The American Revolutionary war, a war thought to have been fought to free a land from its oppressors, but was it fought for other reasons? The 1700’s were rife with disagreements between colony and mother country, most prominently disagreed upon were the legal actions the mother country were enacting in the colonies. The laws and decrees England made for the colonies were not outrageous by any means, the taxes in the colonies were lower than those in England and the colonies even had religious freedom to an extent. The disagreement first festered within the people beat down by the laws and those making profit off of breaking England's laws, as England lowered the taxes smuggling and other illegal means of making money became less and less …show more content…
profitable. The exaggerated reaction that occurred from these simple changes was bred by greed, the greed of men who realized their way of life would suffer if they did not change the mind of the masses. The Revolution was conceived by the greedy, those who wanted their wealth to grow, but as time progressed populations in the colonies started to choose sides based on their beliefs, they wanted to enact their own ideals from this Revolution; whether those ideals be to change the government for the better or to grow in wealth, the Revolutionary fires were lit. Greed is described as an intense selfish desire for something, whether that intense desire be for money, for a government that only benefits specific people, or for freedom for a population it started the Revolution.
The leaders and voices of the Revolution all had something to gain from speaking out against England, most of the leaders prospered after the war had ended. These leaders spoke to the masses, telling what they wanted to hear most, giving them reason to rebel or giving them reason to stay with the king. The exaggerations and claims made by the colony leaders caused uproar in the people that the leaders of the colonies and the leaders of England didn’t expect, as said by Gary Nash, “Both loyal supporters of English authority and well-established colonial protest leaders underestimated the self-activating capacity of ordinary colonists” (Major Problem in American History, 123 ). The intense desire for their ideals to become true lead them to become more volatile than anyone could have imagined, it was as though a bomb had been lit by thoughts of prosperity and betterment of oneself. The leaders of the Revolution used exaggerated claims to fuel the growing fire of rebellion. Examples of such exaggerations were the “Boston Massacre,” where only five people were killed under self defense, the definition of massacre being to kill a large number of people, which didn’t occur. Another incident caused by greed was the Gaspee Affair, a British boat that ran ashore is Rhode Island and was burned by colonists, the colonists of Rhode Island wanted the men responsible for the burning of Gaspee to be free of any charges, so they claimed they were innocent even when shown evidence. The Gaspee Affair reflected the sense of loyalty the colonists had for people that broke laws, that sense of loyalty for people breaking laws was all created from the wealth brought from smuggling, the wealth brought by some of the leaders of the Revolution. Greed had woven itself into
everyday life for the colonists, which stemmed back to the greed of the instigators of the Revolution. The true beliefs of people started to grow out of the seeds of greed, causing people to choose sides without second thought. The colonies were splitting into faction of rebels and supporters causing the “weakening of family connections and the further fragmentation of colonial interests” (Major Problem in American History, 117 ). The Revolution had freed people's true feelings, slaves rallying for the freedom the British promised, free men rallying for whatever would make them prosper the most, indians rallying to both sides for the promise of equality. The colonists were truly disorganised, but one thing they all knew was they were fighting for a change in their life; be that change in government or change in wealth they were ready. The stages was then set for the war, the only starting gun herd was the usher for a new world. The Revolution officially starting, the rebels realized how outmatched and outgunned they were, a plea for guidance resonating through the ranks of the rebels. To answer the plea of their people a new government began to form, a government which was created with the goal to lead and nullify. The makeshift government had been created to make the change the people wanted a reality, the rebels fought for this change because it was the one thing that united them. The change that happened could have been anything from the government declaring independence to the government simply arranging new taxes with Britain, the people would have been nullified either way. The Revolution grew into a war against the traditional arrangement of society, as the people decided they wanted a government that could bring them the change they wanted when they asked for it. The Revolution may have been instigated by greed of man, but it then grew into a battle that was fought to satisfy the yearnings and desires of the people. Losing sight of their initial goals, the peoples ideals merged into one over the course of the war forging the ideals of wealth and prosperity with the ideals of a government that can adjust to change people wanted. The war birthed a new type of people, Americans. These people believed in constant change, nothing was perfect, and everything could be improved upon, including laws that were created by the government. The king decided not to change with the people, so the people made the change happen without the king, they made a system where the people ruled. The states slowly grew in their wealth as the initial leaders of the war had hoped, but they also grew as a new country; as Gordon Wood wrote, “The familial image of government now lost all its previous relevance, and the state in America emerged as something very different from what it had been” (Major Problem in American History, 122). Wood’s quote showing that America not only revealed itself as a new country, but revealed a new way to govern, a way where the people have a voice and are represented no matter where they were in the country. The rights of the states were yet to be perfected, as quarrels between the states had no way of being solved and taxes were running rampant. The true metamorphosis into the government held today took time, it took some changes. Those changes eventually lead to America’s Bill of Rights, unalienable rights that every person and every state should have. The melding of ideals created a goal of change, all other reasons lost in rebellion, this strive for change created a new government that will satisfy its countries desires. The Revolution was started simply to change what white person ruled where, it was started to fill pockets, stomachs, and egos. The Revolution grew to be more than a mere changing of powers, it grew to be an usher into a new age. The Revolution made people lose clarity for their beliefs, causing people to unite under the one thing every belief had held, change. Every person's ideal world had changes made to it to make it a place worth living in, a place that a person could fight for. That scream for change created a country that is always changing, continually making itself better for the people that live within it. That scream for change that was screamed so long ago, echos today. Change still is fought for in America, in the ways of gun laws, equality, and even still taxation. One decision can never make everyone truly happy, so why not make multiple decisions to make everyone happy enough to live in this country and call it home. The Revolution was fought to change the way society was arranged, so why not fight to change it now?
During the War for American Independence, 78 men were commissioned as general officers into the Continental Army by the Continental Congress. Many of these generals commanded troops with differing levels of competence and success. George Washington is typically seen as most important general, however throughout the war a number of his subordinates were able to distinguish themselves amongst their peers. One such general was Nathanael Greene. At the end of the Revolutionary War, Greene would become Washington’s most important subordinate, as demonstrated by Edward Lengel’s assessment of Greene as “the youngest and most capable of Washington’s generals.” Washington and Greene developed a strong, positive and close relationship between themselves. Greene began his life in the military after having been raised a Quaker. With limited access to literature and knowledge in his younger years, Greene became an avid reader which equipped him with the knowledge necessary to excel as a general during the war. Through his devoted study of military operations, firsthand experience and natural abilities as a soldier, Greene became an excellent military commander. He would become known for his successful southern campaign, during which, he loosened British control of the South and helped lead the war to its climax at Yorktown. Throughout the war, he was involved in a number high profile battles where he built a reputation of being an elite strategist who also understood unconventional warfare, logistics, and the importance of military-civil affairs and had a natural political/social acumen. The thesis of this paper is that Greene’s proven reputation of being a soldier, strategist and statesman would cause him to become the second greates...
The Revolutionary War was a war between the Thirteen Colonies and Great Britain from 1775-1783 during the American Revolution. The American colonists fought the British in hope of freedom and separation from Great Britain. “This was the completion stage of the political American Revolution whereas the colonists had denied the rights of the Parliament of Great Britain in governing them without any representation,” ("American Revolutionary War."). The Revolutionary War consisted of many different bloody battles on American soil. The war resulted in an American victory because of many historical reasons. The factors that contributed to an American victory of the Revolutionary War are British debt, distance between America and Great Britain, war tactics, French involvement, and important battles.
The American Revolution was sparked by a myriad of causes. These causes in themselves could not have sparked such a massive rebellion in the nation, but as the problems of the colonies cumulated, their collective impact spilt over and the American Revolution ensued. Many say that this war could have been easily avoided and was poorly handled by both sides, British and American; but as one will see, the frame of thought of the colonists was poorly suited to accept British measures which sought to “overstep” it’s power in the Americas. Because of this mindset, colonists developed a deep resentment of British rule and policies; and as events culminated, there was no means to avoid revolution and no way to turn back.
During the 1760s, there were many laws and actions made by the British that the colonist were not too pleased with. Some of the main laws that the colonist tried to resist and go without following were the Stamp Act, and the Intolerable Acts. Some of the main actions taken that the colonist did not like were the Boston Massacre, and the Import Drop. These actions pushed the colonist to a whole new level, they wanted out.
The road to independence for the colonists began with the “shot heard round the world”. The colonists were being heavily controlled by the British in many ways that can be considered unfair. During this time Britain was in massive debt from the French and Indian war. To get out of this debt, Parliament decided to tax the colonists to help pay their expenses. Although Britain approved of the taxes, the American colonists did not. The colonists felt that they should not be taxed without their consent, and as a result many colonists boycotted British imports. The revolutionary war was justified by the colonists because Great Britain was a tyranny and there were many strict acts enforced upon them.
Any historical event with-world changing consequences will always have two sides to the story. What most Americans refer to today as the American Revolution is no different. As Americans, most of us view eighteenth-century England as a tyrannical power across the ocean, and see men like George Washington as heroes who fought against the oppressor. If history and wars were that simple, everyone would understand them, and the need for wars would be diminished. The truth is, England was not the least bit tyrannical to the colonies. Actually, the rebels had no idea, nor any intention of establishing a new and separate government "of the people, by the people, and for the people." They only meant to make a statement and attempt to avoid every tax that Parliament could dream up in the process. Across the Atlantic Ocean in England's Parliament, some men such as William Pitt and Edmund Burke understood opposition to taxes by the American colonists. After all, the colonies had been all but ignored by England since they were established in the early part of the seventeenth century up until the Seven Years War (1756 - 1763). Other men such as George Grenville and Charles Townshend did not understand at all the protests against any taxes implemented by Parliament . These men felt that was not only the right of Parliament to demand taxes, but also their duty to raise money for the Crown. Parliament had the power to demand a tax of every British citizen in the empire, and these men had developed their own ideas about how those taxes would be implemented.
It has been said that the American Revolution was a direct result of the French and Indian War. Throughout this essay, this statement can be proven by a line of supportive occurrences such as the acts, taxes, laws, and drastic events that the colonists suffered from and endured first-hand that can back-track the cause of the revolution (proving, again, that the war debts from the French and Indian War directly raised conflict that would build up through the years). Tensions immediately start to build in the colonies right after the "7 Years War", or the French and Indian War. Before hand, the American Colonies had just begun to somewhat prosper from comfort of the distant of the monarchical rule of Great Britain when everything ran right into
The revolutionary war was evolutionary because when the second continental congress adopted the Declaration of Independence which was were the Americans declared independence everything changed and they signed the declaration on July 4th 1776. And that meant that they would need to get a commander in chief so the appointed George Washington who was an amazing general but they didn’t have much of an army just a lot of minutemen. Which are untrained people who just joined who were basically, a militia. But before they signed the declaration they had to get all the colonies on board and that’s when Benjamin franklin said "JOIN or DIE". And join or die was meant to get all the other colonies on board with going to war. Because that would be one of the only ways that they would have enough soldiers to even stand a chance against the
John Adams believed that the America Revolution was in the mind and the heart of the American people. The war for independence was part of it but it was not solely to the America Revolution. By 1815 the United States defeated England twice; one to secure independence, then second time to defend its honor. This was the two great superpowers of the world England and France went to war in 1754. It was the first global conflict known as the Seven Years War or the French and Indian War. England won the war in 1763 but it was tremendous financial and human cost. In an effort to replenish its depleted Treasury Great Britain decided to impose a series of taxes on the colonist to help pay for their own defense. English eyes this seemed fair but to the American colonist this was new and
The American Revolution was fought in the late 1700s between Great Britain and American Colonies over their right for independence. The Colonists took advantage of fighting in a well-known region and were driven by their longing for independence. Their most important move was their much needed alliance with France. At first France only supplied little things such as money, munitions, tents and uniforms until later Benjamin Franklin, spent a great deal of time in France persuading King Louis XIV to obligate itself completely to America. Not only did the French aid the American colonies with supplies but also by engaging with Britain In other areas of the world. The American colonies knew they would need extra aid to fight against the British.
In the wrongdoings England performed to prevent America from gaining power, England attempted to regain complete control over the colonies. However, the colonists were ignoring England’s rules due to inability to enforce them, and protested the King and Parliament. England’s weaknesses began to shine through, and the natural course of action was conflict.
Bacon and many other supporters thought they were being treated unfairly because they wanted to expand westward for the sake of their farms but were denied the request multiple times by Berkeley. They felt they had the right as colonists to do what they pleased, so Bacon and his supporters terrorized a group of Indians and then came back to Jamestown and to burn the city down and exile the governor (Brinkley 32). This rebellion showed England the resilience of colonists when their rights are tampered with. However, England really did nothing to facilitate their needs and, little did they know, this was the spark that would eventually ignite the Revolutionary
The American Revolution was worth the wage of are independence. Which was fought between the American colonies and the British. Which ended with a massive amount of war and deaths. In addition to that a lot of political ideas happen. Not to mention revolts and military forces that was trained and assembled at this time to fight for freedom and independence around the world. The American Revolution had multiple amounts of political, diplomatic, and military reasons for why the U.S, won the war. As well as the intolerable act, The Treaty of Paris, and Marquis De La Fayette ideas which impact the war as well as Georgia Washington.
The American Revolution began in 1765 and was one of the most pivotal events in American history. As many know, the Revolutionary War that followed ten years after the revolution began with the “shot heard round the world”. The first battle of the Revolutionary War took place in the towns of Lexington and Concord, with over 200 British casualties. The events of the American Revolution were gradually building toward those first shots. There were a plethora of causes that spurred the war into motion, and there is no single answer to what caused the American Revolution, but two major factors were Britain’s constrictive economic policies and trouble in the city of Boston.
The American Revolution fundamentally changed American society in positive and negative ways. There were political, social, and economic alterations that occurred during this time period from 1775 to 1800 that ultimately affected our country by changing it and giving us what we have today.