The Revolution That Transformed America

1416 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The articles of confederation

During the eighteenth century, many milestones of American history were accomplished and can be considered major turning points for the colonies. A turning point can be defined as “the point at which a very significant change occurs” (“Turning Point”). Before America was known as the United States of America, it was just composed of colonies under British rule. After a long period of salutary neglect, colonists began to recognize the abuses of Britain and the importance of independence. Due to this recognition, the colonies were then motivated to unite in order to fight for what they felt America required. This spark of motivation resulted in the American Revolution and eventually, the signing of the Declaration of Independence; together, they were major events in United States history that are recognized as important turning points that led to important political, economic, and social changes.
The thirteen colonies were originally ruled by Great Britain, and were very content with their relationship with Britain for several hundred years. However, the colonists began growing more and more discontented with Britain’s actions, or lack thereof, which began a road to revolution (Medvedev). The main causes of the American Revolution included aftermath of the French and Indian War, British taxation, mercantilism, and their overall discontentment with Britain’s abuse (Hoolihan). After the French and Indian War, colonists began to become frustrated with the British because American officers and soldiers were insulted and the military ranks of many Americans were not upheld or recognized by the British. The British did not give their colonies credit for assisting in the French and Indian war, which also led to American frustration. Becau...

... middle of paper ...

...eth Cohen. The American Pageant. 13th ed.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. Print.
Brackemyre, Ted. "America's First Failure at Government: The Articles of Confederation." US
History Scene. N.p., 17 July 2012. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
Hoolihan, Brian. “Chapter 7: The Road to Revolution.” Our Lady of Lourdes High School.
Poughkeepsie, NY. n.d. Lecture Notes.
Hoolihan, Brian. “Chapter 8: America Secedes from the Empire.” Our Lady of Lourdes High
School. Poughkeepsie, NY. n.d. Lecture Notes.
Medvedev, Sofya. "Background, History, And The Beginning Of The Revolution." University of
Groningen, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
"Societal Impacts of the American Revolution." U.S. History Online Textbook. Independence
Hall Association, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
"The Economic Crisis of the 1780s." U.S. History Online Textbook. Independence Hall
Association, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.

Show More
Related

  • A New Kind Of Revolution By Carl N. Degler Summary

    414 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The British and the American Colonists: Tension Prior to Revolutionary War

    1033 Words  | 3 Pages

    When the colonies were being formed, many colonists came from England to escape the restrictions placed upon them by the crown. Britain had laws for regulating trade and collecting taxes, but they were generally not enforced. The colonists had gotten used to being able to govern themselves. However, Britain sooned changed it’s colonial policy because of the piling debt due to four wars the British got into with the French and the Spanish. The most notable of these, the French and Indian War (or the Seven Years’ War), had immediate effects on the relationship between the colonies and Great Britain, leading to the concept of no taxation without representation becoming the motivating force for the American revolutionary movement and a great symbol for democracy amongst the colonies, as Britain tried to tighten their hold on the colonies through various acts and measures.

    Read More

  • The Start of US Revolution

    1902 Words  | 4 Pages

    The demand for no taxation without representation was the primary force motivating the American revolutionary movement, and for many it became a symbol for democracy. Throughout the late 18th century, the British colony of America was oppressed by Parliament from "across the pond". This oppression included unequal rights compared to English citizens that lived on the mainland, unneeded taxation, and no representation in Parliament, which resulted in many laws that were unfavorable to the American colonists. It was this "taxation without representation" that was a powerful catalyst in firing up the American revolutionary movement. America was "all grown up", and no longer needed to be monitored on by Britain.

    Read More

  • British Imperial Policies and Colonial Resistance

    788 Words  | 2 Pages

    A new era was dawning on the American colonies and its mother country Britain, an era of revolution. The American colonists were subjected to many cruel acts of the British Parliament in order to benefit England itself. These British policies were forcing the Americans to rebellious feelings as their rights were constantly being violated by the British Crown. The colonies wanted to have an independent government and economy so they could create their own laws and stipulations. The British imperial policies affected the colonies economic, political, and geographic situation which intensified colonists’ resistance to British rule and intensified commitment to their republican values.

    Read More

  • The Revolution of 1800

    1680 Words  | 4 Pages

    During the election of 1800, Thomas Jefferson succeeded in defeating the incumbent, John Adams, and assumed the presidency. In terms of elections though, the election of 1800 itself was a fascinating election in that it a heavily-contested election and was effectively the first time political parties ran smear campaigns against each other during an election. The Republican Party attacked the Federalists for being anti-liberty and monarchist and tried to persuade the public that the Federalists were abusing their power through acts such as the Alien & Sedition Acts and the suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion (Tindall and Shi 315). The Federalists, on the other hand, attacked Jefferson for his atheism and support of the French Revolution and warned that his election would result in chaos (316). By the end of the presidential election, neither Adams nor Jefferson emerged with his reputation completely intact. Still, rather than an election between Adams and Jefferson, the election of 1800 ultimately boiled down to a deadlock between Jefferson and his vice presidential candidate, Aaron Burr, who each held seventy-three electoral votes, resulting in the election was sent to the House of Representatives. In the end, the deadlock was resolved only by Alexander Hamilton, whose immense hate for Burr allowed Jefferson to claim the presidency. However, the election of 1800 was more than just a simple presidential election. The election of 1800 was the first peaceful transfer of power from the incumbent party to the opposition and represented a new step in politics, as well as a new direction in foreign policy that would emerge from Jefferson’s policies, and to this extent, the election of 1800 was a revolution.

    Read More

  • The American Revolution Was Truly Revolutionary

    1386 Words  | 3 Pages

    By the time of the late 18th century, the colonies had grown socially, culturally, economically, and politically setting the mood for a majority of the colonists to want to break ties with the mother country. The colonies were well established, growing rapidly with new settlers arriving, and had begun to interact and socialize with not only each other, but also the Indians and the French, with whom they shared the new lands. (Devore, Lecture # 3.) These newfound social and cultural interactions allowed the colonies to grow economically giving the colonists a sense of importance. The lack of recognition by parliament started to plant the seeds for the revolution.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Essay On The American Revolution

    579 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Causes of the American Revolution

    1062 Words  | 3 Pages

    The connection between Britain and the English colonies was that of the ruling of the colonies by the king of Britain, King George III and his parliament. The king’s ruling was very unfavorable for the colonists because of his tyrannic dictatorship and unjustly taxations. The mere thought of an island ruling an entire continent thousands of miles away with poor communication and lack of supervision of the colonies by the king, did not work in favor of the colonies nor for Britain. Three contributing factors for the outbreak of the American Revolution were (1) the king’s taxes, (2) neglect of the 13 colonies and (3) England’s mercantilism policy. King George III and his decisions were one of the major causes that had the English colonists fumed with anger towards Britain and this eventually led to the American Revolution.

    Read More

  • The Colonies

    780 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Eve Of Revolution Dbq

    410 Words  | 1 Pages

    The thirteen colonies and the British were involved in the revolutionary war. These colonies were united in North America. The colonies were left to fend for themselves under the British policy salutary neglect. In 1750-1775 the thirteen colonies started to feel the need to be free from the Great Britain, claiming they were force to pay taxes also argued that they were being treated as less than Englishmen. As a result the colonies start to develop a sense of identity and unity by the eve of revolution.

    Read More

  • The Transformation of America

    1375 Words  | 3 Pages

    The transformation of America is often discussed in both popular media and academic dialogue. Each generation has a name, new technologies define new eras, and events seem only notable when they are “historic”. While major events catch the interest of a broad spectrum of the public consciousness, subtle interactions between actors and slight shifts in beliefs are constantly changing the realities of the world. When the twin towers fell in 2001, the United States seemed to be thrust into a new world of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Jihadists, and a global fight against terrorism; bombs were dropped, ground forces were deployed in foreign states, and anyone who publicly questioned the urgency of war was at risk to be labeled a traitor. This one event was indelibly branded on the consciousness of the world and if often seen as a moment of sudden transformation. Most Americans believe that the troop presence in Iraq and Afghanistan are due to the terrorist attacks on the United States and while it is hard to deny that the 9-11 attacks was the impetus for putting boots on the ground, it is imperative that the chain of events following the horror of September 11 are seen to reflect the willingness and wants of actors in control before the towers fell.

    Read More

  • American Revolution and its Aftermath

    1157 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Causes of the American Revolution

    493 Words  | 1 Pages

    The relationship between Britain and her Americans colonies slowly deteriorated between the 1750s and the beginning of the American Revolution. When the first British immigrants settled in America, the relationship of the colonies and their mother country was somewhat peaceful. In the following generations, however, their relationship became tenser as Britain imposed policies and taxes on unrepresented American colonists. The British believed they were right in doing so because they had large debts to pay from ongoing wars with France. These taxes caused uprisings among colonists which contributed to British occupation in America, leading to more rebellions. Eventually, the rift in the relationship between the colonists and the British led to the Revolutionary War and the formation of a new country.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The American Revolution And Rebellion

    820 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Three Stepping Stones Towards Revolution

    146 Words  | 1 Pages

    This essay will examine three major stepping stones towards Revolution, and explaining why these major aspects in the development from separate British colonies towards an American perspective. England, France, and Spain were fighting for the New World’ territories, overseas trading routes, and goods. In order to be the most active role in the battlefield, William Pitt, who led the government of Great Britain, had spent large sums of money leaving the new king with a massive war debt. In addition, the Great Britain had to continue to maintain the stability of the country’s financial and well-equipped armed forces to protect the empire they had won. So, George III chose to impose revenue raising taxes rate on the colonies. Unfortunately, the

    Read More

More about The Revolution That Transformed America

Open Document