From the 1770s to the 1780s, the American Revolution was extremely influential in developing the United States as a country, and creating the Constitution. This political upheaval was the colonists’ initial rebellious demonstration against the British, and heavily elaborated on the ideas of freedom from a dominating power, which reflected among all social divisions nationwide. From gender relations to the social hierarchy of the persecuted racial groups, every group was by some means affected by the American Revolution and the consequences that followed. The repercussions from the revolt were not entirely positive, despite the country’s newly-developed democracy and the citizens’ increase of political influence. The Revolutionary War had a …show more content…
This American freedom was purely intended for the whites, as the “Patriots were simultaneously maintaining the practice of race-based slavery in the colonies” (172). The African-Americans ' participation in the Revolutionary War, both enslaved and free, increased due to the efforts to contradict the lack of freedom in America by the British army. Lord Dunmore proclaimed that he would promise freedom to slaves who fought on the British side, initiating the “Ethiopian Regiment” (172). However, the American Elite, especially in the southern states, contradicted Britain’s views of liberty by transforming the Revolution into a war that defends slavery. The southern states were incredibly outspoken in their beliefs towards maintaining traditional racial customs, and persecuting the African-Americans and enslaved blacks. Southerners “convinced the Continental Congress to instruct General Washington to February 1776 to enlist no more African-Americans, free or enslaved” (173). When the thirteen colonies created the Continental Congress and the newly formed states emerged, the hesitation to give this racial minority an increase in freedom expanded. The American elite abstained from increasing enslaved and free black’s democracy during the Revolutionary War, ultimately causing these people to shift support from the Patriots to the Loyalists. However, in 1865, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which reflected Britain’s notions of equality and liberty, states that “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude...shall exist within the United States”
In chapter eleven, The Age of Democratic Revolutions: The North Atlantic World “Turn Upside Down”, Wells discusses the American and French Revolutions. Both of these revolutions shook the world and turn the world around. After the Enlightenment, there were many revolutions across Europe; however, the American and French Revolution had more power in them to change the world. Because of the books, pamphlets, and sermons, the idea of rationalism moved from philosophes to many of other people. With these new ideas, the people started to believe in change which led to stress and upheaval. In America, the revolution was not like other revolutions. There was no reigns of terror, no mass deportations, or forced labor camps. However, the American
According to Carl N. Degler, the entire Revolution should be viewed as a conservative change. In “A New Kind of Revolution,” Degler talked about how the new actions taken place by the English had help structure and shape the colonial government. Not only did the colonies lack the affection of their motherland, Britain, they were also taxed unfairly. On the other hand, “The Radicalism of the American Revolution,” by Gordon S. Wood talks about how the American Revolution was a radical movement. His thesis covered how the country was transitioning from monarchy to republic, and now, democracy. The framers wanted to create a free nation where no single person rule. As well as, the people of the nation having the ultimate say so.
When one explains his or her ingenious yet, enterprising interpretation, one views the nature of history from a single standpoint: motivation. In The American Revolution: A History, Gordon Wood, the author, explains the complexities and motivations of the people who partook in the American Revolution, and he shows the significance of numerous themes, that emerge during the American Revolution, such as democracy, discontent, tyranny, and independence. Wood’s interpretation, throughout his literary work, shows that the true nature of the American Revolution leads to the development of United State’s current government: a federal republic. Wood, the author, views the treatment of the American Revolution in the early twentieth century as scholastic yet, innovative and views the American Revolution’s true nature as
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.
From the time period 1775-1800, the American Revolution would impact the United States in political, social and economic ways.
In the colonial era slavery was permissible by law in every colony. Blacks were 20% of the overall population of the 13 colonies and only 8% of them were free blacks (www.history.org). Colonists commonly used African slave labor despite the question of whether slavery was morally right. Life for blacks in the revolutionary period was one of slavery and discrimination. Only 8 percent of blacks were free [Edgar A Toppin. “Blacks in the American Revolution” (published essay, Virginia State University, 1976), p 1] and this so-called freedom merely meant that they could own and defend property. They weren’t allowed to mingle with whites and were wholly segregated.
As a prelude before the Revolution itself, there were already preliminary symptoms of unrest within America that followed the first step in the general pattern of revolutions. Prior to the first shots at Lexington and Concord in 1775, growing discontent with the British Government passing certain acts that the Americans perceived as unfair had already risen to a substantial degree. With the majority of acts incurring economic and financial costs, by 1767, the Townshend Acts had been passed, putting further taxes on paper, glass and tea. Upon the taxes that the Stamp Act of 1965 incurred on such items as newspapers, official documents and almanacs, the American people became highly agitated and a feeling of resentment quickly spilled over the masses, ‘several person were for dying rather than submitting to it...’ [pg52 Maier, P.] Additionally, the Colonialist became increasingly violent, ‘Almost immediately after the Acts [implementation], outbreak of mob activity...’[pg54 Maier, P.] By 1970, the preliminary symptom of unrest displayed through protest and discontent was evident. The Colonialist did not feel that they were obligated to be subject to these taxes without representation in British Parliament. Additionally, the psychological pre-condition associated with the cause of war was present in the Colonialist discontent regarding the numerous Acts bearing economic consequences. Not only had the events up till 1770 displayed active protests and early mob activity, it also hinted at the potential oncoming violence the growing mob could inflict which was the next step in the general broad pattern of revolutions.
“The Revolution was the most radical and far reaching event in American history.” This is the premise of Gordon S. Wood’s book The Radicalism of the American Revolution. Within these pages Wood attempts to prove that the American Revolution was radical because it fundamentally changed the social and political structures of colonial America, structures that had always been fused together. Accordingly, he asserts that the separation of these institutions forms the basis of his argument for radicalism.
The American Revolution was a “light at the end of the tunnel” for slaves, or at least some. African Americans played a huge part in the war for both sides. Lord Dunmore, a governor of Virginia, promised freedom to any slave that enlisted into the British army. Colonists’ previously denied enlistment to African American’s because of the response of the South, but hesitantly changed their minds in fear of slaves rebelling against them. The north had become to despise slavery and wanted it gone. On the contrary, the booming cash crops of the south were making huge profits for landowners, making slavery widely popular. After the war, slaves began to petition the government for their freedom using the ideas of the Declaration of Independence,” including the idea of natural rights and the notion that government rested on the consent of the governed.” (Keene 122). The north began to fr...
The American Revolution was the cause of America trying to become independent from British grasps. People rebelled while some were pro and others were anti the main group of people that were uniquely affected were slaves and women in this great time. Rebellions were going as the revolution took place causing vivid changes in the aspects of women and slavery. It gave a new light to the women who had been looked down on the predominately controlled man society and hope for slaveries who helped fight the cause. These two groups were favorably affected by the changes brought by this war by furthering women rebellions as well as giving them many benefits from the ideals of the revolution, and not to mention slave’s role being a main factor in the war as they try to find freedom and with the lasting results from the revolution.
Is every American citizen aware of the struggles and battles that were fought before getting to where we are today? The American Revolution being one of the most commonly overlooked revolutions by today’s global society. It was where America began to transform into what it is today. The American Revolution was more than a fight to gain independence, it was also a fight to establish a democracy in American society. As shown consecutively in the articles “An Account of a Stamp Act Riot”, “A Dialogue between Orator Puff and Peter Easy”, “Antislavery Petition of Massachusetts Free Blacks”, and “Correspondence between Abigail and John Adams”, the American Revolution is illustrated through the use of primary sources such as a variety of letters and
The French Revolution began after some of the great philosophers such as John Locke, Voltaire, and Rousseau were establishing contracts and trying to create a way for people to have a government without a king or at least without a king being in control. The king during that time was King Louie XVI and his queen was a young woman by the name Marie Antoinette. The royal couple was not well liked due to the careless spending and lack of concern for the citizens beneath them. France was on the verge of becoming bankrupt and the crops did very poorly leaving people suffering, starving and fighting for food.
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.
The term ‘revolutionary’ has been defined as something ‘involving or causing a complete or dramatic change’. The American Revolution did just that, with the colonises demanding economic, social and political change. Never before had all the colonies risen up against the British colonial rule, demanding change.
Throughout the course of the early colonial era to the years following the Revolution, the events that shaped the inception of what would be the nation of the United States were most directly rooted in rebellions, riots, and the famous American Revolution. However, there continued to be reforms even after the events of the great American Revolution, and some of the events that occurred before escalated the effort of colonists to break ties with the Crown. From the mutinous antic of the Boston Tea Party and the formal organization of the Continental Congress, to the post-revolutionary actions of Shays’ Rebellion, acts of defiance have paved the way for the America known today.