the war, the colonists’ values of equality and their social contract response to the British government’s abuses, and we’ll compare these areas to the present day.
The American revolution was all about freedom and liberty. Characters throughout the story voice different opinions on their idea of freedom and liberty. During this fight for freedom and liberty, there were three main groups. Patriots(colonist against the king), Loyalists(colonist for the king), and the slaves. They all describe freedom and liberty in different ways. These are the ways they describe them.
Historically, it is believed that the causes of large scale events and wars are often rooted in the outcomes of previous conflicts. The American Revolution, one of the largest most historically significant events of all time, was caused by a multitude of events. Specifically, many of the causes were in fact the results of past conflicts and ongoing tension, such as the French and Indian War and British taxation acts. Contrary to popular belief, the impact of American Revolution was not solely confined to the colonies and the British crown. Aside from leading to American independence, the American Revolution was a part of a larger global conflict, involving issues between Great Britain, France, and other foreign nations. Overall, the outcome
In colonial America, the citizens did not know exactly what they wanted for their government. The colonists knew they didn’t want their lives to be like they had been in England. They were open to ideas; they did not know what would work and what wouldn’t. The colonists knew that trial and error was the best idea at the time. The democratic and undemocratic features of colonial America were very apparent in that democracy as it was a work in progress.
The colonist didn’t like the laws the British made so they did many disastrous things the British didn’t like so as things kept getting worse it led to the American Revolution.
The American Revolution emerged due to increased tensions between the American Colonists and the British government during the colonist’s growing desire for Independence. As a result of the Revolution, documents outlining an independent government were shaped. The first being the Articles of Confederation followed by the Constitution. The second amendment of the Constitution of the United States was of particular importance and necessity during the Revolutionary era due to its significance in the Militia, the people’s need to protect themselves, and as assurance that colonists received the necessary freedoms they fought to achieve.
In Chapter 3 of American Revolutions: A Continental History, 1750 – 1804, entitled “Slaves”, Alan Taylor describes an America dependent upon British rule while struggling with its own identity and concepts of freedom. The Colonists, angered by burdensome British taxation, initially bristle at the thought of independence from the Crown; it is only after continued subjugation to their oppressive Tax Acts that they grow despondent and rebellious and envision the possibility of self-governance. Britain mocks the irony of the Sons of Liberty decrying their enslavement while enslaving others, further highlighting the incongruity of their plight. The divide deepens between rulers and ruled. Slavery
1776 marked a significant year in American history. That was the year in which the U.S. declared its independence from its fathering nation, Britain. Britain did not just give America the freedom, America fought for their freedom. American broke away for numerous reasons. This paper will explain why the colonists broke away and whether or not their reasons for waging war and breaking justified.
Despite Thomas Paine’s numerous contributions to the world, he is often overshadowed by John Locke, the so-called father of democracy. However, by modifying the public’s understanding of Locke, Paine altered the character and destiny of both American and World History. Thomas Paine’s ideas and efforts inspired and focused the American Revolution; he provided the colonists with the ideals and courage needed for the founding of a new nation. In his efforts to unite and direct the colonists, Paine created what may have been one of his greatest phrases: The United States of America. He provided Americans and Europeans with the rational thought, inspiration, and confidence to reject outmoded social and political structures of the past and the courage to implement ideals of freedom, equality, and human rights to provide a better future for mankind. As a result, America was not founded on the ideas of John Locke, but upon the transformation of his concepts by Thomas Paine. Thomas Paine transformed Lockean principles by reforming them from lofty philosophies into common
In the 1700’s Thomas Paine, a journalist wrote a pamphlet challenging the power of the British government and debating what gives them the authority to rule over the colonists. His pamphlet was a hit within the colonies because he spoke to their hearts and the thoughts they had already acquired of the relationship they were having with Great Britain. During the time of the distribution of this pamphlet the tension the colonies felt of having Great Britain’s limiting control was beginning to be too much. At this time they were debating whether to declare their independence although they did not have all of the kinks worked out of how they were to construct their own government to reside over the people. That is when Thomas Paine’s Common Sense came into play and gave the colonists motivation as a contributing factor that drove them to declare their independence.
The American Revolution was the world-changing birth of a nation that was founded on the strong belief of natural rights and freedom through independence. These beliefs, however, were not what the initial supporters of what would become the revolution intended. Instead, these people, known as the gentry, had initially sought to preserve their authority to rule, a right they believed they already had. Although, after employing the middle sort to help them and slowly giving them more power, new radical ideas had emerged. Suddenly, the gentry’s wish of restoring their authoritative power changed into a nationwide fight for natural rights and independence. By the time the war ended, even the gentry themselves were changed by these radical ideas.
When looking at the social and political changes that took place during the early American colonies you can see a steady progression towards ideologies that would lead to the Revolution. When you have different levels of government being put in place by the states depending upon their needs, where rural areas had different court systems than more urban areas, you see a level of independence for governance that the colonists began to see the benefit of having, separate from the rule of the Crown. To counter this increase in independence. the Crown implemented ever changing political positions that could be assigned to those who were loyal to the Crown and the social hierarchy that was prevalent in Britain at the time. These actions of corruption
It’s unthinkable to nail down the elements of the American Revolution. Innumerable events were the beginning of it all. I believe that imposing taxes without representation set the level for the Declaration of Independence and the American War. By 1763, assessments were intolerable in Britain and still ascending, but in the coming four years, the British Parliament start passing laws to boost money through taxing the American settlers. These rules caused serious financial misery in the colonies and establish displeasure toward the British authority. Two acts created during this era can be seen as the prelude to the inexorable uprising that would come
The American Revolution or also known as The War of Independence was brought on by American colonists. The colonists felt the taxations and limitations oppressed onto the Americans by British was worth fighting for their rights. The Americans had George Washington as their general, and Washington had an itch to keep the moral of the colonists alive during the hard times. In the times of The American Revolution, the Second Continental Congress emerged and voted for freedom from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin came together and formed a document stating the colonists’ intent to gain independence from Great Britain. This document was adopted on the fourth of July in seventeen seventy-six, the document was named The Declaration of Independence and would forever change the course of history of The United States of America or possibly the whole world.
Even though The Patriot is not a completely accurate portrayal of The American Revolution it is a pretty good portrayal of how times were back during revolutionary times. During “The Patriot” you can see how America was socially, during the revolution how all the colonies felt about the war, how they communicated since they didn’t have the technology we have today. In “The Patriot” you can also see what the struggles were politically since the government didn’t really have a lot of power back then and congress could find a way to fund the war. Also, “The Patriot” shows how our country was doing economically without a real plan or solution to make money. Finally “The Patriot” shows how powerful we were militarily and how much of a struggle