The colonists’ sense of identity and unity as Americans was further developed when they coalesced to fight the British. Many people who lived in the colonies were not English; they were German, Dutch, Swedish, Jewish, Scots-Irish, and French. Some people were a mixture of many different ethnic groups. This “mixed” group of people, which could not be found anywhere else in the world, that united to fight for their rights led to the creation of a separate identity (from Britain). The British thought that this “open Rebellion” was unjustifiable and that the colonists had no reason to turn against their mother country, who “…protected them against the Ravages of their Enemies…” (Document F). The American colonists insisted that they were still
The reason why the colonist declared independence from Great Britain was because of unfair taxes. There was other cause factor of why the colonist wanted freedom but taxes were the beginning of the American revolution. Great Britain was in debt due to the Seven-Years war. They started to impose new taxes and policy on the colonist so they can also help Britain pay off their debt. Great Britain impose different policies, the Stamp act 1765 which imposed taxes on stamps needed for official documents, Townshend Revenue act 1767 which taxes glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea, and the Tea Act 1773 which taxes tea.
The colonists had one interest. They wanted to be treated fairly. However, they believed the new laws were unfair, so they took action. The colonists resisted and wanted to be free because they thought the British weren’t treating them the way they should be treated.
There are many things that led up to the Imperial Crisis, but there are five that are more prominent than others. They are the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, the Boston Massacre, the Tea Act, and the Boston Tea Party. Each of these was very important to starting the revolution against Great Britain and the Imperial Crisis. The Sugar Act of 1764 led to the Imperial Crisis because this was the first act the British had ratified to tax not only their own people, but the colonists as well.
The idea of independence and freedom from Britain was a large concept during the time of the Revolution. The taxes that the British were imposing on colonists often led to uprising that amalgamated the colonists together. The idea of the Homespun virtue was a symbolism for American economic independence from the British imported good it also reflected the self- sacrifice colonist made from the luxury good of Britain. This idea united the Northern and Southern colonists to fight British imported goods. The schism during the time of the Revolution came from the wealthy plantation owners fearing that the their land will be taken away and divided amongst the poor after the revolution.
At first because the American people felt that they were part of Britain that they would be free of taxes with the goals of making revenue. The first of these taxes was the Stamp act causing direct tax on the colonies. Due to colonists not being represented and taxes becoming higher, the population began to try to reconcile with Britain peacefully however this led to a divide between those loyal to Britain called the loyalists and those who felt oppressed to the point of immediate action called the Patriots. In churches, ministers such as the Quaker leader tried to settle down their congregation by addressing the attitude that people were feeling and discussing in a candid tone how harmony would eventually be restored.(Doc 4) Patriots did not believe this publishing documents peacefully participated in boycotts against british goods in a silent revolving against the British government. However due to the taxes following the stamp act such as the tea acht and the cohesive acts tension grew to the point of revolts.
Why In The Americas of 1775, You’d be Safer as a Loyalist At the point in which the Revolutionary War started in 1775 Americans compelled to decide weather they would support Britain and become a loyalist, or fight for there freedom as a Patriot. The loyalist, also known as Tories, supported the mother country whereas Patriots strongly resisted and past or present ties to Britain. For many of the colonist, the decision was not an easy one. There were numerous variables that were considered other than loyalty the monarch or ones freedom. When making this commitment, colonist pondered who's victory they'd benefit more from, the British or the colonies.
From the first day that they landed in America, the colonists from Britain knew the meaning of struggle. Many years later, after the first settlements in America, the colonists were still British citizens and thought of themselves as such. However, tensions began to mount between colonists and their government across the ocean as complications arose from the chaos of war and its aftermath. Amidst the changes occurring in the colonies and the rules that governed them, some colonists began to question the authority of the king and Parliament. Although the British protected them, the American colonists were justified in waging war and breaking away from Britain because the British oppressed them with taxes and tyranny.
The sepoy rebellion was caused by a feeling of British superiority over the Indian people. They didn’t respect them as much as they should and this went on for a while, but the last straw for the Indians was when the British used pigs and cow fat to oil and grease their guns. It started when the British vehemently “encouraged” Sepoys(and other Indians) to convert to Christianity, and it was their intent to have Christianity be their prime religion “[The Proclamation of the King of Delhi] stated that the English Government intended to make all brahmins ito christians…”. (Sita Ram, Document C). Then after that, the new rifle came out.
Before the American Revolution, the colonists still considered themselves to be English and followed British rule. However, the American revolution allowed them to separate themselves from British rule and form their own separate power. This separate power unified the colonists who now shared the same political, religious, cultural, racial, historical, linguistic, and ideological views which were different from their views under British rule. They were beginning to pave the way to becoming "Americans" rather than English.
There are many factors that lead to a dual identity between the North American colonist and the British. One of the first factors during the 18th century was the colonial economy was growing rapidly. This was largely due to the immense immigration. The Dutch, German and Irish began to weave among the population. During this time, the colonial population was growing just as fast as the economy.
1. Patrick Henry proclaimed that he was not a Virginian, but rather an American. What unified the colonists and what divided them at the time of the revolution. - The colonists were unified because they did not want to continue under the rule of Britain.
The settlers felt that the British government were treating them unfairly, and their rights were violated. The conflict between the British Government and settler helped to gather political ideas to break away from the British Government and declare their own independent nation.
The British government was not looking for the best of the people. They were only thinking about what they wanted; the government was not interested in what the people wanted so they decided to make decisions on their own, which resulted in changes that form the United States today. Because of this, they were justified in rebelling and declaring independence. One reason why the colonists decided to rebel and declare independence was because of taxation.
To find both a sense of unity and their own identity, the colonists banded together in the face of adversity, they also found a sense of identity and unity due to a lack of a sense of belonging, and through the passing of the Townshend Act. As more and more colonists began to turn their back on England, they realized,
The people of America (colonists) were tired of being controlled by England. They wanted to be free and independent. They believed that they were able to control themselves and be their own country. They wanted England to let go of their control and to view them as independent and their own country.