Autonomy, Responsibility and the American Revolution

There were many causes that led to the American Revolution, some include economic situations, discontent with autocratic rule, and political changes in the British colonies. A major factor in the start of the revolution was the French and Indian War (1754 - 1763) changed the bond between the colonies and Britain, because of the colonists' identities. Thomas Paine (an American colonist born in Britain) published a Political Pamphlet in 1776, which supported the colonist into open rebellion. The excerpt, "Common Sense," Paine emphasized the case for the revolution in straightforward language, where it became clear and direct to understand the meaning of the excerpt. The excerpt itself influenced colonists to take actions for their tolerance from the British and gave them the strength they needed to become unified.

America’s Declaration of Independence focused more on America gaining sole ownership of their nation, abolishing their connections with the British and their tyrant King George, and setting up their own government based on Natural law and equality among all men. France’s Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen confronted the king on his neglect to the equal rights of man, laid down the basic principles of how the nation should be run, and proclaimed that the nation should be and is going to be run by the people for the people. With those key differences stated as well as several other small values, such as taxation, oppression, and security, my concern is how both methods worked so efficiently given their varianc... ... middle of paper ... ... protected. The Declaration of Independence doesn’t have much to say about what they want to do in terms of establishing a military; they spent most of their time complaining about how the British government used their military to bully America. In addition to that King George and the British took American citizens, used them for their own armies, and quartered large groups of soldiers to American colonies to regulate.

In response to Paine’s writing, Congress wrote its own document requesting independence from Brit... ... middle of paper ... ...ey were in, which had them fighting for their rights. When comparing the writings of Paine and the creation of the Declaration of Independence by Jefferson the one thing that both men felt strongly about was the “all men are created equal”. No matter the standing or where you were born both men felt that it should not matter and that should not dictate the rights you have or the lack of rights you have. Paine wrote in The Rights of Man, “One of the great advantages of the American Revolution has been, that it led to a discovery of the principles, and laid open the imposition of governments (paine, 555). The writing of the Declaration of Independence continued to spark the desire for freedom among the colonist, but Britain was not to happy about the document.

This book is basically just showing what Thomas Paine and other Americans believe about everything that is going on during the American Revolution. The government is made up to protect us from our own vices. Society is when people join up together to accomplish whatever it is that is trying to be accomplished. Paine believes that the government was made to protect the life, liberty, and propert... ... middle of paper ... ...ly not have been a country if the colonists would have never rebelled against England. This book shows, very well, what the colonists had to go through to get their independence and how they had to do it.

British troops sta... ... middle of paper ... ...ty of independence, a revolution can be sought after. Independence and liberty were the key points that Thomas Paine made in his documents. His writings were almost like fuel to the colonists for a revolution. He had a comprehensive understanding of the problems associated with monarchy and believed that political movements had to be made. During this period of American history, radical change was inevitable.

Sam Adams’s Revolution (1765-1776). New York: Harper and Row, 1976. Cook, Don. The Long Fuse; How England Lost The American Colonies, 1760-1785. New York: The Atlantic Monthly Press, 1995 .

The founding fathers were very strong supporters and promoters of republican ideas and were very involved in the development of the American political system. “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it..” The Declaration Of Independence talks about how important having a government is and if it isn 't what the people want they should be able to get rid of it and form a government they do feel fit. Thomas Jefferson talks about a need for independence from Britain. The way Jefferson talks about wanting

England’s military prowess was known all throughout the world, but the American Revolution proved that, we too, the Americans, were capable of rising up together to fight for our freedom. This is one way that America demonstrated their capability of being able to recreate the world: they made it known that countries did not have to bow down to the rule of the Crown any longer. With the birth of a new society, America stood as the example that if one’s liberties and rights were being denied by any form of government, they had the duty of stepping forward and choosing to fight to defend those rights. The American revolution signified the beginning of a new political world that would promote individual freedom, free markets, and a limited government. Paine, in the excerpt being discussed, is proclaiming that the United States could inspire all the peoples of the world that are being oppressed to reject the ill treatment of the British Empire and start anew with governments and societies based on reason and

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. The first drama of the era of revolution was the opposition to the Stamp Act; it was also the first major split between the colonists and Great Britain.

The Goals of the Declaration of Independence The American Revolution was not only a battle between the British and the colonists; it was a historical movement that brought about new ways of thinking. The ideas of liberty and equality began to be seen as essential to the growth of the new nation. The separation of the American colonies from the British Empire occurred for a number of reasons. These reasons are illustrated in the Declaration of Independence. Although Thomas Jefferson wrote the document, it expressed the desire of the heart of each colonist to be free of British rule.