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Specific causes of the american revolution
Specific causes of the american revolution
Politics after the American Revolution
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The American Revolution was a key moment in the history of the country, it went on to dictate the foundations on which the country would base its future off of. Without the revolution, the Americans would not have separated from England and their political, Ideological, and economical beliefs. The conflict regarding those three beliefs was the base of the revolution and caused a great number of events such as the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Act and the Boston tea Party. As well serving as the inspiration for the Declaration of Independence and Common Sense by Thomas Paine, and influenced the French and Indian war. The American colonist’s political and economical incentive for independence can be considered ‘common sense’, but the ideological …show more content…
motivation cannot be considered ‘common sense’ simply because the difference in opinions regarding religious views and religious importance is too great. The colonies opinion about what they believe is economically beneficial for their country verses the English belief is extremely controversial and conflicting, which is why the economic and financial management was one of the leading causes of the revolution.
Events like the Stamp Act and the Navigational Acts help to prove the statement that the economical reasons for leaving can be considered ‘common sense’. Although the phrase ‘common sense’ depends on the individual person and the certain situation, the colonies decision to break from the English due to economical reason was the smart and evident choice to make. The Stamp Act is an example of what happened a multitude of times, when England, through the eyes of the colonies, placed an unfair tax upon the colonies because they needed money. Will Alfred, an English born citizen, stated the thoughts of the colonists in his letter to Secretary Conway and stating that this act “stripped [them] of one of the most valuable privileges of Britons” and that he “would have been less surprised by their behavior if we had taxed their beer”.INTEXT CITATION The Stamp Act is an example of how England misuses the Colonies, and Will Alfred’s letter is proof that American people are being robbed of basic rights. Will Alfred is an Englishmen, proven by his place of birth and his use of pronouns in his letter to Secretary Conway, and the fact that even a Englishmen believes that it is ‘common sense’ how the Sons of Liberty and the colonies are reacting to this act is verification that the Stamp Act is unjust. To reject an unjust and harmful law, and to fight for taxation with representation as the colonists did, is considered to be ‘common
sense’. Another example that confirms the ‘common sense’ decision to break from England because of economical differences, is the Navigational Acts. The main advantage to separating due various financial reasons is that while under the British rule, they believed that the colonies were subject to putting England first in matters such as mercantilism and trade, hence the Navigational Acts. But as the colonies grow and adapt to living without English aid, they come to realization that they no longer need to be tied to the English. As stated in Common Sense, written by Thomas Paine, “she did not protect us from our enemies on our account… from those who had no quarrel with us on any other account, but who will always be our enemies on the same account” (Common Sense). In TEXT CITATON. Thomas Paine’s tendentious opinion that the colonies relationship with England is doing more harm then it being beneficial directly relates to the Navigational Acts because when the colonies learn how to become an independence nation, they feel like it is ‘common sense’ to not willingly damage their own nation for England gain. The ideological conflict regarding the Great Awakening, the ‘New Lights’, and the Catholic religious of the Crown had a lasting effect on the revolution and even the world today. The issue with categorizing this ideological conflict as ‘common sense’ is that that directly depends on different people’s individual opinions. And also because the conflict is religious and philosophically based, one cannot dispute or prove that the other belief is incorrect. The Great Awakening, a movement bringing religious passion back into the colonies, also divided the colonies as well, adding another level of complication to the religious dispute and further proving that the ideological incentive to separate cannot be considered ‘common sense’. For example, Mr. Nathanael Henchman, a Pastor in Lynn, Massachusetts, believes that George Whitefield and his group of New Lights, a group that preaches with fervor about the Great Awakening, has “sown the harmful seeds of separation and disorder among us… By supporting the new churches, by claiming that our Ministers are unacquainted with Christ, you have stopped the spread of the Gospel, and hurt the Peace and good Order” IN TEXT CITATION. This is an example of the turmoil that conflict over religion and ideological views have causes, and further proof that these reasons cannot be considered ‘common sense’.
When it comes to the topic of the American Revolution, most of us will readily agree that it influenced essentially every code of ethics in today’s society. Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine address an identical topic. That is, they both provided inspiration to the American Revolution cause. Patrick henry on one point of view, speaks of the harshness of the British rule over the American colonies. In his statement, Patrick Henry addresses the oppressive British rule and emphasis grounds to maintain basic human rights. “Common Sense”, on the other hand stresses on the trials and tribulations of the American colonies under the British rule. With the use of persuasion in their writings, both Henry and Paine support the war against the Great Britain.
Gordon Wood’s Radicalism of the American Revolution is a book that extensively covers the origin and ideas preceding the American Revolution. Wood’s account of the Revolution goes beyond the history and timeline of the war and offers a new encompassing look inside the social ideology and economic forces of the war. Wood explains in his book that America went through a two-stage progression to break away from the Monarchical rule of the English. He believes the pioneering revolutionaries were rooted in the belief of an American Republic. However, it was the radical acceptance of democracy that was the final step toward independence. The transformation between becoming a Republic, to ultimately becoming a democracy, is where Wood’s evaluation of the revolution differs from other historians. He contributes such a transformation to the social and economic factors that faced the colonists. While Gordon Wood creates a persuasive argument in his book, he does however neglect to consider other contributing factors of the revolution. It is these neglected factors that provide opportunity for criticism of his book.
“Common sense will tell us, that the power which hath endeavored to subdue us, is of all others, the most improper to defend us.” Such words scribed by the Revolutionary radical Thomas Paine epitomized the drive behind the American Revolution of the 18th century. For nearly two hundred years, the citizens of the American Colonies had been fastened securely to the wrist of the mother country, England. They had tolerated the tyrannous rule, but not without the simmer of rebellious thoughts. As England piled tax after tax onto their colonies, thoughts of revolution and revolt sprung up in the minds of the colonists and brewed there, waiting for a catalyst to drive them into action. The catalyst ignited on January 10th, 1776 when Thomas Paine published his fiery pamphlet ‘Common Sense’. The 48-page pamphlet presented before the colonists a vision for independence that had never been conceived before. It radically altered the course of the Revolution and would later find itself molding the foundation of America’s government indefinitely.
The Revolutionary War was one of America’s earliest battles and one of many. Although, many came to America to gain independence from Great Britain many still had loyalty for the King and their laws. Others believed that America needs to be separated from Great Britain and control their own fate and government. I will analyze the arguments of Thomas Paine and James Chalmers. Should America be sustained by Great Britain or find their own passage?
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 colonists felt as if they were being strangled by Britain’s rule, the British passing a series of policies that the common man, as well as the elite, didn’t agree with. This ranged from the Stamp Act to the Sugar Act to even
The American Revolution has great importance on the way the United States views itself. Contrary to popular belief, Americans were not separate people subject to British tyranny. A large portion of American colonialists thought of themselves as British. There are many ideas and causes as to why the American Revolution began. Differing political traditions, both parties economic interest, trading interest of those involved in transatlantic commerce, Britain’s large debt that accumulated during the Seven Years War, mutual misunderstandings, and the Great Awakening are many of the reasons that the colonist began to revolt against England.
The start of the American Revolution, described by Edmund Morgan as, “the shot heard around the world,” was the “Americans’ search for principles” (Bender 63). Although the world’s colonies did not necessarily seek independence much like the Americans, the world’s colonies were nonetheless tired of the “administrative tyranny” being carried out by their colonizers (Bender 75). The American Revolution set a new standard in the colonies, proclaiming that the “rights of Englishmen” should and must be the “rights of man,” which established a new set foundation for the universal rights of man (Bender 63). This revolution spread new ideas of democracy for the colonized world, reshaping people’s expectations on how they should be governed. Bender emphasizes America as challenging “the old, imperial social forms and cultural values” and embracing modern individualism” (Bender 74). Bender shapes the American Revolution as a turning point for national governments. The American Revolution commenced a new trend of pushing out the old and introducing new self-reliant systems of government for the former
The Stamp Act of 1765 was the beginning of the revolution for the colonies of North America. When the Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament, it required American colonists to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. This included ship’s papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, and even playing cards. However, in the past, taxes and duties on colonial trade had always been viewed as measure to regulate commerce but not to raise money. Therefore, England viewed this taxes as a direct attempt to raise money in the colonies without the approval of the colonial legislatures. Due to this effects, the Stamp Act provoked such a violent reaction in the colonies, because it was seen as a threat to the colonist’s liberties and rights, as well as affecting multiple members of the society.
Many revolutions have taken place throughout history, ranging from the unremarkable to the truly memorable, such as the French Revolution, the Bolshevik Revolution and the American Revolution. Through an examination of the social, cultural, economic and political causes of the American Revolution, an exploration of key arguments both for and against the American Revolution, and an analysis of the social, cultural, economic and political changes brought about by the American Revolution it can be demonstrated unequivocally that the American Revolution was indeed truly revolutionary.
Common Sense During the late 17 hundreds the American colonies were split between separating from Great Britain or not. Some colonists felt they did not need to leave the rule of Britain, while others saw potential for the American colonies without Great Britain parliament. In the pamphlet titled Common Sense, Thomas Paine expressed his beliefs to separate from Great Britain in order to achieve greater opportunities for the Americans.
The American Revolution was a conflict that arose from growing tensions between Great Britain and the Thirteen North American colonies. It was a long bloody war and one of the most well-known, and because of that it has many interpretations, and these interpretations have made it a challenge to be able to come to a single understanding of the war. In this week’s readings, two different views on the same war are given. The American Yawp describes the American colonies point of view on the revolution while the History Lesson discusses how British wanted to control America but instead drove them to rebel and fight for their independence. The colonists saw the war for their independence as a revolution, but through British eyes, events and people were, not surprisingly, seen quite differently.
The war had been enormously expensive, and the British government’s attempts to impose taxes on colonists to help cover these expenses resulted in chaos. English leaders, were not satisfied with the financial and military help they had received from the colonists during the war. In a desperate attempt to gain control over the colonies as well as the additional revenue to pay off the war debt, Britain began to force taxes on the colonies. Which resulted in The Stamp Act, passed by parliament and signed by the king in March 1765. The Stamp Act created an excise tax on legal documents, custom papers, newspapers, almanacs, college diplomas, playing cards, and even dice. Obviously the colonist resented the Stamp Act and the assumption that parliament could tax them whenever and however they could without their direct representation in parliament. Most colonials believed that taxation without their consent was a violation of their constitutional rights as Englishmen. Which is where the slogan “No Taxation without Representation” comes
The American Revolution was marked by the colonies’ independence from Britain. This separation pronounced a new age marked by a decisive political change in the colonies because of the implementation of the Enlightenment ideals and the continuation of English liberties. However, the American Revolution was considered a conservative movement because it “originated from an effort to preserve the existing liberties of the colonies rather than create new ones” (Strayer, 782). Furthermore, the revolution occurred not on the issue of taxation, but on the issue of representation. The colonists believed autonomy was part of their birthright and as Englishmen along with their economic rights and their “natural rights to life, liberty, and property” (Kramnick, Lockean Liberalism). These two sentiments can be seen in their famous slogan “No taxation without representation”. By challenging their economic interests, their established traditions of local autonomy, and their identity as true Englishmen, the colonists were truly infuriated. Thus the American Revolution didn’t grow out of the social tensions within the colonies but rather from an unexpected effort by the British government to tighten its control over the colonies and ex...
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.