The American Revolution U.S. History Essay

Introduction

Without a doubt the American Revolution was a pivotal event in US history. It was the war for independence against the British masters. But it was unlike any other war, it was not like the conflict often seen in a typical colony trying to break free from the shackles of its colonizer.

The Americans were forced to rebel against what they considered as their Mother country – England. Even with much provocation the Americans tried to prevent the conflict from escalating into a full-blown war. But at the end the pride of the English King as well as the desperation of the English monarchy forced the hand of the settlers to draw the sword. Finally key leaders such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin saw that it was futile to reason with a tyrant and so they united the American people to gain liberty and the right to chart their own destiny.

Background

The rebellion in the New World came as a surprise to many. No one wanted war but looking back it should have been obvious that war was inevitable. The American Revolution was the byproduct of decades of radical changes that swept Europe – these radical ideas eventually spilled into the American colonies. These were brought about by new ideas. These new ideas challenged the way people look at governments.

For thousands of years, the monarchial system of government was the only acceptable form of governance. But in the 18^th century more and more people are challenging the idea kings have the divine right to rule.¹ This is not hard to understand because since recorded history, men and women are witnesses to the human weaknesses of the supposedly anointed rulers. Their eccentricities, love for opulence, and appetite for war had left many of their constituents bloody and poor. There has to be another way to govern a country.

King George III was not only determined to dominate Europe but he was willing to spend huge sums of English money to sustain an ongoing campaign with its long-time enemy France. According to Peckham, “In 1763 Great Britain, which had just overwhelmed her principal rival empire, the French, in the Seven Year’s War, found herself with a huge war debt, additional territories to administer, and an ambitious new king anxious to rule as well as reign.”² At that time no one in England knew that the exhilarating victory in the Seven Year’s War will be replaced with humiliating defeat at the hands of inexperience rebels living thousands of miles away.

The Colony

Even before the mass migrations seen in the period between the late 16^th century and 17^th century, the British already knew of the great potential of the Americas in terms of trade. Thus, even before the Mayflower the British already established trading posts that would act as a conduit between the two worlds. But after the immigrants began to pour into the New World, Britain began to establish colonies. At first the colonies were insignificant in size and contributed little to the economy of Britain. But after a few decades England could no longer ignore the rising prominence of the American colony.

As the New World continued to grow as an economic miracle, the world also was witness to the decline of the British Empire.³ As the American colonies began to grow from strength to strength, the people living in the New World began to develop a healthy sense of identity.⁴ And many began to wonder the necessity of being ruled by a leader who lived thousands of miles away. But many still believed that the American had much to lose and little to gain if they go head-to-head with an experienced war machine such as the English military. There is no sense in trying to challenge King George. At least this was the consensus up until English policies began to change and began to negatively affect the colonies.

Anti-War sentiment

Historian, Gordon Wood was right on target when he remarked that America need not go to war with Britain and he wrote, “The American Revolution has always seemed to be an extraordinary kind of revolution … the Revolution was not one of those events which strikes the public eye in the subversion of laws have usually attended the revolutions of governments.”⁵ Gordon added, “The Americans were not an oppressed people; they had no crushing imperial shackles to throw off. In fact, the Americans knew they were probably freer and less burdened with cumbersome feudal and hierarchical restraints than ay part of mankind in the eighteenth century.”⁶ If this is the case then it is very clear that the Americans were forced to draw the sword against their King.

As mentioned earlier, Britain began to overextend itself in the fight for global supremacy. Their chest-thumping rhetoric was well documented – that the sun never sets in the British Empire. But to maintain that superpower status requires a lot of money, a lot of tax money.

Every time Britain challenges other nations to settle their differences in the battlefield, English coffers are slowly being drained of its treasure. As England continued to hemorrhage money, King George turned to the colonies for support and directed his officials to come up with new taxation schemes that can be used in the American colonies. As expected the Americans did not agree with their plan and this angered the home government.⁷

One thing led to another. At the end the American colonies asserted their equality, according to Peckham, “…they said that their colonial assemblies stood on equal footing with Parliament and alone could legislate for the colonies, while Parliament legislated for Great Britain.” Judging from the aforementioned tyrannical tendencies of King George III, especially in his behavior in the Seven Year’s War it is safe to assume that he was itching to teach the Americans a lesson that they will never forget.

The hastily assembled Continental Congress tried to avert war. Congress made a final attempt for reconciliation with the home government, “On July 8, it sent the Olive Branch Petition to the king. In November, word arrived that George III had not only snubbed the petition, but also declared on August 23 that the colonies were in a state of rebellion and would be crushed by force.”⁸ This reply started a chain of events that led to war for American Independence and one that King George III would regret for the rest of his life.

Conclusion

It has been made clear that there was no incentive whatsoever for the American colonies to go to war with England. First of all the home government had a battle-hardened army that can easily crush the rebels. Secondly, due to the distance and other factors New England enjoyed a level of freedom and autonomy that could not be said of other colonies under the British Empire. But they were provoked into fighting by a King who believed so much in his right to rule and reign.

Even when the colonies humbled themselves and offered an Olive Branch Petition, King George III dismissed in a way befitting a snobby elite who is so out of touch of reality. He paid dearly for his impulsive decisions and due to his sin of pride; he will forever be remembered as the ruler who brought the British Empire to its knees.

Bibliography

Ferling, John. Setting the World Ablaze: Washington, Adams, Jefferson. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.

Jensen, Merrill. The Founding of a Nation: A History of the American Revolution. IN: Hacket Publishing Company, Inc., 2004.

Marston, Daniel. The American Revolution 1774-1783. WI: Osprey Publishing, 2002.

Martin, Joseph. A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier. New York: Signet Classic, 2001.

Middleton, Richard. Colonial America: A History, 1565-1776. 3^rd Ed. UK: Blackwell Publishers, 2002.

Nester, William. The Frontier War for American Independence. PA: Stackpole Books, 2004.

Peckham, Howard. The War for Independence: A Military History. Illinois: University of Chicago Press, 1979.

Ward, Harry. The War for Independence and the Transformation of American Society. UK: UCL Press, 1999.

Wood, Gordon. The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787. North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press, 1998.

Footnotes

1. Jensen, Merrill. The Founding of a Nation: A History of the American Revolution. (IN: Hacket Publishing Company, Inc., 2004), p.5.
2. Peckham, Howard. The War for Independence: A Military History. (Illinois: University of Chicago Press, 1979), p.1.
3. Jensen, p.5.
4. Ward, Harry. (The War for Independence and the Transformation of American Society. UK: UCL Press, 1999), p.1.
5. Gordon Wood, The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787 (North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press, 1998), p.3.
6. Ibid.
7. Peckham, p.1.
8. Nester, William. The Frontier War for American Independence. (PA: Stackpole Books, 2004), p. 90.