The American Revolution is an essential historical topic to study in order to understand how the modern United States were founded, and how the country’s fight for independence influenced the world. While the revolutionary uprising started in 1765 and lasted until 1791, historians date the American Revolutionary War between 1775 and 1783. The Patriots’ goals in the War, as well as the achievements of the revolution and the first Constitution in relation to different groups of population will be discussed in this essay.
There are several causes Patriots fought for in the American Revolution, but most of them were related to the colonists’ desire for independence. Thus, the main goals included becoming an independent country, introducing a new system of self-governance, and creating the rule of law that would consider it meaningful and allow ensuring equal rights for all citizens (Procknow, 2017). In addition, colonies wanted to join the European state system as an independent member.
Most of these goals were successfully fulfilled, as America gained independence and put an end to British mercantilism in its territories. However, it can be argued that the goal of equal rights and freedoms was not fulfilled, and three groups of population can be examined to understand why. For example, the war affected white males, as they learned “to become individuals and express themselves independently” (Procknow, 2017, par. 13). Women, however, did not acquire the same freedoms and individuality, and their roles in the society were limited to household matters and serving men. While the latter were “focusing on commercial good, women assumed the communal good, thereby filling a void” (Procknow, 2017, par. 21). This shift has led to the rise of women’s rights activism in the following centuries.
Finally, it can also be stated that the goal of equal rights was not fulfilled in relation to the black American population. For them, freedom was most important, so throughout the course of the war, many African Americans sided with “whichever army promised them personal liberty” (“Africans in America | Part 2 | The Revolutionary War,” n.d., par. 6). Many members of the British army recruited Patriots’ slaves, promising them freedom and equal rights. As a result, a large number of African Americans escaped and fought for the British. Nevertheless, many of them still lost their freedom either during or after the war.
Adopted in 1777, the Articles of Confederation served as the first American Constitution. However, the Articles had a number of limitations that eventually led to their failure. For example, they were designed in a way that did not give central government much power: the country did not have a central executive or judicial branch. In addition, 9 of 13 state votes were required to pass the laws, which represented an unattainably high majority, making it extremely difficult to introduce any legislation. Moreover, the central government was not able to collect taxes, which led to significant lack of funds and unstable economy.
Among other measures, the Constitution tried to solve these problems by establishing the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the government, creating a bicameral legislature, and giving central government more power over taxation and funds. It can be argued that the Constitution fulfilled the goals of the American Revolution for the most part. This was done by establishing the three essential principles of social and political systems in the country: natural rights, popular sovereignty, and rule of law (Procknow, 2017). However, the Constitution largely left the issue of slavery to the states, resulting in moderate gains to African American population in the north and significant losses in the south.
It can be concluded that the American Revolutionary War is a large and complex topic to study and discuss. As one of the main outcomes of the Revolution, the Constitution has fulfilled some of its major goals, but failed to protect the rights of marginalized groups of population. Nevertheless, it is an essential part of the country’s history and a living document amended to meet the demands and needs of a growing and developing nation.
References
Africans in America | Part 2 | The Revolutionary War. (n.d.). Web.
Procknow, G. (2017). Gender and the American Revolution. Web.