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British colonization of India
Early attempts to unite the colonies
British colonization of India
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Throughout the years the colonies have continually faced difficulties with the British but have faced such difficulties together as united colonies. Many colonists were in favor of the colonies coming together as an united union. As shown in the graphics of Document A, which shows a disassembled snake with each of the seven pieces representing seven independent colonies. When the seven pieces of the disassembled snake are alone it would not be as powerful as a full and assembled snake. This graphic demonstrates that the colonies would have great benefits as united colonies because it would improve the economy of the colonies by working together. The slogan “Join, or Die” is a part of Benjamin Franklin’s plan, the Albany Plan of Union, which
After it was written, 56 delegates coming from all of the 13 colonies signed the Declaration of Independence in order to make it official. This document served great justice during the Atlantic Revolution; it sought to make a difference as to how the colonies were in terms of their alliance with Britain. The Atlantic Revolution was able to make this happen, for it opened up the space for change. Through the document, we can see how the colonies determined to separate themselves from the British Empire. Some things to pay attention to in the writing is that they mentioned things like “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. The goal of this statement is to make sure that even though the men make up the government and the people must be okay with them, at the end of the day the people have the right to make sure that their government is not being destructive and is aiming towards their rights. The Atlantic Revolution brought forth new ideas of government and the liberation of the colonies from the
In conclusion, without struggle and without sacrifice this country would not have gained the independence and prove that united we stand and divide we fall. Thomas Paine quite elegantly put it “however strange it may appear to some, or however unwilling they may be to think so, matters not, but many strong and striking reasons may be given to shew, that nothing can settle our affairs so expeditiously as an open and determined declaration of independence” (Paine 111).
Proof of this new found unity comes in Richard Henry Lee's letter to Arthur Lee in 1774, where he states "all North America is now most firmly united and as firmly resolved to defend their liberties " As Americans they came together and fought for what they believed in and continued to do what was necessary to get their freedom and independence. Americans developed a sense of identity and unity through many factors such as: the variety and mixture of cultures in America, geography, and the political and economic hardships they endured. This is why by the eve of the Revolution, between 1750 and 1776, they had a strong sense of both identity and unity as Americans.
This philosophy was at the core of the powerful Iroquois League of Five Nations. The League of Five Nations, or Iroquois Confederacy as it is more commonly called, was a thriving and well-functioning form of government very similar to that of the United States Government. Hundreds of years before "civilized" man arrived in the New World -- historians think as early as 1400 A.D.-- the Iroquois had created a radically new and well-organized form of government unlike any other before it. This new form of government was the idea of two peaceful men named Hiawatha and Deganawida (McClard 47). Hiawatha and Deganawida realized that the five Iroquois tribes were constantly fighting with one another resulting in many innocent deaths and ongoing tribal wars. As a solution to the constant stream of violence between the Iroquois people, they proposed a union between the five tribes that would make the Iroquois nation as a whole stronger and more powerful, while uniting their "brothers" together in friendship. The Iroquois Confederacy was a lasting union between the five Iroquois tribes: the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca. This union of five Iroquois tribes would prove to have a great deal of impact on the founding fathers of the United States. The grounding principles of unity, freedom of the people, and democracy that defined the Iroquois Confederacy very much impressed certain men who were charged with designing the new government of the United States.
All in all, the colonists had felt an identity from the very beginning and forming a unity with one another was not difficult for them to achieve. They were prepared to tackle a situation together and they had begun referring to themselves as not British. To conclude, colonists had already a sense of identity and unity because they all had one common problem and they had to act together to deal with it.
“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman” (Paine). With these words Thomas Paine’s inspiring, but inflated rhetoric helped to transform a dispute about taxes into a struggle for the soul of man. This kind of language united the feuding colonies around a principle greater than their own economic interests.
...olerable Acts, which colonists viewed as posing threat to their political freedom. Therefore, the Continental Congress adopted the Continental Association, and more small towns and rural areas joined the resistance. Still, some colonial leaders did not favor severing the tie with Britain because of pride of British membership and fear of further turmoil. In New York and Pennsylvania, unable to achieve a consensus on their position against Britain, many leaders stagnated from further resistance.
As a result of the French and Indian War, England’s attention became focused on the areas that required tending by the government other than North America, which provided the colonies with the one thing that ensured the downfall of Britain’s monarchial reign over America: salutary neglect. The unmonitored inhabitants of the colonies accustomed themselves to a level of independence that they had never possessed before, and when these rights were jeopardized by the enforcement of the Stamp Act after the Seven Year’s War, the colonists would not take it lying down. The colonies bound together in rebellion against the taxation without representation through boycotting the use of English goods, as embodied by Benjamin Franklin’s famous drawing of a snake; the “Join or Die” snake, as a whole representing the functionality and “life” of the colonies if they would work together, also forewarns the uselessness and “death” of the individual regions, suggesting that the colonies as a whole would have to fight the revolution against the Mother Country or else fail miserably...
They had their own way of wording it but it all was the same. I really like how Thomas Paine worded it the best by stating “In order for the colonist to prosper in the long term, the colonies need to be independent.” Paine all so states “by declaring independence, America will be able to ask for help of other countries in its struggle of freedom.” The colonist just needed to break away so they could grow on their own. By the colonist breaking away is how the United States of America was formed. As it states in Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence “The new government will reserve the right to levy war, make peace, make alliance with foreign nations, conduct trade, and do anything else that nations do.” With that being said that means that the colonist had to come up with their own government. That all so gave them the right to reach out to other’s for trade of goods and anything else that they may need help with, but not having to answer to
...ited States.” Lincoln passed on his belief that the nation must be united and that a “new birth of freedom” would be created, or the nation would “perish from the world,” should the Union failed.
In 1776 when the Colonies declared their independence from Great Britain with the Declaration of Independence they had one clear goal in mind: become a sovereign nation and avoid the tyranny of Great Britain. What they did not know, however, is that they had to face many more issues beyond simply cutting the ties with Great Britain; they also had to create and maintain a working system of rules which could guide them into becoming the United States of America. Once Independence was gained in 1783, the Articles of Confederation were created, but with many deep flaws in the system. The Federal government had no power, and the states were loosely held together and hardly acted as if they were a single united nation. After recognizing that these problems were too large to overcome easily, several of the greatest men in the nation gathered together to rectify these problems.
America desired for King George to recognize them not as colonists who were feebly revolting at what was at the time a world power, but as a separate and equally important people. They believed that they had a right to a free government just as England did, and they wanted to make this perfectly clear. Interestingly enough, America’s intentions were not on fighting and winning the battle through bloodshed. Nevertheless, the signers of this incredible document stated in closing: “We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” (Jefferson,1) This meant that as a whole, they were willing to risk everything for their cause. Many of these men were lawyers, politicians, and wealthy land owners. They had everything to lose, but they did it for all of the American people. As a result, many lost their homes, died in the war, or suffered long nights behind bars. They were aware of the cost, but they knew that they would live in victory or die
Dear fellow colonists, it is to my greatest concern that I am informing you of Great Britain’s advancements. Our mother country has, in accordance to the words of Thomas Paine, increased our taxes along with pushing us towards our own enslavement. With a mindset of wanting what is best for ourselves, I believe we should side with Paine and branch off from Britain.
Apparently, we are too much to handle and we are costly. The little Englanders [local small group] said we are a big burden to Britain. They are suggesting we handle our own issues; meaning we join confederation. Confederation will stabilize our economy because we’ll be able to sell more goods without being dictated by the Britain. We’ll have a better military that we can spend on with how much money we desire. Our political problems will be solved by joining together and supporting each other, and it will be harder for anyone to take our
The political cartoon “Join or Die” was drawn and published by Benjamin Franklin in his newspaper “The Pennsylvania Gazette” on May 9th, 1754. The drawing portrays a snake separated into pieces that represented the eight major regions at the time. This included, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and New England. Eight colonies/regions were represented rather than the traditional thirteen because Smaller colonies like Delaware were considered to be apart of the larger colonies. In 1754 the cartoon was used to show the need for unity among the colonies to defend against the French and Native Americans. Through his drawing, Benjamin Franklin urged the colonies to join forces rather than