Colonialists were in search of a better life in the newly discovered land of the Americas. Ties with their mother-country of Britannia, over three thousand miles away, resulted in miscommunication and arguments. Eventually these arguments and miscommunications lead to the Revolutionary War, provoking many American Colonists to join the Continental Army. Each soldier from the militia to the regular recruits had reasons to fight; many of these reasons were influenced by the first Age of Enlightenment and other reasons were formed by personal experiences with the conflicts of Britannia and the American Colonies. The movie, The Patriot, presented many reasons that are supported by major historical documents, such as the Declaration of Independence, and that also are backed by personal testimonies of the American Colonists who joined the Continental Army.
The first Age of Enlightenment, which started in Europe around the 18th century, spread to the American Colonies where it caused colonists to believe “that all men are created equal [and] that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” (Decl. of Ind. 1). The influence of the first Age of Enlightenment is simply shown in this quote because it refers to John Locke’s, an influential Enlightenment philosopher, work, The Second Treatise of Civil Government, which states that laboring men have a natural or God-given right to “life, liberty, health, and indulgency of body; and the possession of outward things,” (A Letter Concerning Toleration). The phrase “pursuit of happiness” comes from Richard Cumberland’s philosophy from his writings in De legibusnaturae; Richard believed that the pursuit...
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...nited States. Declaration of Independence. By Thomas Jefferson. Philadelphia,
1776. Print.
2) Bostwick, Elisha. Military Memoir (Dec. 1776). Print.
3) Locke, John. A Letter Concerning Toleration . Trans. William Popple. N.p., 1686.
Print.
4) Locke, John. The Second Treatise of Civil Government. Trans. William Popple. N.p.,
1684. Print.
5) Thatcher, John. MILITARY JOURNAL (1823). Print.
Secondary:
6) Centropolis Entertainment, Mutual Friend Company, and Columbia Pictures, dirs.
The Patriot. Roland Emmerich. Global Entertainment Productions GmbH and
Co., 2000. Film.
7) Chadwick, Bruce. The First American Army: The Untold Story of George Washington
and the Men behind America's First Fight for Freedom. N.p.: Sourcebooks,
Inc., October 2006. Print.
8) Foner, Philip Sheldon. History of Black Americans. N.p.: Greenwood Press, 1975.
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During the phase of the Revolutionary War, Americans were determined to get rid of the hold that British Imperial Rule had on America in attempting to overthrow the power of the British military.
The Revolutionary war, sparked by the colonist’s anger towards taxation without representation, was a conflict between the United States and its mother country Great Britain. This event had been considered the most significant event in the American history. It separated the thirteen colonies from the tyrannical ruling of King George. The revolutionary war was not a big war, “The military conflict was, by the standards of later wars, a relatively modest one. Battle deaths on the American side totaled fewer than 5,000”1. However, the war proved that the thirteen colonies were capable of defeating the powerful Great Britain. Over the years there were many Hollywood films made based on the revolutionary war, 1776, Revolution, Johnny Tremain, and The Patriot. But, no movie has stirred up as much controversy as the Mel Gibbson movie The Patriot. The patriot is very entertaining but it is historically inaccurate. Too much Hollywood “spices” was added to the movie for viewing pleasures.
Many colonists held a stronger loyalty to their American Colonies than to England by the eve of the Revolution. The battles and trials that they endured gave them an identity and a unity, they had survived through many hardships and any group that does that had some sort of bond. The unique combining of cultures, geography, and the many political ordeals that American colonists had endured provided them with a sense of identity and unity.
One of the greatest conflicts in the history of the United State of America, the Revolutionary War, was started when the colonies of North America declared themselves independent from British rule. A group of men known as the Founding Fathers, which included George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John and Samuel Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and others, formed the Continental Congress to rule their new nation. They chose Thomas Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence, which they would send to King George III to make their independence official. Jefferson knew that he needed to use strong language to make a solid agrument against British rule in the colonies and to convince the colonists that independence was the only choice to maintain their freedom as human beings. The powerful use of parallelism, ethos, pathos, and logos helpd Thomas Jefferson to convey his idea that all men are created equal with unalienable rights and that it is the duty of the government to protect those rights.
In early America, there were three factions that developed within the colonies- Loyalists, Patriots, and fence-sitters (neutral). This melting pot of different ideas, goals, and outlooks is what made pre-Revolutionary War America so volatile. These three factions seem easy to identify, Patriots wanted freedom from the crown all together, Loyalists want to stay British, and fence-sitters want to stay out of the political battle all together. However, it goes much farther than that, many different backgrounds and goals drove these people forward. Many did not take up the title of Loyalist or Patriot unless the struggles affected them directly, many more only took sides when it was profitably to them and for some it was because they had no choice in the matter.
caught up in a war for which the colonists had no real reason to fight
Specifically, the idea that man is endowed with certain liberties that were granted by God and/or nature was advocated by the Enlightenment thinkers. Many people took aim at arbitrary governments and the “divine right of kings.” John Locke in return offered principles of constructing a constitutional government, a contract between rulers and the ruled. In Document 7, John Locke in The Two Treatises of Government stated that men consent to enter society in order to preserve their natural rights such as life, liberty, and property. The government should protect people's natural rights and if not, then the people can remove their consent because the government derives its power from the consent of the people. John Locke wrote during the time period of the Enlightenment; therefore, his thoughts were based on the emerging idea of individualism furthermore man's inherent rights and powers. Thomas Jefferson wrote in The Declaration of Independence (Document 9) that are all men are created equal and that they are endowed with certain natural rights. The Declaration of Independence was written because of England's tyrannical rule over the American colonies thus, the citizens felt that their natural rights were being abused by the English government. Individualism was indeed formed in response to the skepticism of the Church as
There were several factors that influenced the American People to fight for their independence. One such factor was Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. This political pamphlet ignited American spirit and gave purpose to the war. It gave reasons why government was a necessary evil, why American independence was inevitable, why British oppression was inevitable, and why foreign allies were important. These radical ideas allowed the American people to band together to stand up and fight for their independence from the British Government.
The colonies did not initially desire to succeed and become independent from the British, at first they were very proud of being British. Throughout the years of being a British Colony, The mother country of Britain committed actions that the colonists could not stand much longer. From taxation without representation to quartering British soldiers unwillingly, the tension built up until the colonists eventually rebelled. Some colonists remained loyal to the crown, while others joined the rebellion. These rebellious forces grew in strength and number, when the rebellion grew too big, the Revolution sparked. No longer would the colonist be forced to the British law, the colonists were willing to fight and die for their freedom. This event was
Tim’s loyalty is torn between his family, neighbors, friends. One of these sides is with his brother Sam. First is allegiance to his brother Sam. Sam was going to join the fight against the British and he told Tim. In the novel it reads “‘It’s true, Tim I’m going to fight the Lobsterbacks’ That scared me, but it excited me, too”. Collier 15. Since Tim is terrified that Sam is fighting he wants to say to his father what he is doing,but since he is excited he is also proud and gleeful that Sam is fighting it’s loyalty to his brother.Also Tim lied to his father about Sam in the story to protect him. In the novel it recites “‘Tim, did Sam say anything to you about going
“[We will not connect] ourselves with any foreign nations, to involve us in fresh difficulties and endanger our liberties” said William Smith. When Great Britain controlled the colonies in America they treated the colonists that lived there horribly. They would violate the colonists' rights and not give them any representation in their government. The colonists made the right decision when they choose to rebel against the British. Although, some people say the colonists deserved the treatment they received from the British, the colonists had a legitimate reason for rebelling against the British because the colonists had no representation in Parliament and the British harshly treated the colonists.
The article “Why Men Fought in the American Revolution” delves into the reasons why men chose to stay and fight in the American Revolution. The author, Robert Middlekauff, gives his rationale on why he believes men risked their lives in the battles against the British. While Middlekauf explains reasons men had for risking their lives fighting, he is swift to dismiss motivations these American men did not have to fight. Not only does Middlekauff discuss motivations of men, he also draws contrast between the American and British armies; more specifically, differences between the armies’ officers and soldiers.
In the 1770’s the British army was well known for its monetary wealth and professional well trained militia. American colonists were slowly getting more and more fed up with the inequality and taxation under British rule so they took a stand. Americans known as Rebels or Patriots fought in the Revolutionary War to gain independence from Britain. Some colonists also known as loyalists, thought that the Patriots had no chance against the professional militia so they stayed loyal to the crown. Although improbable at the start of the American Revolution, the colonists were able to defeat the British army and formally gain independence because they had great leadership from George Washington, similar goals that created high morale, and aided from
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
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 a 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.