The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America. After the American Revolution, Americans, who were free of British control, started to reevaluate politics, the economy and society. After breaking away Americans changed how they wanted to govern their society. The uneducated group of people didn’t experience a lot of change though the ideals from the revolution still guided some to seek better financial opportunities. Women, slaves, and loyalist experienced a good amount of change in society. Women gained more freedoms, some slaves were set free, and loyalist left America. Overall, America didn’t experience a lot of economic change, but it did experience some political and social change however not enough to say it was a radical change. After first breaking away from Britain, Americans wanted their government to not resemble Britain’s at all.
They did this by adopting the Articles of Confederation that had no national executive branch. However the government under the Articles was very weak and no power because it couldn’t raise money through taxes, the people who led the national government realized that a more centralized government was needed. As the constitution was written and it was in the process of being ratified by all the states, the federalist papers written mostly by Alexander Hamilton were written. In one paper by James Madison talks about “the government being able to control itself and the governed” (Document I).
The Essay on American Government
American Government I am, as a concerned citizen, would like to receive a comprehensible answer about when the American fiscal policy is going to be brought back to sanity. Our national debt has reached $ 8.417 trillion in this month, which means that every American carries a burden of government debt of $27.749 dollars, as it is out of our pockets that the government pays its foreign bills. The ...
This shows that the concept of checks and balances, could be used to keep the national government in line and not get out of control. The Constitution, finally ratified, was similar to Britain’s government but also different in its more active system of checks and balances. Another political change was the implementation that if a government does not meet the needs of the people than the people have the right to overthrow that government. This was exemplified by Shays’ rebellion in Massachusetts when the government carried their actions to “alarming heights” according to Abigail Adams (Document G).
Overall people had more of a voice in government and democracy was expanded especially to women. Economically, Americans did not experience a lot of change. The Philadelphia society for the promotion of agriculture in 1786, handed out a medal, which said, “venerate the plough” (Document F).
This demonstrates how the elite were still “rewarding” the common people who weren’t financially better off than before the revolution. Similarly, in Shay’s Rebellion farmers led by the ex-military officer the courts of justice in several counties…crying out for a paper currency for an equal distribution of power” (Document G).
Shay’s Rebellion represented the economic strife that the common people were enduring and ultimately rebelled against though their actions were for naught after they were disbanded. After the Revolution, women, slaves, and loyalist experienced differing degrees of change in society. Women, trained in the ideals of Republican Motherhood to instill values of justice and liberty in their children had elevated roles during the revolution. In a woodcut of a patriot woman, a woman is depicted carrying a rifle and a gunpowder horn (Document A), representing how women played more significant roles in society by accompanying the fighting soldiers and in this case fighting alongside them in the revolution.
The Essay on Change in Women’s Ideals
The United States woman between 1776 and the 1860’s varied greatly in the ways they went about achieving the ideals of their time. Both sought to better themselves and their families for the over-all betterment of their nation, but neither went about it in quite the same manner as the other. Also race was becoming less of a social barrier than it had been in the 1770’s, which is not to say, ...
However, all women were not content to go back to their household chores after the revolution as seen by Molly Wallace who says “if taught to read, why not speak?” (Document J), which shows how some women wanted to further their domestic roles and play a larger role in society. However, women suffrage would not occur for about another 140 years so their change in society was low. For slaves there was much change in society. After the revolution many slaves were set free in the North through it would take until the civil war for the slaves in the south to be set free. Under the Northwest Ordinance in 1787 which states, “There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in said territory” (Document H), shows how slavery’s role in society changed significantly in people’s minds to outlaw it in new territories. The Loyalist or also experienced a significant change in society.
After the revolution they were despised and it is found in the Pennsylvania Packet where they wanted to be sent to places other than America (Document B), and this shows the hatred directed towards those who remained loyal to the British during and after the revolution. Loyalists experienced so much change in society that many left America, never to return, removing themselves altogether from the colonists as a result of the negative change. Politically Americans experienced some change by making a new government even though they revised it in the end. Economically, the common people, who fought for better lifestyles, still lived under the heel of the elites and a significant amount of change occurred for women, slaves and loyalist, although the loyalist position in changed in society in a very negative manner. In these ways American society experienced change in respect to politically, socially, and not really economically. However these changes weren’t huge and do not deserve to be called radical.
