American Revolution Essay Sample
Causes of the American Revolution
- The founding of colonies made the American people worry about their freedom and was influential in the revolution (Egerton 58).
- The French and Indian wars prompted England to tax its colonies to assist in paying its troops since the British troops agreed to fight alongside the colonies in the war (Egerton 58).
- The over-taxation of the colonies was not enthusiastically taken in by the colonies; there were very many laws and acts that were oriented towards taxation.
- The protests in Boston were the climax to the colonies’ anger; the protests caused the death of several colonists, thereby causing a rise in the tension to the build-up of the revolution.
- The growing unity among the colonies sparked the calls for a revolution since the colonies shared the same problems (Egerton 60).
- The institution of new laws by the British to punish the colonies for the Boston tea party was abhorred by many people (Egerton 61).
Processes and Special Events during the American Revolution
- The Northern from the war in 1776 transformed to become a war for independence of America when Washington established an army that forced the evacuation of the British army from Boston (Becker, Carl, and Egerton 344).
- In 1777, the war was a turning point in favor of the British; however, they committed many mistakes, such as failing to use about 50000 loyalists who had shown solidarity with them.
- The southern phase of the war saw the victory of the British at Saratoga of the infamous continental victory (Egerton 62).
- The treaty and the French in 1778 transformed the dynamics of the war in favor of the British (Becker, Carl, and Egerton 344).
- The French army assisted the continental army to defeat the British, who surrendered at Yorkton in Virginia, which marked the beginning of America’s independence (Egerton 62).
- The signing of the declaration of independence formally marked America’s independence (Becker, Carl, and Egerton 344). However, the signing was marred with many threats of torture and hanging.
Consequences of the American Revolution
- The unleashed strong political, social, and economic movements that would transform post-revolutionary legislation and culture, as well as greater participation in politics and authority control.
- Authored constitutions were drawn up by the independent nations, which (at that time) was a major improvement from the generally uncodified British Constitution.
- The Articles of Confederation became ratified in 1781 by the Continental Congress (Heale 45. Each state was given one position in the constitutional convention by the Articles.
- International economies and new trading relationships were opened up by the revolt.
- The triumph of the Americans opened up colonization and occupation in the western lands, which produced a new domestic economy (Heale 45).
- Americans were unwilling to answer to those in Britain and therefore started to establish their own suppliers.
- After the battle, approximately 30,000-100,000 slaves betrayed their owners.
- Hundreds of former loyalist slaves escaped from the British military in 1783 Jameson 110).
- They believed that the British government would honor the pledge of liberty and make them create new homes somewhere else in the imperial power.
- Any Americans were manumitted by the war for independence, and most of the new northern states quickly enacted systematic withdrawal laws (Jameson 129).
- The triumph of the Americans and the support of the British by Native Americans provided a false illusion to justify the quick, and sometimes violent, invasion into the westward expansion.
- All through the nineteenth century, Native Americans began to be expelled and forced further west.
Works Cited
Becker, Carl, and H. E. Egerton. “The Causes and Character of the American Revolution.” The American Historical Review, vol. 29, no. 2, 1924, p. 344.
Egerton, Douglas R. “American Revolution.” African American Studies Center, 2006.
Heale, M. J. “The American Revolution.” The American Revolution, 2020, pp. 1-48.
Jameson, John Franklin. The American revolution considered as a social movement. Princeton University Press, 1967.