By what specific steps did the American Revolution transform from a revolt of thirteen British colonies meant to secure the colonists’ traditional English rights under Crown rule in a war meant to establish an independent nation in which the people are sovereign and equal rights before the law?
Explanation
The American revolt started as a fight against inequality. The thirteen colonies were not strangers to the oppressions and intolerable acts of the British parliament. The oppression included harsh tax laws.
The people were not represented in their tax revenues and termed the oppression as an act of inequality. Similar oppressions broke out in different colonies. In Boston, the people rejected Townshend law and called for a rebellion.
The British branded the rebellion as a sign of weakness on their part. They used force to crush the rebellion among the colonies. The colonies defended themselves against the oppression and gave their lives for the common cause.
They organized a continental meeting and pledged to protect each other against any oppression. The continental meeting in 1774 signaled the turning point of the American Revolution. The American Revolution began without a cause against inequality.
The oppressions of the colonies by the British became a regular occurrence and the people sought a solution. The colonies were loyal to the King, but they did not enjoy the treatments they received. They were dragged like slaves and used as tools for recreation.
The Americans termed this act to be intolerable but did not foresee a chance of secession from the British rule. Within the colonies, small groups of rich men gathered to discuss politics of the day, each taking turns to curse the King and his troops.
It was difficult to revolt against the King given their present predicament. The colonies were slaves to the British by every standard. The food they ate, the water they drank, the wages they received, came from the British. How could they stage a revolt when all their supplies came from the British?
The oppression continued and the people of Boston became defiant with the King’s troops. They staged a peaceful revolt against the King. The militia in Boston dumped an entire shipment of tea into the sea prompting wild outrage.
This incident set in motion a chain of events called the American Revolution. The colonies came together as a union to transform a revolt under crown rule to a war meant to establish an independent nation called America.
The words of the tea party spread across Britain within days, the British troops described the rebellion as a revolt in the family and decided to flush the tiny group before they grew in numbers.
The King ordered the occupation of Boston by the British military and the use of force if necessary to enforce their loyalty. The Boston revolt did not gain acceptance by the majority because they never saw a chance of victory against the King.
Even the sober or drunkard did not curse the King or boast the independence. The revolt gathered momentum; small groups of militias grew in numbers. People began to weigh the events that played out with caution.
They argue that the same treatment given to Boston could be replicated to another colony charged with rebellion. By 1774, fifty-six leaders among the colonies met in Massachusetts to pledge their allegiance to a common cause: defend or die trying.
The colonies were strangers to themselves, they hardly relate. They were closer to the King’s men than themselves.
The meeting in Philadelphia signaled the turning point of the American Revolution. People with different backgrounds from thirteen colonies united in a common cause. Their cause became known as a common sense.
The thirteen colonies were adequately protected by British troops, but they wanted liberty. During the meeting in Philadelphia, the delegates comprising of businessmen, plantation owners, jurists, lawyers pledged their loyalty to each other.
They agreed to a bond, in pain and sorrow to fight any form of operation. They agreed to stop the importation of British goods and depend on their local supplies. Their businessmen refused to trade with the British and closed all routes of the slave trade in their colonies.
These steps changed the course of a revolt in a war for an independent nation. The businessmen in London suffered from the boycott. They petitioned the British parliament. To enforce their authority, British troops ordered the arrest of the leaders of the militias and seizure of ammunitions.
The troops led by General Cage entered Lexington to enforce their authority. The events of that evening changed American history. Words of war echoed across the thirteen colonies and they united with a common cause to defend their territory.
When the tales of Lexington broke out, the remaining colonies knew the time has come and there was no way back.
The British troops, driven by anger to suppress the rebellion, fought with courage and the people of America who took their fight as a revolt from the traditions of the British rule, believed in the American Revolution.
The second meeting held by the thirteen colonies voted money to assist the militias in Boston. They drafted the declaration of independence and the United States of America became a dream.