Many revolutions have taken place throughout history, ranging from the unremarkable to the truly memorable, such as the French Revolution, the Bolshevik Revolution and the American Revolution. Through an examination of the social, cultural, economic and political causes of the American Revolution, an exploration of key arguments both for and against the American Revolution, and an analysis of the social, cultural, economic and political changes brought about by the American Revolution it can be demonstrated unequivocally that the American Revolution was indeed truly revolutionary. 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 …show more content…
(Devore, Lecture #3.) Even though most of the credit was issued from England, it allowed the colonists to buy more things and further strengthen and enhance the cohesiveness of the colonies. By this time the colonies had already well established external trade relationships with both the Indians and other countries. One of their major trade partners was the West Indies, where the colonists procured molasses from which they made rum. (Devore, Lecture #3.) All of these economic developments – consumerism amongst the colonies, Anglicizing of the colonies, the newfound availability and use of credit and the abundance of external trade – play a major role in the reasons that lead up to the American Revolution. While all of the above social, cultural and economic circumstances were playing out and laying the groundwork for the American Revolution, several important political developments came to fruition in the concluding half of the 18th century that sealed the certainty of the American Revolution and made it inevitable. These developments, namely, the relative strengths of the local and colonial governments at the time, the betrayal of the colonies by the British Crown after King George’s War, and the end of Salutary Neglect, proved to present insurmountable odds to the colonists. Due to the growing economic activity in the colonies both locally and amongst each other as well as all of the external trade, the local and colonial
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
“Despite the view of some historians that the conflict between Great Britain and its thirteen North American colonies was economic in origin, in fact the American Revolution had its roots in politics and other areas of American life.” Great Britain and the American colonies had a relationship impacted with many hardships. I believe that there was a political struggle between the two groups, but that Great Britain and the American colonies used economics as a chance to show how much control they had. Multiple Acts written by Parliament, the colonies' Committees of Correspondence and Continental Congress created political friction between Great Britain and the American colonies.
The lack of “imperial chains” caused the Revolution’s effects, compared to drastic well-known revolutions, to be small (Wood 127). But the quick colonization of America over just a few centuries driven by the motivation of religious freedom and escape from persecution translated to the radical idea of equality and independence in men and later the abolishment of slavery and the support of women’s rights (132, 129). This battle caused America to unify against a common enemy and transformed the landscape of individual colonies to an interconnected continent with radically different social relationships and mindset
4. What was the Revolutionary movement, at its core, really all about? Was it about the amount of taxation, the right of Parliament to tax, the political corruption of Britain and the virtue of America, the right of a king to govern America, or the colonies’ growing sense of national identity apart from Britain? Was the Revolution truly a radical overturning of government and society—the usual definition of a revolution—or something far more limited or even conservative in its defense of traditional rights?
The American Revolution was the point of change in the world. It was the first time that a democratic government was developed and tested in a time where monarchies ruled Europe and it was the time when the world saw that the concept of democracy could lead to the fundamental change in society, specifically politically, socially, and economically. However, even though it was the point in change for the world, to what extent did it change American society politically, socially, and economically in the period between 1775-1800? The answer is that political, social, and economic effects of the American Revolution impacted society to different extents and established ideas that would later influence future movements and changes in America.
The American Revolution marked the historical intensity associated with this great nation. The revolution was multifaceted and was also dynamic in nature as it involved a lot of twists and turns that later shaped the course of the American citizens. There are numerous causes linked with the triggering and commencement of the revolution. The discussion below critically exploits and explores various reasons that led to the start of the revolution.
The American Revolution was an unequivocal example of the ability of a nation’s people to rise and defeat an inadequate government. When a government fails to protect its inhabitants, citizens will grow uneasy and fight for their rightful cause. The British government’s rule over its colonies was erroneous and harmful to the colonists’ best interests. Best described by John Hancock, the British government’s rule caused many colonists to become despondent with their ruler. “As though they thought it not enough to violate our civil rights, they endeavored to deprive us of the enjoyment of our religious privileges; to vitiate our morals, and thereby render us deserving of destruction.” Evidently, the American Revolution was sparked by a
For eight grueling years, the fathers of our genealogy fought a battle that would transcend the limits of 13 colonies. An analysis of The Radicalism of the American Revolution by Gordon Wood shows that the American Revolution (AR) commenced the progress of uniting the States of America, all the while terminating Britain's omnipotent reign. Through direct and indirect revolt and rebellion from the perpetuation of British customs, the revolutionary era of the American Revolution birthed profound economic reform and radical social change.
Emma Baubly United States History 9/17/14 Period 2 There is lot of controversy between whether or not The American Revolution had a significant enough of a movement from the British tyrany to American independence. The American Revolution, between 1775 and 1783, was a movement vital to the creation of the United States; however, many would disagree about the extent to which it was revolutionary. The American Revolution was revolutionary to the extent that it changed social expectations and property rights of the country; however, the economic state the colonies were in was not a revolutionary change. One can observe the little changes that were made to the economic conditions prior to and post American Revolution. From the lack of sufficient change to the economic conditions, it is clear that The American Revolution was not an economic revolution but rather an alteration of whom was giving power to the rich.
During the 1760's America was economically underdeveloped and was a cluster of scattered colonies on the Atlantic coast. Within 10 years America had grown from the east coast to practically the west coast with the population growing close to 10 million. During the American Revolution the ways of the people changed to. The government went from be a monarchical state run mainly by the British
The colonies’ market was always intervened by the British monarchy under the policy of mercantilism. After the colonists fought for their independence, they worked to make their new nation a prosperous country. America was in financial ruin due to the war debts from the Revolutionary War. Abigail Adams, in her letter to Thomas Jefferson in 1787, said that some farmers wanted money and other farmers wanted more land. (Document G)
The American Revolution gave way to new political and social reforms as well as a change in economic standpoints due to the freedom away from Great Britain in which Americans have strive for throughout the war. During the Revolutionary War, Americans sought betterment towards their society. Though every effect of the war can directly be linked to a change in societal standards and expectations, the various effects can be separated into the different political changes, social customs, and economic standpoints of the
How revolutionary was the American Revolution? The American Revolution was a four year battle fought between the Americans and the English despot, King George the Third. A battle for freedom and the opportunity to become anything you want to be, if you deserve it. How much change or impact did it make around the world? If any? Were the deaths of thousands of Americans fighting for freedom truly justified? In this essay you will understand the American Revolution generated advancement in American politics, economics, and their social beliefs.
The American Revolution was a gradual and inevitable departure from which the colonists felt they could not avoid. American colonists took many preliminary acts of rebellion and warning, such as boycotting taxed goods and the “Petition to the King”, before any major fighting had occurred.
All of us alive today have grown up learning about the American Revolution. Although it contains the word “revolution” in its name, there are many who don’t consider the American Revolution a real revolution. After considering the definition of a revolution – a radical change of an entire system, usually by war, resulting in a change of the way of life of the people involved – and the American society before and after the American Revolution, it is obvious that those who don’t consider the American Revolution a revolution are mistaken. Among the many aspects of colonial society affected by the American Revolution, those most greatly affected by the revolution were the attitude towards slavery, the role of women, and the role of trade.