American Independence: Evolution or Revolution?
American Independence was more of an evolution than a revolution. This statement however only covers part of American Independence, and not the full extent. While the Revolutionary War was certainly more evolutionary in terms of developing modern philosophy, government and liberty, it was still revolutionary because they threw off the old government and implemented a new, better system. The evolutionary aspect of the Revolution was the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, both of which were new ideas at the time. The revolution was the actual war, the physical act of rising up against an oppressor, England, in favor of independence and creating a new country.
The Declaration
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“It transformed a royal society, in which the colonists were subjects of the Crown, into a republic, in which they were citizens and participants in the political process” ("Digital History"). In this quote from Digital History, it shows that no one expected the Americans to win, and when they did they transformed the old monarchial system into a new republic, one that the world had never seen before. The aforementioned quote also shows the effect that patriotism and nationalism has on people. They were able to come together against a common enemy, fight that enemy and rise up from the ashes and give birth to a new, strong nation. The signing of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, as well as winning the war itself had shown other nations that it was possible to throw off old regimes, ones that no longer worked for the people. This effect was particularly profound on the French. French soldiers returned from America to France to see a monarchy, much like Britain, that did not favor anyone who was not part of the upper class ("Impact of Revolution on Other Nations"). This was one of the causes of the French Revolution in 1788-1789. This shows how the eyes of the world were on the United States after the revolution, and this was a change for the