American Revolution

At the time of the American Revolution, no one could have predicted how successful the thirteen colonies would become. Not only did the colonies defeat anarchy, unite, and grow into the United States known today, but something more was achieved. Those early states created a free country filled with many cultures and peoples, brought together by a shared love for freedom. It was a new concept, yet it was mostly welcomed. The American Revolution changed American society economically, but was even more greatly altered politically and socially, as can be seen through numerous documents from those times.

Prior to the Revolution, the colonies did little trade with countries other than Britain, and the motherland was a large source of supplies. After the Revolution, goods from Britain were greatly reduced. In response, Americans started making their own necessities, and also ventured into trade with foreign nations, although not to a great extent. Agriculture remained prominent, if not more important. The encouragement given through the Medal of the Philadelphia Society for farming (Document F) may demonstrate the value of agriculture during the post-Revolution period. Economically, America was not mightily impacted by the Revolution. Most of the customs remained in the vicinity of where they were before the colonies gained independence. However, changes in source of supplies and freedom of trade were two of the larger differences.

The political structure of America changed dramatically as a consequence of the Revolution. When the colonists were divided by loyalty towards Britain and those who wished for separation, the amount of determination that Patriots had was reflected through powerful spokespeople and pieces of writing. The Pe...

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... Indians expressed their intention of becoming “friends and brothers” to Congress in 1783 (Document C), but three years later, were disappointed at being left out of many decisions made by the states (Document E). With no feeling of promotion of friendship, this did not leave a very close relationship between Americans and Native Americans.

The American Revolution changed many aspects of the American society, most of which still linger in the present. Economically, not much changed in the wake of the Revolution, but political and social conditions were transformed to be more liberty loving. It is amazing those thirteen seemingly unimportant, rebellious colonies turned into one of the world’s leading countries. Perhaps in our modern world, something similar could take place. After all, history tells the story of the past, but it also gives clues towards the future.