More handpicked essays just for you.
The American revolution and its effects on society
The American revolution and its effects on society
American Revolution Effects on American Society at the Time
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
There are many factors contributing to social change, including new inventions, ideas, and even internal conflict. Many memorable actions and disputes in history appear to have been planned due to the need or strong desire for social change, such as the War of 1812, the Pacific War, and even the Battle of Fort Sumter. The American Revolution, however, appears to be unplanned as it appears more as an action of fighting against inequality from the British to ensure the beginning for social change in America, rather than a planned mean for change.
One of the arguments for the American Revolution being unplanned was the colonies allowing the tension to grow between the British, especially concerning taxes and laws. The British would take every
…show more content…
First, the colony was granted a great sense of nationalism and pride for its defeat of British rule and confinement. Another evident social change was an obvious decrease in conflict and tension among the colonists, since they were now free of British rule. Another social result of the American Revolution was a sense of hope and freedom for slaves and colonists alike. Many slaves following the American Revolution seeked freedom, and traveled north in order to not be held as prisoners for the remainder of their lives. Although there were many positive social changes, discrimination still existed strongly in America towards minorities and women alike. Rich, white, men were the preferred in society, and their social class system was flawed following the revolution and many years to …show more content…
Despite the many facts and evidence, this interpretation is subjective, and is based on opinion from our historical past. Personally, the war appears to be unplanned, due to the delayed act upon their beliefs and desires. Whatever the case may be, the American Revolution is one of the greatest influences in culture, society, and how Americans came to be in the modern world. The reason for war may be debatable, but the impact that the Treaty of Paris gave to Americans is undeniable of its importance and contributions to our country
When the colonies were being formed, many colonists came from England to escape the restrictions placed upon them by the crown. Britain had laws for regulating trade and collecting taxes, but they were generally not enforced. The colonists had gotten used to being able to govern themselves. However, Britain sooned changed it’s colonial policy because of the piling debt due to four wars the British got into with the French and the Spanish. The most notable of these, the French and Indian War (or the Seven Years’ War), had immediate effects on the relationship between the colonies and Great Britain, leading to the concept of no taxation without representation becoming the motivating force for the American revolutionary movement and a great symbol for democracy amongst the colonies, as Britain tried to tighten their hold on the colonies through various acts and measures.
Americans went through a long and difficult journey before they were truly able to be free from England. Colonists in America fought in the American Revolution to terminate British rule; the battle for independence continued with the War of 1812. Although all the odds were against the Americans, they managed to be victorious in both wars by rebelling, standing up to British threat, and strategizing.
Some say that the Revolution was destined to happen ever since Settlers set foot on this continent, others argue that it would not have happened if it weren't for a set of issues that finally drove the colonists to revolt. Ultimately, Britain lost control in 1765 when they gave in to the Stamp Act Congress’s boycotts against parliamentary taxation and gave them the idea that they had the power to run a country. To a lesser degree, Salutary Neglect led to the conception of a legacy of colonial religious and political ideals which set in motion an eminent conflict. During this period, England “forgot” about the colonies and gave them colonists a taste of independence and suspicions of individual political theories. Through Parliament's ruthless taxation without representation and a near opposite religious and political mindset, Britain and the colonists were heaved into a revolutionary war.
This conclusion seemed to contradict every presumption about Great Britain’s imperial power. In all other conflicts, the British seemed to win decisively but the problem in the American Revolution lies with Britain underestimating the colonists. The British were blind to America’s symbolic presence as an end to an imperial structure. France and Spain aided the colonists in hopes of defeating the tyrannical empire. Britain underestimated George Washington and the Continental Army. Over time, the colonial militias trained in the European fashion and transformed into a challenging force. Ultimately, the most distinctive miscalculation of the British was the perseverance of the colonists and their fight for freedom. While Britain was fighting for control over yet another revenue source, America was fighting for independence and principle. The difference between the motivations was the predominant factor in deciding the
... 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 mistake that King George and the rest of Britain made was thinking that they could forever keep the colonies under their thumb. These were not the same colonists who came over as British citizens to set up forts. These men and women thought of themselves and American citizens and they did not need a government across the ocean telling them what to do. Ultimately, Britain lost control when they gave in to the colonists' boycotts and showed them that they had the power to run a country, and that Britain feared that power. Through Parliament's ruthless taxation without representation, restrictions upon what colonists had assumed were civil liberties and British military action, Britain and the colonists were thrown into a revolutionary war.
By the time the colonists had settled into their new land they had established some order such as small governments to keep the colonies in line. The ocean separating England and the colonies made it difficult though for England to guide the colonists successfully the way they had wanted. The main thing the British tried was implementing taxes, but they also went so far as letting the colonies on their own for awhile and using military to keep them in place. On the other hand, the colonists saw that the British were stalling their attempts at self-governing so they worked together to disregard any British policies. By the eve of the Revolution, colonists had developed a sense of their identity and unity as Americans that was brought about by the British parliament. Exasperated by British efforts to hinder their growing self-reliance, colonists began pushing them away by doing various things such as rioting, boycotting, or voicing their opinions on paper.
“The Revolution was the most radical and far reaching event in American history.” This is the premise of Gordon S. Wood’s book The Radicalism of the American Revolution. Within these pages Wood attempts to prove that the American Revolution was radical because it fundamentally changed the social and political structures of colonial America, structures that had always been fused together. Accordingly, he asserts that the separation of these institutions forms the basis of his argument for radicalism.
A new era was dawning on the American colonies and its mother country Britain, an era of revolution. The American colonists were subjected to many cruel acts of the British Parliament in order to benefit England itself. These British policies were forcing the Americans to rebellious feelings as their rights were constantly being violated by the British Crown. The colonies wanted to have an independent government and economy so they could create their own laws and stipulations. The British imperial policies affected the colonies economic, political, and geographic situation which intensified colonists’ resistance to British rule and intensified commitment to their republican values.
The connection between Britain and the English colonies was that of the ruling of the colonies by the king of Britain, King George III and his parliament. The king’s ruling was very unfavorable for the colonists because of his tyrannic dictatorship and unjustly taxations. The mere thought of an island ruling an entire continent thousands of miles away with poor communication and lack of supervision of the colonies by the king, did not work in favor of the colonies nor for Britain. Three contributing factors for the outbreak of the American Revolution were (1) the king’s taxes, (2) neglect of the 13 colonies and (3) England’s mercantilism policy. King George III and his decisions were one of the major causes that had the English colonists fumed with anger towards Britain and this eventually led to the American Revolution.
From 1754-1763, Britain fought the French and Indian war. Although Britain had won the war, they still had a lot of war debts to pay off. Britain turned to the colonies to pay off their debts by taxing them. The taxes angered the colonists because they believed it violated their rights. Benjamin Franklin had initially proposed the Albany plan of Union to unite the colonies, however this law was rejected by all of the colonial governments. It wasn't until after all of the British laws and taxes that the colonies would unite and write the Declaration of Independence.
The American Revolution marked the divorce of the British Empire and its one of the most valued colonies. Behind the independence that America had fought so hard for, there emerged a diverging society that was eager to embrace new doctrines. The ideals in the revolution that motivated the people to fight for freedom continued to influence American society well beyond the colonial period. For example, the ideas borrowed from John Locke about the natural rights of man was extended in an unsuccessful effort to include women and slaves. The creation of state governments and the search for a national government were the first steps that Americans took to experiment with their own system. Expansion, postwar depression as well as the new distribution of land were all evidence that pointed to the gradual maturing of the economic system. Although America was fast on its way to becoming a strong and powerful nation, the underlying issues brought about by the Revolution remained an important part in the social, political and economical developments that in some instances contradicted revolutionary principles in the period from 1775-1800.
The French and Indian War set the stage for future events that no one could ever have imagined. The economic practice of mercantilism, which insured profit only to the mother country was the accepted practice between England and her colonies. As long as these economic policies were met, England left much of the day to day governing of the colonies up to the colonies. It was this "salutory neglect" that ultimately led to the ideological differences between England and the colonies. England won the war, but it paid a great price for that victory. England was bankrupted, and as a result had no choice but to look to her colonies to regain financial stability. The pressures of taxation and naval restrictions imposed by the crown and Parliament, were viewed by the colonists as tyrannical acts. Although the colonies were on a path to becoming "Americanized" they held the lessons of Magna Carta, the Glorious Revolution of 1688-89 close to their heart. In their eyes, "Englishmen had rights" under the laws of the mother country. It was only when these laws were usurpted by the crown that the colonies had no choice but to protest their discontent. The political authority that England executed over the colonies after so many years of neglect led to the ideological differences that would ultimately result in the American Revolution.
In conclusion, the American Revolution was very revolutionary. It was a huge milestone in American history. The war not only gave America their own independence from the most powerful country in the world, it gave the American government the basis of how it runs today and brought about many social and political changes. Although many historians see the war as a change of power from one greedy power to another, Americans wouldn’t have a democracy and citizens wouldn’t have the rights they have.
The American Revolutionary War was a very significant time period for the History of the United States. The colonies were ruled by the British Parliament and they began feeling as if they were being mistreated as they were forced to pay unfair taxes and their power as a whole was being very limited. Evidently they wanted to gain independence from the British. At first they attempted to take a non-violent stance and reason with the British government, but the British were reluctant to do so. As a result the American Colonist over time resulted in declaring war against them in 1775. Whether this war was inevitable or not has been debated for many years now; however the war was inevitable due to the fact that the American Colonist attempted to reason with the British Parliament to begin with but was quickly turned down. The word “Inevitable” means certain to happen or unavoidable. This means the question is asking whether the American Revolution was avoidable or not and although the question is very arguable and there is evidence to support both sides there is more evidence supporting the fact that the war was inevitable.