The Impact of the American Revolution During the late eighteenth century, the thirteen colonies demanded independence from the domineering Great Britain. Angered by unjust taxes and acts limiting the autonomy of the colonies, the colonies acquiesced in a weak union to fight for freedom from oppression and British rule forever. While the American Revolution caused massive change in the political structure of the government, the fight for independence had less impact on the social atmosphere and economy of the United States. The American Revolution incited the most change politically, because a completely new system government was created. After a long period of salutary neglect, in 1763 Prime Minister George Grenville began to enforce the …show more content…
The Articles of Confederation had been proven weak, illustrating the need for a stronger government. Consequently, 55 delegates from various states met at the Philadelphia Convention in 1787 to draft a Constitution. The Constitution created a whole new structure of government. The American Revolution made Americans realize that they did not want to another monarchy to take place so they created checks and balances with three branches of government. Decided in the Great Compromise, the representation in Congress was made more equal. Instead of each state having one vote like in the Articles of Confederation, benefitting smaller states, there was two houses created, one with representation by population and the other having a set number of senators for each state. Additionally, the president could be voted on in the electoral college and a judicial branch ensures the Constitution was followed. With new political ideals, came the creation of political groups which took a stance against each other. A group of Federalists, made up of many east-coast settlers and former loyalists, advocated for strong …show more content…
The American Revolution caused the economy to suffer from inflation and great amounts of debt, as the Continental Congress was forced to print money to pay for war. The United States faced so much debt to foreign countries that Spain closed off the Mississippi River in 1784 and many North African states began pirating Yankee trade ships. In order to handle this debt, Hamilton introduced the Funding Act of 1790, which proposed that the United States’ government would assume the debts of all the states and try to pay it off at face value. The main difference in economy that the American Revolution caused as an increase in available land and trading opportunities. The Treaty of Paris 1783 granted more land to the United States that was controlled by the federal government. Under the Land Ordinances of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, the federal government divided up land in 36 sections to sell so other territories of settlers could eventually become states after reaching 60,000 inhabitants. The last minor impact of the American Revolution was trade. Free from British rule, Americans were no longer subjugated to mercantilist ideas to limit and control trade. As a result, many Yankee ships sailed far to make trade agreements with foreign countries, when they previously could only trade with Great Britain. Despite the little bit more economic enterprise warranted to
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Show MoreFrom the time period 1775-1800, the American Revolution would impact the United States in political, social and economic ways.
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 change the North America and how it was defined. According Jeff Helgeson, “For enough people began parliament and the king were corrupt and tyramine because they were hindering with their individual properties.” Before the French and Indian war, the colonist did not have to pay any taxes. After the French and Indian wars, the British needed money
Following the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress realized it was necessary to set up a government. The Articles of Confederation in 1781 served as the document that established the fundamentals of the national government in the United States after it declared independence from Great Britain. Although, this document said nothing about slavery. It left the most powers including slavery, to the individual states. After their experience with the British, the colonists distrusted a strong central government. The new government consisted of a Congress in which each state had one vote. With little to no power to execute its laws or collect taxes, the new government proved ineffective. In May of 1787, delegates from 12 states came together, their goal being to revise the Articles of Confederation. Always constantly meeting, they changed their goal and decided that they would write a new Constitution, making three branches of government. An argument over the legislative branch arose. States with large populations wanted representation in both houses of the legislature to be based on population. States with small populations wanted each state to have the same number
“Is there a single trait of resemblance between those few towns and a great and growing people spread over a vast quarter of the globe, separated by a mighty ocean?” This question posed by Edmund Burke was in the hearts of nearly every colonist before the colonies gained their independence from Britain. The colonists’ heritage was largely British, as was their outlook on a great array of subjects; however, the position and prejudices they held concerning their independence were comprised entirely from American ingenuity. This identity crisis of these “British Americans” played an enormous role in the colonists’ battle for independence, and paved the road to revolution.
By the time of the late 18th century, the colonies had grown socially, culturally, economically, and politically setting the mood for a majority of the colonists to want to break ties with the mother country. The colonies were well established, growing rapidly with new settlers arriving, and had begun to interact and socialize with not only each other, but also the Indians and the French, with whom they shared the new lands. (Devore, Lecture # 3.) These newfound social and cultural interactions allowed the colonies to grow economically giving the colonists a sense of importance. The lack of recognition by parliament started to plant the seeds for the revolution.
As an American observes the life around him, noting the many advancements made in merely the last century, he must wonder how America climbed to such a level. The 21st century technology, the military and political power, education and ethics, all came from such meager beginnings, solidified by the Revolutionary War. The Revolutionary War proved to be a significant turning point in the history of our country, but what caused America to win? What were some of the most significant factors in the victory of these American patriots? By examining these three particular factors, America’s military assets, it’s aid from other countries, and its own spirit of independence, one’s understanding of the Revolutionary War, an essential root of this nation, is truly increased.
The reactions of the Americans on economic restrictions imposed on Americans and an overbearing dictatorial and military authority led to the American Revolution. The British tax policies and trading restrictions forced upon the Americans caused boycotts of many British goods. Americans formed committees of protest and eventually the Continental Army in response to Britain's overwhelming, dictatorial authority over the United States government. The British took advantage of their power over the United States and failed to compromise with the Americans. When the British disappointed the American’s conditions of compromise the Americans began boycotts and protests. The Declaration of Independence clarifies that the unfair policies imposed
Revolutions are usually described as “radical” events. A “radical” event is defined as one that greatly changes the political, cultural, social, and/or economic nature of a society. I believe that the American Revolution was a radical event that dramatically changed our society. There were many impacts to the changes such as slavery, primogeniture, the Articles of Confederation, republican motherhood, and government. This was the time in life, that we as America gained our independence from Britain. The American Revolution is what shaped our world to become what it is today.
The American Revolution was a war fought between Great Britain and the American colonies over independence from 1775 to 1783 which resulted in a fundamental change in American politics, society, and economics. The American Revolution began as a result of Great Britain taxing the colonies to cover the debts accumulated through the French and Indian War. While the majority of the colonies stayed loyal to their ‘Mother Land’, some of the colonist felt resentment toward England. Some colonist felt that England had no right to tax the colonies, while they had no representation in parliament. This created a divide within in the colonies between those who were in favor of independence-Patriots, and those who were still loyal to the Crown- Loyalist (or Tories). Even though the majority of the colonist considered themselves to be Loyalist, there was a bitter resentment toward the ‘Tories’ by the ‘Patriots’, as seen in Document B. In the Document it states that the colonist should ‘Instantly banish every Tory from among you’, and to ‘Let America be sacred alone to freemen.’
Is every American citizen aware of the struggles and battles that were fought before getting to where we are today? The American Revolution being one of the most commonly overlooked revolutions by today’s global society. It was where America began to transform into what it is today. The American Revolution was more than a fight to gain independence, it was also a fight to establish a democracy in American society. As shown consecutively in the articles “An Account of a Stamp Act Riot”, “A Dialogue between Orator Puff and Peter Easy”, “Antislavery Petition of Massachusetts Free Blacks”, and “Correspondence between Abigail and John Adams”, the American Revolution is illustrated through the use of primary sources such as a variety of letters and
When one explains his or her ingenious yet, enterprising interpretation, one views the nature of history from a single standpoint: motivation. In The American Revolution: A History, Gordon Wood, the author, explains the complexities and motivations of the people who partook in the American Revolution, and he shows the significance of numerous themes, that emerge during the American Revolution, such as democracy, discontent, tyranny, and independence. Wood’s interpretation, throughout his literary work, shows that the true nature of the American Revolution leads to the development of United State’s current government: a federal republic. Wood, the author, views the treatment of the American Revolution in the early twentieth century as scholastic yet, innovative and views the American Revolution’s true nature as
The American Revolution marked the divorce of the British Empire and its one of the most valued colonies. Behind the independence that America had fought so hard for, there emerged a diverging society that was eager to embrace new doctrines. The ideals in the revolution that motivated the people to fight for freedom continued to influence American society well beyond the colonial period. For example, the ideas borrowed from John Locke about the natural rights of man was extended in an unsuccessful effort to include women and slaves. The creation of state governments and the search for a national government were the first steps that Americans took to experiment with their own system. Expansion, postwar depression as well as the new distribution of land were all evidence that pointed to the gradual maturing of the economic system. Although America was fast on its way to becoming a strong and powerful nation, the underlying issues brought about by the Revolution remained an important part in the social, political and economical developments that in some instances contradicted revolutionary principles in the period from 1775-1800.
In chapter eleven, The Age of Democratic Revolutions: The North Atlantic World “Turn Upside Down”, Wells discusses the American and French Revolutions. Both of these revolutions shook the world and turn the world around. After the Enlightenment, there were many revolutions across Europe; however, the American and French Revolution had more power in them to change the world. Because of the books, pamphlets, and sermons, the idea of rationalism moved from philosophes to many of other people. With these new ideas, the people started to believe in change which led to stress and upheaval. In America, the revolution was not like other revolutions. There was no reigns of terror, no mass deportations, or forced labor camps. However, the American
The term ‘revolutionary’ has been defined as something ‘involving or causing a complete or dramatic change’. The American Revolution did just that, with the colonises demanding economic, social and political change. Never before had all the colonies risen up against the British colonial rule, demanding change.