The American revolution of 1775 was not as radical of a revolution like the “French revolution” but it still changed the political, social, and ideological aspects substantially of the thirteen colonies. To decide just how much of a revolution the American Revolution was, one has to first know what the word “revolution” means. As defined by Princeton University, a revolution is “The overthrow of a government by those who are governed”. In accordance with this definition, the established government must be overthrown by the people the government, governs over. The British government was overthrown by those it governed, the colonists. Since this criteria was met, the American Revolution can be considered a technical revolution. But on the other …show more content…
Prior to this date, there were a series of events that occurred leading up to the 1775 revolution. In 1754-1763 Britain and France were involved in a war of which left Britain in debt. The British then demanded revenue from their colonies, but after the British defeat the British colonies became more independent meaning that they were less dependent for the protection of the British. In 1763 the British passed a law of proclamation. This law meant that no one was allowed to settle beyond the Appalachian Mountains,”… they are a natural barrier between the eastern coastal plain and the vast interior lowlands of North America. As a result they have played a vital role in the settlement and development of the entire continent…” (Wilma Dykeman: 10-29-2014). This is was the case because, after the Indian and French war, the British were granted a fairly large piece of land, north of America. The land granted to the British was the Ohio valley of which was between the Appalachian Mountains. The British did not want the American colonists settling beyond the Appalachian Mountains because they did not want them to create any tension with the French and the Native Americans that were already there. The British could not afford to get into another war so their best option was to pass a law that will prevent a war from occurring. The proclamation that was passed made the colonies feel as though …show more content…
The reason why it was said to be a war of independence is because, according to Robert Hole “… the Americans declared independence on the 4th July 1776…” There were three main causes of the declaration of
The Royal Proclamation Act was established October 7, 1763. It was issued to make sure colonists settling in America would not go west of the Appalachian Mountains, where indians would most likely attack them. The colonists did not like this very much because they had just won a ton of land west of the Appalachian mountains that they now could not travel into. They reacted by disregarding the proclamation without thought of any punishments.
However, settlers grew to become outraged because they felt that the proclamation was meant to strip their rights of the ability to travel wherever they wanted. After all, the land was all new and completely undiscovered, so why wouldn’t the colonists want to explore the entirety of their new home? The proclamation prevented them from doing so and they felt like they were being controlled by the British. Many colonists believed that the proclamation was issued so that they can be under strict control and surveillance by the British in a confined area. The proclamation of 1763 laid the foundation of the American revolution as it was the first action by the British that infuriated the colonists and made them feel as if they were being oppressed by England’s
Colonists were justified by the lack of land they owned. “The law stated that colonists could not move westward over the Appalachian Mountains” (Document A). They only owned the east of the Appalachian Mountains, which is very little land. “Those settlers who were already living there were to return to the east” (Document A). Settlers had to leave there house and build a new life because Britain gave the land to the Native Americans to resolve conflict.
The American Revolution embodied the principles of the Enlightenment and freedom from tyranny which represented social change from other forms of government, therefore it was certainly revolutionary at the time. Document 1 supports the opinion that the American Revolution was revolutionary because it represents the people's desire for freedom from tyranny by pulling down the statue of the “tyrant” king . Document 2 also supports the opinion that the American Revolution was revolutionary because it promoted the most far thinking beliefs of the Enlightenment, including equality, a government ruled by the people (Democracy), and the rule of law. With the Declaration of Independence, an entirely new nation was erected and an adoption of democracy
The French and Indian War led to this historical event, in a war between England and France where both were aided by the Native Americans, England conquered. However, their people were not content, as loyal fighters for England the colonists were angered at their gift- the Proclamation- which King George put in place in hopes of appeasing the Native Americans who sided against him during the war. With this in place colonists had to contain their settlements and were unable to live anywhere west of the Appalachian
In 1775, the Revolutionary War between Americans and Britain started. The reason why colonies decided to get independence was colonists did not want to be under the oppression of British anymore. They were angry when British imposed taxes on them because they felt that British ignored their rights. They had an effort to self rule from government in political ways, but it was no use changing their situation. They had disappointment to Britain, and recognized that it was not possible to be free within the British system.
Jessica Duelm Period 2 APUSH 28 September 2014 LEQ A revolution is defined by Meriam-Webster Dictionary as a sudden, radical, or complete change ("Revolution"). If one is to use that definition to define revolution, then one could question, was the American Revolution really a revolution? There was no sudden, radical, or complete change from before the revolution to after the revolution, so was it really a revolution or just an evolution of the government?
The term “Revolutionary” is an instantaneous change or shift that promotes equal rights, liberty, and freedom. So, while some may argue that the revolution was a turning point for America, The American revolution in this case is not revolutionary since slavery was still present, minority groups did not gain rights, and British ideals and tactics were still being used in the new government. One of the crucial pieces of evidence that this “revolution” could not be considered revolutionary is because of the slavery still taking place even after the war ended. Throughout the revolt against British rule in the 16th century, the American people fought under the banner of truth, justice, and liberty for all people, However, the only people that indeed
I believe that the American Revolution was revolutionary because there were many events, impacts, and effects after the war was over. When something is “Revolutionary” it means that it causes a dramatic or drastic change. In 1776, the Declaration of Independence was written all because the people needed to be heard, from document 2. What if the King listened, would there still have been a war? I do not believe so because so much time was spent trying to get the people
People could now get rid of all the acts passed by the British, they were represented in their own government and they were able to elect who they wanted to run the country. In short, because the way government ran changed after the rebellion, the American revolution was a revolution. Before the revolution, people were not capable of doing anything with their lives. Acts such as the tea act, quartering act, sugar act and stamp act were put into place. The People of the colonies were constrained at a real disadvantage and they couldn’t even have a say in whether these acts were approved or not.
During the 1700s America and it’s 13 colonies made a bold decision to revolt from Great Britain and become their own independent nation. This started a revolution that would forever change the way Americans would live. The War of Independence or better known as the American Revolution, consisted of the 13 colonies of America trying to gain independence from Great Britain and on July 4th 1776, America finally decided to declare their independence. Many say the revolution paved the way for many other great changes to take place, while others believed not a lot was impacted due to the revolution. This raises the question, “How Revolutionary was the American Revolution?”
The Proclamation of 1763, was a rule that was later established by King George III in order for the colonies to stop expanding. This later affected the Americans, causing them land that could no longer be purchased from the Indians. The Americans did not favor this because this caused them to not make money from
The people of America (colonists) were tired of being controlled by England. They wanted to be free and independent. They believed that they were able to control themselves and be their own country. They wanted England to let go of their control and to view them as independent and their own country.
The American Revolution (1700-1790) was a historical event in time, where the Thirteen Colonies that became the United States of America, gained independence from the British Empire. Many historians would agree that the Revolution was caused by events and the growing differences between the colonists and England. The cause of the American Revolution could be summarized in the saying ‘liberty vs. tyranny’. The American Revolution was a struggle by liberty-loving Americans to free themselves from a dictatorial British rule. In this period, the Colonies protested against the British Empire and entered into the American Revolutionary War, also known as the American War of Independence.
The Fight for Independence “May our land be a land of liberty, the seat of virtue, the asylum of the oppressed, a name and praise in the whole Earth, until the last shock of time shall bury the empires of the whole world in one common undistinguished ruin!” , stated by Joseph Warren, an American Patriot. A revolution is a forcible overthrow of a government or social order in favor of a new system. Similarly, American Independence was a struggle to progress from dependent colonies to independent states, from monarchy to republic (Greene 1). From the perspective of the colonists the revolution for independence was a result of Great Britain’s resistance to the change, the persistent taxing, and Britain’s ignorance to acknowledging the colonist