Many revolutions have taken place throughout history, ranging from the unremarkable to the truly memorable, such as the French Revolution, the Bolshevik Revolution and the American Revolution. Through an examination of the social, cultural, economic and political causes of the American Revolution, an exploration of key arguments both for and against the American Revolution, and an analysis of the social, cultural, economic and political changes brought about by the American Revolution it can be demonstrated unequivocally that the American Revolution was indeed truly revolutionary.
In “Becoming America: The Revolution Before 1776”, Jon Butler argues that there was massive economic and a political transformation occurred in the era of 1680 and 1770 which had been less examined to the American colonial history. In this book, Butler makes a strong argument for the early modernism of American society which helps to define the growth of American identity. The transformation improved the American socioeconomic character and demonstrated itself almost in every aspect of colonial life. I totally agree with the Jon Butler’s argument that the victories and defeats of the revolutionary war would not define America; it was the middle years of the colonial period that would. And his arguments in this book also challenge the existing history. Butler supports his argument from his own note which he collected from by researching huge amount of specialized history books.
What started with a number of Acts that may have initially seem reasonable by the British lead to an idea; an idea that America deserved to be a nation independent of outside rule. A small rebellion against taxation and loss of power turned into a full-blown revolution known today as the American Revolution; changing the course of history forever.
George Washington once said, “Only virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.” England took advantage of its colonies and tried to enforce unfair policies. In 1775, the political mistreatment needed to end and the United States needed to separate from Britain to develop successfully as a country. The American Revolution changed the history of the world. To understand it’s the importance of the American Revolution it necessary to understand pre-war America, the cause of war, Britain’s mindset, United States’ mindset, the economy, significant events, and how the war ended.
The American Revolution was a great time of change for America as a nation. With this change new heroes and ideals of life, liberty, and freedom were formed. Spearheading these new ideals was General George Washington and his continental army, but the road ahead of Washington and his men was not an unproblematic one. The winter at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania proved this to Washington and his men. Yet the true American ideal of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness were never forgotten in their battle.
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.
After the Portuguese and Spanish made a name for themselves in the New World, the English decided to start exploring and colonizing, too. Some of the main reasons the English came to the New World were the English economy, land, and religious freedom. Mercantilism was the main source of money for the economy, but when the European market collapsed in the 1550s, merchants had to find other ways to get the materials they needed to be able to trade. Land was also valuable because that was how people made their living, but when all the land in England was taken up they had to look elsewhere, which is why many of them sailed to the New World. One of the biggest issues was religious freedom. This was especially true for the Protestants who believed
The revolutionary war was evolutionary because when the second continental congress adopted the Declaration of Independence which was were the Americans declared independence everything changed and they signed the declaration on July 4th 1776. And that meant that they would need to get a commander in chief so the appointed George Washington who was an amazing general but they didn’t have much of an army just a lot of minutemen. Which are untrained people who just joined who were basically, a militia. But before they signed the declaration they had to get all the colonies on board and that’s when Benjamin franklin said "JOIN or DIE". And join or die was meant to get all the other colonies on board with going to war. Because that would be one of the only ways that they would have enough soldiers to even stand a chance against the
The American Revolution is without a question one of the, if not the most, important period in the beginning of American history. Between 1765 and 1783, the colonists rejected the British monarchy and aristocracy after a series of taxes and tariffs were forced upon them, finally the colonists then ultimately overthrew their authority and founded the United States of America. Many historians and authors have debated over the exact reason and overall effects of the War for Independence, however, all agree of the significance and importance of this event. The colonies, which were created as a resource for raw materials and a means for generating profits for Parliament and the Crown, began to desire managing their own affairs and worked towards
The 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.
The American Revolution: one of the events that had turned America to what it is today. But what caused the Revolution to happen? The Revolution started in 1775 and ended in 1783. It took place in America’s original 13 colonies, the British colonies, a
As previously stated, the most important reasons as to why people supported the American Revolution was to secure political and legal rights and improve the state of the economy. However, the true rationale for a revolt often differed depending on the person or group. For example, African-Americans and other minorities supported the Revolution because they wanted to create a future for themselves, whether it was by finding a job or fighting for independence (Van Buskirk, Standing in Their Own Light, 63). In addition, the Revolution created opportunities for African-Americans to make social and political relationships that were previously unattainable. To elaborate, due to their participation in the war, whites were somewhat less apprehensive
Was the American Revolution, Revolutionary? This has been immense discussion among historians throughout history. The American Revolution was one of the most important events in United States history that brought change during the 18th century. While some historians believe there was change many believe there wasn’t any change. How did the American Revolution bring change to the US with: politics, economics, and social groups were they small or big, for the worse or better, short or long-lasting changes, this has been the most debated arguments among historians over the years (Revolution DBQ, pg. 3).
After the American Revolution came to an end in 1783, the events that followed after are chronologically and thoroughly explained in Joseph J. Ellis’ novel. During Ellis’ novel, he argues the conflicts and disputations between the most prestigious men such as; Hamilton, Burr, Washington, Adams, Franklin and Madison. Greatly known as the Founding Fathers of the constitution, we can see through the main themes the tension risen when it came to political powers and views. Within the different stories presented, the idea conceptually gives the reader an easier understanding and more in depth analysis. Through these different stages, Ellis shows how America slowly shaped its self significantly by using several common themes as he stated.
1. Given what you already knew about the era of the American Revolution, what specifically did you find surprising or unexpected in this chapter? (In other words, what did you learn the most from the chapter?)