Leading up to the Boston Massacre Who knew that a shot fired by British soldiers in the streets of Boston in 1770 would spark the American Revolution? It all started with King George III, who became king of Great Britain and Ireland in 1760. He was only 22 years old. The first war that he participated in was known as the French and Indian War. “When France’s expansion into the Ohio River valley brought repeated conflict with the claims of the British colonies, a series of battles led to the official British declaration of war in 1756.”
The French and Indian war (1754-63) resulted in political, economic and ideological relations between British and its American colonies. Even during the time of war, population was booming. The land was becoming too small for the people, which meant the Americans needed more land. France was not going to let the colonists into their land, meaning there was only one way to go: west. The people that occupied such land were the people that were there since the beginning when the first colonists arrived.
If you were to halt a random person on the streets of a large city and ask them to explain exactly how America came to be, chances are they wouldn’t be able to answer solidly. Well, unless they happen to be a history teacher. Although, most American citizens don’t even know who the ruler of England was when the 13 colonies came. There’s a lot of misconceptions, too. Like how Columbus ‘discovered’ America and that George Washington was the first president.
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 started around April of 1775, when British redcoats and American militiamen exchanged gunshots in Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. However, that was only the beginning of the fighting; the reasons for the war date from years prior, when resistance from the
Jefferson’s Election, the “revolution of 1800” was not revolutionary in the sense of “a massive popular upheaval or an upending of the political system”. He did not beat Adams by a landslide or hugely impact society just by winning the election. When considering his election to be a revolution, he meant that America was finally going back to it’s old ways, back to the “original spirit of the Revolution. Jefferson did not agree with Hamilton, Adams or any Federalists views, he believed that they went against what the country stood for. The election of 1800 was justified because for once a president who represented “the common man” was in office.
You may be wondering, “What was the American Revolution?” Well, that is a very good question. The American Revolution took place in the 1700’s. It was a time where many people fought for their rights, freedom, land, faith, and many more important issues. The people of King George lll left their country, Britain, to start a new life in America.
Was the American Revolution preventable? There are plenty of reasons and different lists of why the American Revolution was started. There are some people who question its inevitability. The three main reasons that the war started were, as follows: the French and Indian War, the Intolerable Acts, and the Boston Massacre.
Was the American Revolution revolutionary? Most would say yes, but there are some who question how truly revolutionary it was. In A Young People’s History of the United States in chapter 5 Howard Zinn states, “Much of the property taken from loyalists went to enrich the Revolutionary leaders and friends.” In other words, during the war much of the poor working men and women’s land was taken and given to the wealthy to make them even more powerful.
During the 1700s the British government had to pay off huge debts due to participating in wars throughout Europe and even the New World. The British Parliament decided to tax the colonies in the New World to pay off the debt because the colonies were very successful. In order to pay off huge debts, the Parliament passed ACTS that made the colonist very unhappy and started the American Revolution. The American Revolution is considered a revolution because of the Sugar Act, Stamp Act, and lastly, a large population rebelled against the British rules. With all these factors coming together, it proves that the American Revolution is indeed a revolution.
In 1775, America was thrust into its first war on American soil, best known as the American Revolution. This was the first time that the British had recognized the United States as an independent country. There are several possibilities as to the cause of this well-known war and the true cause of the revolution was most likely multifactorial. However the most common themes as to the cause of the American Revolution was either an uprising and revolution between the original 13 colonies or a conservative reaction to British action against the colonies themselves.
“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.” This quote comes from Thomas Paine, author of Common Sense, and a key player in getting the American colonists to support the American revolution. This would be a revolution that changed the course of history itself, and would later on create a world superpower. However, was a revolution necessary? Was the killing of British and colonists alike worth breaking away from Britain?
Eric Hoffer once wrote, “We used to think that revolutions are the cause of change. Actually, it is the other way around: change prepares the ground for revolution.” The American revolution, according to David Dzurec took place, “Between 1770 and 1776, as the American relationship with Britain disintegrated” (432). Relationships were destroyed when the British started imposing unfair taxes to their colonies without an agreement of any sort. With the colonists being unable to pay their taxes, a rebellion was declared.