Running Head: REVOLUTIONARY AMERICA
Revolutionary America
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Revolutionary America
The French and Indian War of 1756-1763 was a major event that shaped the history of the United States. It was before, during and after the war that tensions arose between the Britain and her colonies in America, precipitating the American Revolution and eventually, independence (Anderson, 2006).
Measures taken during the war changed the attitude of colonists which although initially creating a division of opinion within the colonial population, eventually led to their unity in declaration of independence. This paper addresses some of the events from before the seven years war to the American Revolution.
Changes Occasioned by the French and Indian War
At the beginning of the war, Britain considered the North American colonies as its investment. It therefore supported their security and other needs while benefitting from the raw materials and markets provided. The colonists on their part considered themselves to be subjects of the English Monarchy. During the war however, there was a change in the attitudes of the colonists. During the war, American colonists realized that they could be independent. They were also displeased by British policies at the time (Jenkins, 2007).
Bailyn (1992) explains that the British government decided to take up mercantilism, a philosophy in which a state was considered to be powerful basing on the amount of wealth that it possessed. It adopted oppressive policies especially relating to trade and taxation. The colonists also increasingly adopted liberalism that advocated for the granting of basic rights to all people.
The Essay on Involved In The War Britain America Americans
1) Many Americans had come to accept that Britain should be given some help, mainly, because France had just fallen to the Germans. The shock of how big a threat Germany was to Britain had just dawned on most Americans. Britain had also used propaganda, screening videos of Britain being bombed. In the paper it showed pictures of rundown city's, and people gathering their belonging from the wrecks ...
After the war, the British government mostly considered the colonists as a burden to the British economy. Parliament wanted to make them help in paying for the resources that Britain had spent in defending them during the War. There was also dissatisfaction among the British with the extent of financial and military input that the colonists had offered in the war. They were therefore convinced that colonies needed to be reorganized and their central authority located in London. This displeased the leaders in the colonies whose pride was hurt and resentment grew even further (Anderson, 2006).
The Development of American Nationalism
Becker (2008) notes that during and after the war, Britain formulated new policies to increase its control over the colonies and oblige them to repay the expenditures incurred during the war. There was the introduction of new trade regulations and taxes for this purpose. The colonists strongly criticized the taxes as they had not been consulted in their passing. They claimed that they were entitled to parliamentary representation in the passing of such new laws. The frustration with such exploitation led to a growing creation of distance from the British motherland. According to Jenkins (2007), the later basis of the American Revolution was the French and Indian War. Tensions between the colonists and Britain grew especially as the Britain discovered that the colonists were secretly trading with its enemies, France and Spain.
As from the War’s end, the colonies became more united. Britain’s new economic policies helped to unify them further. The colonists therefore developed a feeling of being alienated from Britain. They therefore began seeking self-sufficiency. Their ability to defeat some new colonial measures such as the stamp act made the colonies realized the need for them to unite against Britain, hence developing an American nationalism (Bailyn, 1992).
Reaction to the Declaration of independence
There was opposition to calls for independence from some sections of the population. There were congressmen for instance John Dickinson of Pennsylvania, who believed in the need to appease the British instead of risking the instability likely to be created by a revolution. A revolution would cost a lot and this would be a problem, especially considering that the colonies had just emerged from war. There were also merchants who were uncertain about the cutting of links with Britain. This was because Britain was a major importer of goods form North America. The prospect of cutting such links was considered as having a possible negative impact on business. There were also groups of people who still felt attached to their motherland. They were still loyal to the king in England and the idea of rebelling was therefore not attractive to them. There was fear that what was being called for amounted to treason which if it failed, would have serious consequences (Becker, 2008).
The Term Paper on Stamp Act England Colonies British
... plans for unified action in relation to the war and the government of the colonies. Benjamin Franklin drafted proposals, but they were never ... restrict the sale of British merchandise in America, nor should the colonists produce the kind of wares which Britain could supply.These principles were ...
Nature of the Declaration of Independence
The demand for independence from Britain was expressed in the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Becker (2008) explains that the declaration claimed the contravention of the rights of Englishmen. The declaration was a revolutionary document. It presented a modern radical argument that all human beings, and not only Englishmen, were created equal. Governments were created to be in the service of the people. This was a departure from the English case where social class and divine right justified leadership. It also called for the overthrow of governments in case they failed to protect the lives and liberties of their people. The new philosophical approach, redefinition of the place of government and sanctioning of forced change of government by the people constitute the document’s revolutionary nature.
There were however ways in which the document was not really revolutionary. It was for instance based on old understandings of issues. Its definition of basic human rights was based on the ancient rights of Englishmen as provided by the English constitution. It is upon these and the belief that the colonists were answerable to Britain that the document laid its claims. The document was also not very original. It had a lot of influences from the past. It was for instance mostly based on the ideas of John Locke from that century.
The Essay on Declaration of war by the United States
The First World War began in August 1914. It was directly triggered by the assassination of the Austrian archduke, Franz Ferdinand and his wife, on June 28, 1914 by Serbian revolutionary, Gavrilo Princip. This event was, however, simply the trigger that set off many declarations of war. The actual causes of the war are more complicated and are still debated by historians today. But there were two ...
The inclusion of Pursuit of Happiness
Jefferson’s changing of the basic rights to include the pursuit of happiness was possibly driven by his understanding of the ideal America. According to this, the people needed a government that they believed would serve their needs and after getting it, be able to monitor and replace it if necessary. The reason for the change was therefore that while Locke’s ideas aimed at ensuring justice, his intended to ensure human fulfillment (Jenkins, 2007).
Maybe Jefferson went beyond property to the pursuit of happiness because to him happiness meant in addition to property ownership, anything that would help to achieve an optimum level of human development, for instance the freedoms of conscience, speech and religion. Jefferson must have aimed at identifying the maximum potential for human growth and happiness amounts to this.
Conclusion
The French and Indian War marked a turning point in Britain’s relations to her American colonies. Britain decided to pass on the war expenses to the colonists as tax, which pushed their already existing tensions to their limits. The experiences of the war also taught the colonists a lesson in unity against a common enemy, and this led to their nationalism and calls for independence. At its end, there was therefore the declaration of independence a document that although it faced some opposition, eventually carried the day as the war of independence was won. The declaration was a revolutionary document which led to the effective demand for independence. It was also one that raised the status of the American as an individual by guaranteeing their basic rights, including that to individual freedom. In general therefore, measures taken during the war changed the attitude of colonists which although initially creating a division of opinion within the colonial population, eventually led to their unity in declaration of independence.
References
Anderson, F. (2006).
The War That Made America: A Short History of the French and Indian War . New York: Penguin Books.
Bailyn, B. (1992).
The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution . Berkeley: University of California Press.
The Essay on Americans Started Rebelling Again British War Independence
Many countries have wars that affect them in one way or another. Now, the outcome is different, the outcome of any war can totally change the way of life in a country or do nothing for it. A war that made a great impact on the united states of America was the revolutionary war. The revolutionary war was the united states way of moving towards independence. Americans were under the control of the ...
Becker, C. (2008).
The Declaration of Independence: A Study in the History of Political Ideas . Los Angeles: South West Publications.
Jenkins, P. (2007).
A History of the United States. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
