Recommended: Use of simulacrum during the American Revolution
The colonists fired the first shot of the revolutionary war. Multiple sources say that the colonists shot and then hid behind stone walls and that right as the British were approaching the colonists shot. The colonists fired the first shot and then proceeded to hide behind stone walls. The London Gazette (Doc 8) says, “several guns were fired upon the arrival of the king 's troop from behind a stone wall.”
Gordon S. Wood, “the preeminent historian of the Revolution”, is a well known American historian who has received several awards such as the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prize for his historical books. In his book, The American Revolution: A History, he breaks down the key events based on his experiences and knowledge on the Revolutionary period. Wood was born in Concord, Massachusetts on November 27,1933. Wood teaches at many liberal renowned universities such as Brown, Cambridge, Northwestern , and Harvard. Now being eighty one years old, he recently retired from Brown University and lives in Providence, Rhode Island.
After the Revolutionary War started, the British and the Americans dove into a series of violent and bloody battles. While the British troops were well-trained and equipped with advanced weapons, the Continental Army suffered through hardships and their lack of experience lead to constant bloodshed at the battles. Throughout the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the Americans suffered through painful losses against the British until the Battle of Saratoga occurred. This battle was led by Benedict Arnold and General Gates on the American side and General Burgoyne on the British side. In the end, the British army was defeated by Gates and Arnold’s careful plans in which they were trapped and ultimately forced to surrender to the Americans.
Many scholars believe that the French and Indian War was the turning point that led to a downhill spiral of the relationship between the American Colonies and Great Britain. After this war, the British were more strict on the colonies in many ways. Due to the firmness and unfair laws, many colonists grew upset and demanded that they have the rights of Englishmen. The British believed in a different form of representation, known as virtual representation, which was when someone from England represented the colonies in Parliament. But, the colonists believed in actual representation, which was when someone from the colonies would represent them in Parliament.
There were many goals that the colonists had in waging the Revolutionary War, and an innumerable amount of those goals contributed to America’s political system. A few of their goals were to convert into a country free of a king, become independent, get rid of all loyalists, equal rights between men and women, and slaves wanted to be freed. A great deal of these goals were accomplished, although they were not very easy to carry out. “The nearer any government approaches to a republic the less business there is for a king,” (Document 1). One of the colonists’ main goals was to be free of the king of England.
Massachusetts impact to colonial America was thoroughly important. Many events leading up to the American Revolution occurred in Massachusetts; events such as the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party. The crown responded to these events by closing Boston ports in 1774. These events fueled colonist’s desire to fight the Crown, and lit the fuze to the American Revolution. Founding Fathers such as John Adams, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Joseph Warren.
The American Revolution was not avoidable because of British policies that were unfair to colonists. An example is the Proclamation of 1763 which prohibited colonists from moving west of the Appalachian Mountains. This policy limited opportunity for colonists. Another issue that angered colonists was the increase of taxation without representation. The colonists reaction to these policies were protests, boycotts, and harassing tax collectors.
The beginning of American society truly started on September 3, 1783 when the Treaty of Paris was signed and the British recognized the colonies as a sovereign nation. Through this recognition, the colonies established its own presence in the world, therefore creating a unique society. This further differentiated the newly formed states from the colonies and England. The end of the American Revolution marked the beginning of a new era and not only created the United States of America, but also shaped the newly formed country 's politics, society, and economy.
Historically, it is believed that the causes of large scale events and wars are often rooted in the outcomes of previous conflicts. The American Revolution, one of the largest most historically significant events of all time, was caused by a multitude of events. Specifically, many of the causes were in fact the results of past conflicts and ongoing tension, such as the French and Indian War and British taxation acts. Contrary to popular belief, the impact of American Revolution was not solely confined to the colonies and the British crown. Aside from leading to American independence, the American Revolution was a part of a larger global conflict, involving issues between Great Britain, France, and other foreign nations.
When looking at the social and political changes that took place during the early American colonies you can see a steady progression towards ideologies that would lead to the Revolution. When you have different levels of government being put in place by the states depending upon their needs, where rural areas had different court systems than more urban areas, you see a level of independence for governance that the colonists began to see the benefit of having, separate from the rule of the Crown. To counter this increase in independence. the Crown implemented ever changing political positions that could be assigned to those who were loyal to the Crown and the social hierarchy that was prevalent in Britain at the time. These actions of corruption
Many American’s are aware that the American Revolution started, because the British Government was taxing the colonies without giving them proper representation in parliament. However, what many American’s do not understand is that the colonial protestors had many more complaints about the British Government in the mid 1770s. Thomas Paine described the colonists view of the British best when he said, “The British were thieves, literally “highwaymen” who stole American rights and wealth as well.” The years following the Seven Years War brought drastic changes for the colonists as Great Britain started taking more control over the them and with each new tax they continued to fill with rage. The most convincing evidence the colonial protestors
The American Revolution was a very pivotal point in the history of the United States of America. Tensions were building between the colonists of the new world and the British. The British attempted to raise taxes in the colonies causing angry resistance from the colonists. Resistance from the colonies led to violence in 1770 provoking the British Parliament to pass a series of acts to reassert imperial authority in the colonies. By June of 1776 the war was in full swing.
The American Revolution is an important event because it inspired other Countries to revolt for their freedoms. The Revolution led to a few negative things such as French going bankrupt from spending to much on war, or how the revolution is used by America's enemies. The Revolution showed how costly and risky it is. Overall I think the Revolution shows that if the government fails to protect the citizens rights they could oppressed or
The American War of Independence brought about a revolution, forever changing the social fabric of America. The greatest impact of the revolution is largely realized within the economic sphere; however, most perceived social and or political changes during the American Revolution were essentially left in the lurch. It is indisputable that the American Revolution was motivated by economic issues and brought about drastic changes to the economic system within America. Revolutionaries, the majority of which being the American colonial bourgeoisie, mainly revolted in order to dismantle British mercantilism due to the fact they found it to be incompatible with their own economic interests; specifically, they wished to expand further westward,
There was more to the American Revolution than most Americans are aware of. It was political, violent, and strategic in many aspects. However, there is a larger theme in the American Revolution leading up to, during, and after the revolution, of authority struggle. More specifically, home rule. The colonies eventually adopted the idea that they wanted to secede from Britain, but did they ever think of who would rule among the colonies should they achieve independence?
