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american revolution social and political
american revolution social and political
How revolutionary was the American Revolution essays
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Following the French Revolution of the late 18th century, Goethe, a German writer, declared that a great revolution is never the fault of the people, but of the government (ThinkExist). However, his statement also mirrored the events that have taken place several decades earlier, on the North American continent, when the British administration have helped to ignite a major social uprising among colonists. The American Revolution (1763-1789) was generated by an amalgam of factors, translated into a dissonance between the British perspective on the colonies and the American colonial reality. The causes of the American movement for independence range from the benign neglect policy, the post-French-Indian war deals, the British taxation and legal strategies, to the steady emergence of a national American identity, different from the one across the ocean, in Britain. Combined, these factors gave birth to the American Revolution War.
In the beginning of the 18th century, Britain was practically indifferent to enforcing the laws it passed for the people of America. The Crown paid small interest in controlling trade regulations and offered significant freedom in the administration of local affairs, while trade barriers imposed on merchants had only limited repercussion. While Britain had the goal of keeping the colonies under control in mind, it turned out to be a perfect environment for the local political and economic administration bodies to flourish and strengthen their position and power (Davidson, 133). The colonists gradually embraced the idea of self-government. This further contributed to the development of a colonial social identity, distinct from the one in Britain. The expanding cultural distance between the Crown and the col...
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...izens had political representation, their American counterparts lacked it. Taxation without representation was one of the greatest complaints the colonists had toward the Crown (Greene, 126).
Works Cited
1) "Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe Quotes." ThinkExist.com Quotations. Web. 05 Apr. 2011.
2) J. Hector St. John Crèvecoeur, "What is an American? (1770)" in Raymond Hyser and J. Chris Arndt, editors, Voices of the American Past: Documents in U.S. History, Volume I, 3rd Edition (Belmont, CA: Thompson-Wadsworth, 2005), 46-48.
3) Greene, Jack P., and J. R. Pole. A Companion to the American Revolution. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2004. Print.
4) Davidson, James West. Nation of Nations: a Narrative History of the American Republic. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2008. Print.
... Bobrick, Benson. Fight for Freedom: The American Revolutionary War. New York: Atheneum, 2004. Print.
2.Morgan, Edmund S. The Birth of the Republic, 1763-89. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992.
Eliga H. Gould, The Persistence of Empire: British Political Culture in the Age of the American Revolution (North Carolina: Omohundro Institute, 2000),
George Browm Tindall, David Emory Shi. American History: 5th Brief edition, W. W. Norton & Company; November 1999
Edward, Rebecca and Henretta, James and Self, Robert. America A Concise History. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2012.
Stokesbury, James L. A short History of the American Revolution. New York. William Morrow and Company, Inc. 1991.
Henretta, James A., and David Brody. America a Concise History. 4th ed. Vol. 1. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2010.
Davidson, James West, et al. The American Nation. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003
Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People. 5th Ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008).
The American Revolution began for many reasons, some are; long-term social, economic, and political changes in the British colonies, prior to 1750 provided the basis for and started a course to America becoming an independent nation under it's own control with its own government. Not a tyrant king thousands of miles away. A huge factor in the start of the revolution was the French and Indian War during the years of 1754 through 1763; this changed the age-old bond between the colonies and Britain, its mother. To top it off, a decade of conflicts between the British rule and the colonists, starting with the Stamp Act in 1765 that eventually led to the eruption of war in 1775, along with the drafting of The Declaration of Independence in 1776.
The American Revolution was marked by the colonies’ independence from Britain. This separation pronounced a new age marked by a decisive political change in the colonies because of the implementation of the Enlightenment ideals and the continuation of English liberties. However, the American Revolution was considered a conservative movement because it “originated from an effort to preserve the existing liberties of the colonies rather than create new ones” (Strayer, 782). Furthermore, the revolution occurred not on the issue of taxation, but on the issue of representation. The colonists believed autonomy was part of their birthright and as Englishmen along with their economic rights and their “natural rights to life, liberty, and property” (Kramnick, Lockean Liberalism). These two sentiments can be seen in their famous slogan “No taxation without representation”. By challenging their economic interests, their established traditions of local autonomy, and their identity as true Englishmen, the colonists were truly infuriated. Thus the American Revolution didn’t grow out of the social tensions within the colonies but rather from an unexpected effort by the British government to tighten its control over the colonies and ex...
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.
Brinkley, Alan American History A Survey, Volume I: To 1877, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2003. pg. 101-122, 209-213.
Stokesbury, James L. A Short History of the American Revolution. New York: William Morrow and Company, 2001.
...he fact that they had no political power and were controlled by a country that was thousands of miles away from them. The American Revolution began as a conflict over political and social change, but soon developed into a dispute over personal rights and political liberty. A decade of conflicts between the British government and the Americans, starting with the Stamp Act in 1765 that eventually led to war in 1775, along with The Declaration of Independence in 1776. Americans united as one and knew that they wanted to be an independent country, have their own laws, rights, and not be colony of the Great Britain. They fought hard for their independence and people lost their lives in the process of it but in the end they succeeded. Never give up, keep fighting till the mission is accomplished just like the Americans did when they were fighting for their independence.