The Pros And Cons Of The American Revolution

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The United States would not be what it is today, without the struggle the Thirteen Colonies went through to win independence from Great Britain. The American Revolution allowed the colonies of North America to become the United States. These emigrants left Great Britain in a quest to seek a fresh start in the New World. When people saw how different their lives would be elsewhere, they risked everything they had for a chance at these new opportunities. This long, hard fight they went through was well worth it, because in 1776 Americans were able to declare themselves independent. More than 20 million people traveled across the seas, leaving Great Britain in search for a new life. These emigrants risked their lives traveling through dangerous …show more content…

Life was prosperous in America. Great Britain, who had a tremendous amount of war debt, needed to find new sources of revenue in the colonies. This was something that sparked the colonies reason for independence. They no longer needed to be obedient to Britain. The British government began to rely on the colonies and their money. The new revenue raising acts that Britain was enforcing hurt the colonies. This gave them more of a reason to rebel. The Stamp Act single handedly hurt the colonies thoughts on Great Britain. William Smith Jr said, “This single stroke has lost Great Britain the affection of all her Colonies.” I like this quote, and agree that at this point, the colonies were completely done caring for Britain. It was obvious they were not going to let their anger go, they wanted to stand up to Britain. Something I really got out of Gordon S. Wood’s writing was how quickly life was changing. His paragraphs went back and forth about the excitement of the emigrants to create a new nation, then the hardships they had to overcome. At first it seemed as if the lives of the emigrants were simple. Like they were taking a vacation to somewhere great. He made sure to prove his …show more content…

I believe Gordon S. Wood makes the best arguments as he describes every detail of the American Revolution. These are the events leading up to America’s overall independence. What I like about his writing is how he explains the goals of both Great Britain, and the colonies. I see why Great Britain’s debt caused them to want money from the colonists. On the other hand is the colonist’s anger for being taxed without reasons other than being taken advantage of. I do not think the colonists should be responsible for Great Britain’s debt. Wood’s writing does not take any sides. His great amount of knowledge makes me wonder who and what he agrees and disagrees

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