American Revolution Self Government Essay

no established nobility, Colonists often resorted to self-government as a necessity for maintaining order in society. The earliest example of Self-Government in America appears in 1620. The Mayflower Compact, which established a majoritarian model of government for the Plymouth Colony. Nineteen years after the Mayflower Compact was signeThe American revolution began in 1776 with the signing of the declaration of independence and ended in 1783 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. The American Revolution occurred after a long period of discontent with British rule over the thirteen colonies. American discontent with British rule saw its beginnings in the aftermath of the French And Indian War. The British levied higher taxes on the colonies

This change was the result of political organizing in the beginning of the revolution. The groups that were pushing for independence from Britain tended to be inclusive of people from all social spheres. Although only landowning males could vote, non-landowners still made a greater effort to voice their opinions on political matters. The American Revolution was also responsible for the development of the concept of republican motherhood. While women’s primary responsibility in society was still child rearing women were also expected to instill an appreciation for republican government in their children. Republican motherhood encouraged women to interact more with the political sphere as they had to be knowledgeable on politics in order to effectively instruct their children in the republican form of government. This empowered women and allowed them to rise in the social hierarchy and be viewed as not just mothers but a force for effecting political change and defending the ideals of liberty that the revolution was based upon. While many lower class whites were given more opportunities to participate in society the American revolution had little impact on slaves. While the American Revolution inspired debates on slavery it did very little to effect any real changes to the status of enslaved

Since the thirteen colonies were separated from Great Britain by the Atlantic ocean and America had d the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut were signed by colonists living in the vicinity of the Connecticut river. Like the Mayflower Compact the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut established a system of self government for colonists while at the same time reaffirming the colonists allegiance to the crown. While both of these documents were eventually superseded by Royal Charters the Royal Charters afforded the colonies in North America a degree of self governance while still ensuring the colonists allegiance to the crown. The American colonies generally had elected governors and legislatures.The colonies used a system of limited franchise for their elections. Elected legislatures and governors continued to remain the norm after independence. The new federal government closely mirrored the systems of self government already in place at the state level. Self governance did become more widespread in the wake of the revolution with positions that were traditionally appointed becoming elected offices. Another major political change in post revolution America was the development of a uniquely American foreign policy. American foreign policy was controlled by Great Britain prior to the revolution as the colonies were simply an extension of Great Britain. Post Revolution foreign policy stressed