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The impact of the American Revolution on American society
American Revolution impact on society
The impact of the American Revolution on American society
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The American Revolution is promptly associated with the famous battles of Lexington and Concord and Declaration of Independence. Moreover, the American Revolution is not all about the drapery of the renowned battles or the freedom writings, it is about colonists like the loyalists who supported England, the British who thought they could win the war by taking the American South, and diseases, like smallpox, which desolated the soldiers of war.
The first shots to be fired came from Lexington and Concord in 1775, starting what would be a long a tumultuous journey toward American independence. Not all colonists were for revolution, some colonists swore their oath to the king of England, they were known as loyalists. Loyalists were sympathetic
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Victory swayed between both warring parties during the Revolution; nevertheless, the British thought they could manage the ultimate victory by conquering the American South in autumn of 1778. With the numerous loyalists in the South England assumed they would hastily claim their allegiance to the crown. The British experienced success only for a short period of time; “…supporters of Congress and the new South Carolina revolutionary government mobbed, tortured, and imprisoned supporters of the king.” With the rebel’s tactics they “…thwarted the British offensive in the Carolinas.” Without the backcountry rebel militias defending their lands, Britain may have won the South. The American Continental army “…lost many conventional battles, but the militia kept the British from restoring political control over the backcountry.” The American Revolution took the lives of approximately 8,000 soldiers in its many battles, moreover, further soldiers died from deadly diseases. In 1775 “…a smallpox epidemic…broke out first among American troops in Quebec.” Furthermore, this disease soon waged war down the coast of the Americas. In the …show more content…
However, it did not declare how after augmenting this independence how the colonies were supposed to be governed. That is why a constitution for national government was erected, and in February 1781 after approval by all the states, the Articles of Confederation came into effect. These Articles provided a new body of government, and it appeared the lack of a centralized government was finally answered. However, the Articles had major faults, the newly independent Congress “…could not levy taxes or even regulate trade…even worse the national government had no distinct executive branch.” The power lay within the states, this was a problem that had to be fixed quickly if the colonies wanted to remain successful. To amend the Articles James Madison proposed the Virginia Plan, which reworked a portion of the Articles which allowed one vote for each state in Congress, the new plan allowed that “representatives to both houses would be apportioned according to population.” The plan also corrected the Articles practice of government “…by adding an executive…elected by Congress…independent federal judiciary.” All the problems brought forth by the Articles seem to be absolved, nevertheless, colonists known as the Anti-Federalists, were fearful of losing some their personal liberties. They proposed that a Bill of Rights, and in 1791 the Bill of Rights became officially
Lucia Raatma’s “The Battles of Lexington and Concord” is important because it describes why the battles were fought and their effects. The American Revolution as a whole was fought to “give colonies freedom from British rule” (Raatma 4) due to unfair taxation from King III of England (Raatma 8). This shows that the driving force of the revolution was the dissatisfaction of the colonists concerning the treatment they received from the king. As a result, the colonists had had enough of the unfairness and tyranny and decided to take matters into their own hands. Several acts of protests, such as the Boston Tea Party, made the British king “furious” (Raatma 10). As a response to these protests, the king sent more soldiers and made stricter laws, which only made colonists even more upset. The back and forth tension between the colonists and the British government was the reason why the Battle of Lexington and Concord occurred, and in turn, why the American Revolution began. The American Revolution caught attention from the entire world, giving the nickname to the first shot fired the “shot heard ‘round the world” (Raatma 5). The 13 colonies who were weak economically and militarily, were taking on Great Britain, a world power with a strong military, a situation which naturally other countries wanted to see. The firing of the first shot at Lexington marked the beginning of a revolution that other countries, such as France and Haiti, would soon attempt to mimic. There were several factors that contributed to the beginning of the revolution, which are significant around the world.
During the American Revolution, the Americans aspired to keep their government as far away from the resemblance of the British government as possible. Politics were changing in a time where the monarchs ruled the American people, that had to be put to a stop. States’ rights were being advocated into the new United States government as much as humanly possible. James Madison was a helper in writing the Federalist papers along with John Jay and Alexander Hamilton. Madison writes “you must first enable the government to control the governed” (Doc I), which demonstrates the authority that the Federalists initially wanted
During the War for American Independence, 78 men were commissioned as general officers into the Continental Army by the Continental Congress. Many of these generals commanded troops with differing levels of competence and success. George Washington is typically seen as most important general, however throughout the war a number of his subordinates were able to distinguish themselves amongst their peers. One such general was Nathanael Greene. At the end of the Revolutionary War, Greene would become Washington’s most important subordinate, as demonstrated by Edward Lengel’s assessment of Greene as “the youngest and most capable of Washington’s generals.” Washington and Greene developed a strong, positive and close relationship between themselves. Greene began his life in the military after having been raised a Quaker. With limited access to literature and knowledge in his younger years, Greene became an avid reader which equipped him with the knowledge necessary to excel as a general during the war. Through his devoted study of military operations, firsthand experience and natural abilities as a soldier, Greene became an excellent military commander. He would become known for his successful southern campaign, during which, he loosened British control of the South and helped lead the war to its climax at Yorktown. Throughout the war, he was involved in a number high profile battles where he built a reputation of being an elite strategist who also understood unconventional warfare, logistics, and the importance of military-civil affairs and had a natural political/social acumen. The thesis of this paper is that Greene’s proven reputation of being a soldier, strategist and statesman would cause him to become the second greates...
The Revolutionary War began in 1775 as a result of the political struggle for American Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.2 By 1776, British strategists devised a plan to isolate the northern colonies where patriot support for independence was greatest. The plan was to advance south from Canada along the Hudson River Valley and converge on Albany, New York.3 The British forces numbered 6,500 and were a mixture of British regulars, Canadians, German Hessians, and colonists loyal to Britain4. Major General John Burgoyne commanded the British forces.
The American Revolution began in 1775 when America fought for their independence America had been under British rule for many years. The British Mistreated the colonists for several years, America was tired and wanted their independence. The need for a own nation and independence lead to the The American Revolutionary. From september 28 to October 19 ,1781 American and Great Britain have the last engagement at Yorktown, Virginia. General George Washington was the Commander-in-chief of the army lead America to its victory alongside french allied lieutenant Général Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau. They both join their forces to finally
... that ended the revolution with an American victory. The English finally surrendered after many years of fighting. Britain had significant military disadvantages. Since they had to cross a sea, their information and resources were delayed. Since the colonies had not been unified under one central government before the war there wasn’t a central area of any kind of significance. This ensemble of factors caused the British to fail.
The American Revolution, or otherwise known as the American War of Independence, took place between the years of 1775-1783. The war was fought between Great Britain and the 13 British North American colonies. The American Revolution caused a series of traumatic events. The American colonists were justified in waging war because the British seized the rights of the colonists, the American colonists did not have a say in Parliament, the Boston Massacre, and incoherent decisions involving taxes by the British King. For example, the British were believed to have too much power.
The American Revolution is also know as the United States War of Independence. The American Revolutionary War was fought from 1775 to 1783. It was fought between Great Britain and the thirteen colonies. Tensions had been building between the colonists and the British authorities long before the war began. The war was caused by the taxes, strict rules and regulations set by the British. The British made attempts to raise the taxes for the colonists and this did not please the colonists. So,
The American Revolution was the very first contemporary revolution. A revolution is defined as an aggressive takeover of a government or a command in order to get a new, better system in place. The American Revolution was fought between America and Great Britain. In 1755, the Revolution took place because America wanted and needed a change; they wanted to be independent from Great Britain. America craved liberty and independence. The American Revolution was the first historic time that a group of people would fight for independence for the reason of gaining a set of moralities that were universal and would act as laws. The main reason why Americans wanted to be free of the rule of Great Britain was because of trade regulations, and taxes. The American Revolution ultimately started because of the issues that the British economy put in place.
America was first settled by the europeans, Spanish, and the french. They all settled for land and power, and battled for land in the North American continent, dividing the Continent into 3different territories. The europeans were the first to have bring slaves to the Americas. Europeans began to settle in the new world and gain dominance over the 13 original British colonies. These states were divided by the reason they were settled. New England- Connecticut, new Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island was settled for Religious freedom. The middle states- Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania and New jersey were settled for trade. The southern states -Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina was settled for farming,The French and Indian war pushed more division in the states because after the British had
The American Revolution was a political revolution that separated England’s North American colonies from Great Britain and led to the formation of the United States of America. The Revolution was achieved in large part by the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), which was fought between England against America and its allies (France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic). The American Revolution embodied and reflected the principles of the Enlightenment, which emphasized personal liberty and freedom from tyranny among other ideals. The American revolutionaries and the Founding Fathers of the United States sought to create a nation without the shackles of the rigid social hierarchy that existed in Europe. Although the American Revolution succeeded
The road to revolution was marked by economic strife and political turmoil, but it had tremendous implications for the colonies. During the late 1700s, the English Parliament implemented various restrictive acts in the colonies that stirred up resentment. In response to these acts, the colonies put up a united front and developed a strong national identity that still persists today.
represented in Britain, and yet they were being taxed on things that those living in Britain
Most American colonists were more motivated than the Redcoats were to fight and defeat their rivals in the war. The colonists had many reasons for them to defeat the British. The Colonists were treated unfairly by the British and they believed Great Britain had too much control over them. “The colonists' disappointment began shortly after the French and Indian War ended in 1763, when the British government tried to reduce the debt incurred during the war by collecting additional taxes and gaining more control over the colonies,” ("Reasons for the Revolution on Colonial Williamsburg's Website."). These factors angered the colonists to keep fighting until Great Britain was
The colonists first arrived on the new land in 1607 at first it was about colonizing, exploring, and starting a colony there (Hutchinson Encyclopedia). Then the British started to take an interest in the colonies because they had many resources that could be made there and sent back to Great Britain (History Book). The British started to tax them on goods that would be sent out (American Age of Revolution). When the colonies got fed up with this they asked the King if they were not of Britain descendants and the King replied saying that “they were not and that they were like peasants working in the fields” (History Book). This went on for a while until the Americans could no longer take it so they started the revolution (History Book). At the beginning of the revolution one-third of the Americans supported the rebellion, another third opposed it, and the final third remained neutral and took no side (The American revolution) The strategies they used were avoiding large-scale confrontations with the royal army witch made it impossible for the British to deliver a knockout blow (History Book). This made the British very upset because this made it very hard to find out where the enemy is going to be attacking and how many are going to be attacking (History Book). The American army surrender only once to the British during the Revolution at Charleston in 1780 (History Book). Another strategy they used was guerrilla warfare, wh...