Driving Question: What significant outcomes of the American Revolution help shape our ideas or principles of government? The struggle to gain Independence resulted in the formation of the government by the people to manage their welfare and well being politically, socially and economically. The initial struggle to free themselves from the control of the British, ranging from the concept of overthrowing them and being independent to final achievement of independence the colonists were cohesive in their mindframe due to the goal being objective - free from the British. The cohesive nature of the colonists prevailed throughout the struggle for independence due to all having similar sufferings under the British. Reaching independence being in …show more content…
He was the key individual to instigate the movement for independence in an aggressive manner. His incendiary work that was effective and convinced the colonists to wage war against England. He argued that it was imperative to declare independence towards their despotic leader, King George III, to prosper. He strongly supported republicanism. Another principal motivator to aggravate the urge for independence was Patrick Henry. He was deemed to be a radical colonist. His motto was “give me liberty or give me death”. This resonated amongst his colleagues in the quest for independence. One of the famously recorded attributes of his speech was the advocation of rebellious acts. He’d rather die fighting for his liberty than to live in slavery and oppression and impels loyalists to join in on this train of mind. There was no possibility of dialogue or negotiation, but wage war. Above all, the struggle being profoundly difficult to initiate the independence revolution in terms of motivation and standing up against the British that culminated in a war was no easy …show more content…
The initial articles of confederation being an exhibition of extreme freedom for all was short lived due to its lack of effective sustainability. It turned out to be a failure in all areas of the intricate governance machinery. The Remedy of this problem was rectified through the formation of the constitution. The constitution established distinct governmental divisions in the form of congress, executive branch, and judiciary.Such an establishment did not alleviate from the control of all these divisions from the citizens. All authorities prevalent in all the three branches roots down to the citizens who either directly or indirectly appoints the members. It is evident that the importance of the value of citizens did not erode but are reined in the democratic system of appointing the members of all the branches of the government. “We the People” being the beginning of our constitution signifies the importance of the freedom and rights of the citizens. These cannot exist if we are not independent. The achievement of freedom had been a struggle in history. The leaders of the crusade for independence diligently focussed on the outcomes being freedom. Freedom without guidelines of control could be chaotic. To maintain orderly freedom or pursuit of happiness for all citizens and to motivate them to collectively fulfill for
Click here to unlock this and over one million essays
Show MoreThe American Revolution holds a very prominent place in the history of this country, as it was the longest and the most painful war Americans ever encountered. It took many years and numerous conflicts to finally gain independence in 1776 from British domination, which had been subjugating its colonies with laws of an unwritten constitution. It must be understood that though Americans were fighting for the right of democracy and each state wanted self-government, later that same issue turned into a big problem. Soon after America became independent, the former British colonies decided to form their own governments. It was then that the real battle began. The task of forming separate constitutions for each state, along with the formation of governmental institutions, turned in to a huge task -- a task so gigantic that it forced some states to rethink the matter and soon the rumors of a central government started circulating.
American resistence and want for independence came about because of the many acts placed upon them by England in order to repay England’s war debt, bringing about rebellious groups as well as multiple forms of government in the colonies such as the sons of liberty and the Stamp act congress.
The founding fathers believed in representative government, based on sovereignty and emphasis on civic virtue. They opposed arbitrary rule indicated by the revolution against Britain. The reason for independence ...
On the 4th of July, almost 240 years earlier, colonist declare their independence from Britain. This declaration of independence did not gain as easy as we flip our hands. It took several years, from 1763 struggled against Britain and finally declare its independence on 1776. There are several reasons which triggering the colonist to struggling and pursuing its independence. Moreover, there were several moments happened from 1763 up to 1776 and they’re generally concluded the triggered reasons. Those moments were started from Treaty of Paris, continue with Sugar Act and Stamp Act then Boston Tea Party, which led the Revolution War and concluded by the Continental Congress which resulted the Declaration of Independence.
In 1776 when the Colonies declared their independence from Great Britain with the Declaration of Independence they had one clear goal in mind: become a sovereign nation and avoid the tyranny of Great Britain. What they did not know, however, is that they had to face many more issues beyond simply cutting the ties with Great Britain; they also had to create and maintain a working system of rules which could guide them into becoming the United States of America. Once Independence was gained in 1783, the Articles of Confederation were created, but with many deep flaws in the system. The Federal government had no power, and the states were loosely held together and hardly acted as if they were a single united nation. After recognizing that these problems were too large to overcome easily, several of the greatest men in the nation gathered together to rectify these problems.
The American Revolution was really revolutionary because it showed that the ideas of representative government and individual liberty could be
Seeking an identity of being a nation was first officially brought up by Richard Henry Lee, when he announced “That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states.” (Richard Henry Lee and the Declaration of Independence ) As a means to establish a seat of government, and to also to make just the Revolutionary War, they were a product of the Revolution and were a necessary part of the path to solve a problem on how to govern in America. According to (Altman),after of course growing weary of being under English rule, and tired of the way English government treated them, it was necessary to escape the tyranny and become self governed. After the Declaration of Independence the Second Continental Congress formed the Articles of Confederation. The experience with the tyranny of a central government in England left a bad taste in their mouth; they were against forming a government with a central power and wanted each state to have individual sovereignty with limited power given to Congress, which was one body. It was their intent to cooperate as a league of states that operated on friendly terms with each other. The national government’s role would be only to serve to hold the states together, provide for the defense of the nation and to conduct foreign policy business. Shay’s Rebellion was the biggest influence on changing how this government should run, when an angry group of farmers gathered to stop the foreclosures of their farms. (Altman) The nation could not afford to produce an army to enforce the foreclosures nor provide necessary means to do so. The national government could not force the
First of all, the colonists valued their independence immensely and it was a key factor in all of their decisions. An example of this is The Declaration of Independence, in which Thomas Jefferson declares in his closing paragraph:
The tyranny of the Crown created turmoil politically. Its restriction of legislative power of the colonists further separated the two. The friction between Massachusetts and the Crown for legislative power is a prime example of this. The Parliaments political platform throughout the course of the rising nation did not sit well with the settlers. And thus, added to the struggle for independence. The Virginia Company’s attempt to gain the local Natives failed, and cause a separation between the two. This was mended with the creation of local economies boosted by
Prior to the Declaration of Independence the colonist were under British rule. The colonists were at major disagreements with the way the crown was treating them and after a while they had enough. On July 4, 1776, the 13 American colonies severed their political connections to Great Britain with Declaration of Independence adopted by the Continental Congress. Once the declaration was made, the colonists faced many new challenges. It was now up to the framers of the Constitution to come up with regulations for the new government. This proved to be no easy challenge between the Federalists and the Anti- Federalists.
Unruly patriots taunted British soldiers, and the soldiers shot and killed a couple of colonists. Outraged by the deaths of the colonists more people started to join the cause for independence. At that point many of the important advocates for independence were at their peak. When parliament enacted the tea act that compelled the colonists to only buy British tea the Sons and Daughters of liberty took their first official action. Throwing tea into the Boston Harbor was their first initial set towards independence. Once you think the English were going to give up they enforced the intolerable acts which initially took away many of the colonists freedoms. This is when the sons of Liberty started thinking about a document to declare their independence. They initially knew that American motivation was already “animated”. An example of one of the motivational quotes were “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”-Declaration of Independence. People liked the thought of those things in a new government which the England have been taking away from them. Another right that was unfairly coordinated was the right to a fair trial. Colonists speculated and realized that they needed American lawyers, judges, and juries. It was an unfair trial because the
Generation after generation and for hundreds of years, there has been an ongoing feud between the ideas of a strong centralized government or individualism and which of the two is more beneficial to creating a strong unified country. A centralized government is the idea that the nation or country is controlled mainly by a central figure (King or President) while individualism supports an individual persons right to vote on what’s best for themselves and limits the governments control. Throughout the three pieces The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and “Thomas Jefferson: The Best of Enemies”, a constant debate between a strong centralized government and individualism is supported
The American Revolution was sparked by a myriad of causes. These causes in themselves could not have sparked such a massive rebellion in the nation, but as the problems of the colonies cumulated, their collective impact spilt over and the American Revolution ensued. Many say that this war could have been easily avoided and was poorly handled by both sides, British and American; but as one will see, the frame of thought of the colonists was poorly suited to accept British measures which sought to “overstep” it’s power in the Americas. Because of this mindset, colonists developed a deep resentment of British rule and policies; and as events culminated, there was no means to avoid revolution and no way to turn back.
When the soldiers arrived they had a condescending attitude towards the colonist and this made the colonists feel hate towards them. Resulting in a hate relationship between English soldiers and colonists. “The red coats panicked and fired at unarmed people. Five americans died; seven were wounded” (Hakim 65). The colonist were tired of being oppressed, they fighted back and that is why the Boston Massacre happened. Both the soldiers and the colonist wanted the control in America only that the soldiers had the advantage of having weapons. The colonists realized that if their voice wasn’t going to be heard then they would rebel and make George heard it. Three men were capable of unifying America for the same cause and made them realize what they actually wanted. “Historians say the American Revolution had three firebrands: Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, and Thomas Paine. That war of independence might have happened without them, but it certainly would have been different” (Hakim 46). Patrick Henry’s gift of speech, Tom Paine’s magic words, and Samuel Adams’ capability of moving people made it possible for the American Revolution to be successful. Each American had their own opinion and this men were able to make them overcome those differences and unify for the same cause that benefited the colonist and not the English. The colonists were fighting for representation, but the unique talent of each of this three men combined made the colonists realized what they should actually be fighting for, freedom. They no longer wanted to be an English Colonie, they wanted to be ruled by themselves because not only due of the English their economy was being affected, but as well they wanted to have a vote and England was not going to permit that. Therefore, the American Revolution was a fight so that America would be able to rule by themselves their
“Freedom is nothing but a chance to become better.” Albert Camus. With fighting for their freedom you have to have a reason and the determination to earn it. The people who helped shift the colonist into wanting their independence were Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson In both of the readings “ The Crisis, Number 1” -Thomas Paine and The Declaration of Independence- Thomas Jefferson. In “Crisis, Number 1” -Thomas Paine gives us all the reasons to gain independence from Britain. Then in Jefferson's piece The Declaration of Independence states why we are wanting our freedom from the King.