The Advent of the American Revolution - Essay Example

1. What events led to the American Revolution How did regional identities and interests influence the road to revolution Before the advent of the American Revolution, a series of events happened that caused the Americans' dissent over British rule. Great Britain has just gone to a war against France and they are heavily indebted. The war was fought to protect and preserve the territories of the British Empire. Bearing that in mind, it is thus justified that they turn to their colonies and help them relieve of wartime debts. And so, the British parliament passed a law called the Stamp Act. This act would impose taxes on items like newspapers and pamphlets by compelling them to have stamps. Americans were outraged. They were not given ample representation on the matter. They called it as "taxation without representation." This ignited different forms of opposition from the Americans like stopping the importage of British goods. Some even reacted violently by barricading a house where the stamps are stored and destroying it. A group called Sons of Liberty was formed and these lead the plea to repeal the law. Although the law was repealed, the parliament passed a Declaratory Act that affirmed the British's right to legislate laws that it wanted for its colonies. This was followed by the passage of the Tea Act to save the East India Company from bankruptcy. The law removes all duties imposed on British tea exported to America and these gave unfair advantage on other tea imports. Again, they resisted this law and it led to the infamous Boston Tea Party wherein some members of the Sons of Liberty boarded a British ship and threw off the imported tea to the sea. A few years later, the British parliament passed a number of laws, which are deemed unfair for the Americans. This prompted all colonies except Georgia to convene for the first time as the First Continental Congress to create a unified stand against unfair British policies and laws. Violence erupted elsewhere which were met by British forces. One of these events was the Boston Massacre wherein they fired into a mob. The confrontations escalated into a military conflict to the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first of the battles between the British and Americans. These battles prompted all of the thirteen colonies to again convene as the Second Continental Congress to direct the American war efforts and they appointed George Washington to lead and organize the army and finally on the 4th of July, they declared the independence of America. The Continental Congress provided the venue for different personalities coming from the colonies to pursue their own interests. But in the end, they were able to see that they have common interests and saw themselves as one people. During the First Continental Congress, they tried to push for reforms and the repealing of the laws but they were neglected. Situations worsen and it went to a full-scale rebellion against Great Britain. Eventually, they saw that they cannot pursue these interests as different colonies but should act as one and it was only through independence from British rule that it can be achieved. It was their inevitable choice. This was further strengthened by the framing of the Articles of Confederation by the Continental Congress and became as the first charter of the government. Although it wasn't until 1891 when all of the 13 colonies approved it, it was one step ahead of creating the United States of America. The Continental Congress also faced a lot of setbacks. One of these was due to the differences of the colonies interests, it cannot be avoided that they present different views and proposals. An example was the option to just reconcile with Great Britain and propose reforms. But because the war is ongoing and it really stirred American patriotism, only a few supported this stance and still opted to continue the war and eventually declaring their independence. 2. Discuss the costs and benefits of the American Revolution Who had the most to gain The most to lose Was the American Revolution a genuine revolution In every war, there is no winner. Both sides lose a lot. The American Revolution is one classic example of why war doesn't produce any winner at all. It is inevitable for both sides to have casualties whether civilians or the military. And it doesn't come in small numbers. A lot would have been either killed or injured seriously. And because of the war, the economy slows down or worse it would plummet down. Food production would also be affected because most of the farmers during that time left their lands and joined the army for the revolution. Food was very scarce and prices for goods skyrocketed. The war has also caused major social disruptions. Women, because the men had gone to the battlefields to fight to the war, assumed new responsibilities that were for the men. They were the ones who took care of the farms left behind. It was a very costly war. For the British, it became hard for them to sustain the war. When reinforcements are needed, it would take many months before they would arrive. Food was also scarce for them because farm productions almost stopped. Support coming from their mother country is taking too long. In this war, although both sides lost a lot, some gained a lot from this revolution. And this would trickle down to the question if indeed the American Revolution were a genuine one. In one point of view, it was successful in overthrowing British rule in the colonies. They have proved that once they are united nothing is impossible. The war also paved way for the democratization of American society wherein they established a government wherein all power comes from the people, which eventually would become the model of democracy of different nations. It also developed a stance that institutions are important in achieving success not only in war but in peacetime as well. On the other hand, no revolution has ever happened at all. It only became a transition of power from the colonial masters to the new political elite. It was a revolution or less a movement that was led and controlled by the privileged minority and they don't want any political or social revolution. It didn't fully give freedom to the American society from its colonial past. Although the northern states abolished it and implemented emancipation, slavery is still rampant in the south. The rich landlords were those who help powerful positions in the government. It just created a new class of aristocrats that ruled over the poor. The right to vote was only limited to those who have properties thus effectively removing the poor from electing their representatives. Wealthy landowners control state legislatures. The government didn't try to solve problems such as unequal distribution of wealth, gender and specially race discrimination. The blacks were a significant majority that fought for independence. Most of them are slaves that hoped for freedom once independence is achieved. But after the war, only a few colonies eventually gave them freedom. Most of them were still slaves. It was not until in the 19th century wherein they eventually abolished slavery. Women are also very much discriminated. They are subjected to their father's control until the age of 21 and under their husbands upon marriage. Women are also barred from voting or imposed property qualifications. These events were not different from what America had experienced under the British rule. There was no revolution. It was just a mere movement to overthrow a colonial master and the new elites and aristocrats replacing them. Although it created a lot of changes especially in government rule, it didn't really revolutionize the American society by breaking down social hierarchy, discrimination and the equal rights that is what democracy is all about. 3. Was the Constitution a document of compromise Why or why not Some parts of the Constitution are said to be compromises. The first compromise was to seek balance of political power of the states with large and small populace. They have agreed that the states would be represented in the lower house depending on their population. While in the upper house, each state would have the equal number of votes. A conflict of this compromise led to the creation of another compromise. This was about the southern states that have a large number of slave populations. They were arguing that since the slaves are not allowed to vote, they should not be included in the number of population for representation. They also said that their representation should only be based on their white population. The southern states did not approve it. And so another compromise was reached three-fifths of the slaves population would be included for the sake of representation and taxation. Although these are specific examples, the whole constitution itself is a compromise. It is because 13 different states, with different backgrounds and aspirations tried to create a single Constitution that would embody all of their ideals under the United States of America. They have encountered a lot of problems before it was finally ratified by the states. One is that some criticizes that a central government is only possible in cities and small states and that the government would be far removed from the people. They also argue that representation would just be including the wealthy people and that the constitution lacks the bill of rights to protect them from a powerful state. But defenders of the new constitution say that the central government would not be taking away all the powers of the state governments, which are closer to the people. They also said that the three branches of government would have "checks and balances." Also they said that a bill of rights would be put into place to protect the individuals rights from the powerful state. The ratification of the new constitution took a long time in larger states where a lot of debate had happened. But in the smaller states they were quick to approve the constitution for they believe that a strong central government could help compensate the power of the larger states. Eventually the constitution was ratified in 11 states, put into effect with the election the first Congress and the first president George Washington. It was also said that the constitution of America was reactionary one. It was a throwback against the British rule. The creation of a strong and powerful central government that removed power from the state governments seemed to benefit the people of great wealth. Only a minority of white rich people framed the Constitution and this helped them to protect their interests and their power from threats that come below the social ladder. But in the end the Constitution was seen as a victory of republicanism that unleashed democratic political forces that challenged the traditional elite power. LIST OF WORKS CITED "American Revolution" Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2003 1993-2002 Microsoft Corporation. "WHAT WAS THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 1760-1836 " eduref.org 30 Aug. 2007 "Spy Letters of the American Revolution - Timeline" si.umich.edu 30 Aug 2007 Read More