Essay on "Years Leading to Rev War"

Essay 8 pages (2561 words) Sources: 2 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Revolutionary War

The history of the United States can be considered to be the result of hundreds of years of struggles and torments which have set their mark on the culture and traditions of the American people. Given their wide experience in the area of democracy it is difficult to say what are the main factors and elements which contributed to the establishment of the American society in the top of the democratic world and have set it as the essence of democratic practices. However, it is fair to say that it is precisely this tradition that has proven the world the infallibility of democracy. Even so, there have been great struggles for the American people to find its way, path, and best composition in order to survive the challenges of history and of the changes in time. In this sense, there are several questions whose answers may, to the extent in which history can be properly understood, shed light to one of the most important eras in the history of the United States, the colonial period and beyond. Regardless of the perspective in which such a theme is addressed, it is clear that the colonial period and the events it triggered shaped the way in which the American society is at present.

Throughout the colonial period, what were the factors that hindered or promoted a sense of national identity? At what point did nationalism become a major influence and why?

The issue of nationalism is, even for modern times, an aspect which is very hard to define. However, during the early beginnings of the American colonies, there was a particular sense of national identity, despite the different views of the population and of the politicians. Therefore, on the one hand, there were the supporters of the British crown who were the representatives of a modern part of the world the British Empire but also of a system that would not allow the full development of the colonies without any restraints (Jenkins, 1997). Therefore, one of the main elements which led to a clear manifestation of nationalistic views was the presence of the British rule in the American colonies.

On the other hand, the Republicans were the opposing force of the Loyalists, the supporters of the British crown. In this sense, they rejected the pressure imposed by the Empire from all points-of-view. More precise, the dress code, the behaviors, the discussion topics, and even the meals should have been according to the British standard. However, the emerging small class that wanted a certain freedom to form their own opinion and decide on the political views of their own leaders began to rebel against the traditions of the British oversight.

It is rather difficult to precisely point out what were the elements which described nationalism in America but it has to be said that an important factor which increased the idea of American nation and not British subject was precisely the rejection of the authority of the British crown. Moreover, even in an emerging democracy such as colonial America was in the early 18th century, the vote or the attitude could have been the result of a rejection attitude for something and not necessarily the choice of something better.

Aside from the ethical issues which made the emerging American people discover the sense of nationalism, there were also economic factors which included the increased pressures put by the British crown especially during and after the war waged against the French opponents and the Indian war. More precisely, after the British won the war against the French and the Indians, the Crown decided that there is need for an increased economic effort in order to recapture the wealth and diffuse the effects of the war effort made so far. The British motivation included the idea that in fact the wars had been waged to protect the colonies. However, this initiative resulted in additional taxes and economic pressure on the export of goods.

Another major issue which triggered the sense of nationalism can be the lack of proper representativeness. In fact this aspect was related to the imposed additional taxes which implied, in the view of the American representatives, the increase in the representativeness of the American colonies in the British Parliament. However, this would not happen.

American nationalism became visible in the moment in which proper representatives echoed the voices of discontent. Therefore, particularly after the Stamp Act and the Tea Act, more and more people came to be unsatisfied of the way in which the British crown treated the American colonies, in which trade became controlled by the Empire. In effect, it all resulted in the American Revolution whose sense war that of a beginning of an independence war.

Discuss whether you believe that the American colonists and the British had "irreconcilable differences" that made the colonial bid for separation inevitable or whether they were more like the mother country than ever before.

The American colonies and the British at one point came to have irreconcilable differences marking their relations. There were economic, moral, and political differences which weighted the most in the split between the American colonies and the British Empire.

The economic differences were related to the increased taxes imposed on the population after the wars waged with the American help. Thus, the Stamp Act, the Tea Act, these were only few taxes that increased the amount the American population had to give to the British administration. Furthermore, the British set up a particular system through which tax levying became more effective .

From a moral point-of-view, the British, after the French war and the Indian wars had different views on the way in which the colonial attitude should be. More precisely, the British considered the American colonies to be somewhat responsible and morally indebt for the effort made by the British Empire to defend the colonies (Jenkins, 1997).

The political aspects were reflected the most in the way in which the American colonies were treated by the British, in the sense that there was a lack of desire for proper representation in the British Parliament. Even more, there were those that if not supported, admitted the state of facts and suggested a reformed but similar imperial system.

Indeed from some points-of-view these differences were not irreconcilable. More precisely, the Loyalists supported the maintenance of the British influence despite the disagreement on the taxation issue because they considered an improved situation inside the British Empire. They considered that that the issue of taxation without representation was not an essential affair and that it was a problem of the Empire's structure, which could be solved in a "a restructured Empire, which guaranteed to the American colonies control over internal taxation and local matters, with Parliament keeping its sovereign power to legislate in imperial issues" (Dore, 2008). However, on this matter the differences were indeed very clear, yet the Loyalists preferred not to adopt a definitive attitude, for fear of British repercussions.

Consider the extent to which African-Americans were able to develop a separate sense of community during the colonial period

African-Americans have always been a particular subject for the history of the United States precisely because, during times of great economic and political distress against the color of their skin, they managed to create a sense of community which is present to this day in African-American societies. More important there were certain elements which created this sense of belonging to a society and included the family, the church, and the community.

The challenged the African-American population had to endure, particularly in the period until the Emancipation was difficult for any individual and especially for the African-American families. On the one hand there was slavery to which mostly African-American population was subjected to. On the other hand, there was the indentured labor, which was considered to be superior to slavery but in the end it could have resulted in slavery as well.

Despite the fact that the African-Americans came to have their own communities in the colonies, an important issue to be taken into account was the differences between the two regions of the country, the North and the South. It is very well-known the fact that the African-Americans received better treatment in the North than in the South and subsequently the living of the Black population was better. From this point-of-view, it is important to note the fact that giver the establishment of a different educational system the individuals were more opened to tolerance in one part of the country than in the other part. Thus, the Northern society's relative acceptance of the African-Americans allowed them to manifest themselves to a larger degree and even influence the way in which the issue of slavery was perceived in the North (Jenkins, 1997). Thus, the black community could better manifest itself through culture than in other parts of the colonies.

One of the reasons for which the African-American communities were created even in an environment which was not prolific for… READ MORE

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