The Experience of the American Revolution Research Paper

Introduction

In the history of each country, whether it is a small state or a world power, there have been such events that had a significant impact on its development, citizens, and future. Some of these events are rather difficult to define as only positive or negative because their consequences have brought happiness and grief to different people. One of such events was the American Revolution, which lasted from 1775 to 1783; it created the independent country of the United States, changed the lives of thousands of people, and gave them the real Constitution.¹ The purpose of this paper is to provide a list of reasons for the American Revolution and explain how its events may be understood better. Moreover, the question of whether its experience was the beginning of the national history or a prelude for a continued struggle between the Americans and their competing class, race, and gender interests in the New Republic will be discussed.

The Reasons for the American Revolution

To better get the essence of the events of the American Revolution, it is crucial to understand those people who participated in it: their thirst for freedom, justice, and rights. Before deciding how to determine the aftermaths and influence of this event, it is important to provide a brief list of its reasons and circumstances. It started from the British colonists who were in America rebelling against the rule of Great Britain, and there were several severe causes for that.² They may be divided into political, economic, and territorial reasons, but probably the most important one was the restriction of freedom of the colonists, and precisely this problem unites all of the reasons.

Restriction of Freedom

The liberty familiar to the Americans was questioned; people were tired of such a life and wanted to have their own country and government that would protect their rights. According to the decree of the English parliament, the authorities could freely search any premises of the colonists looking for smuggled goods. Many magazines and newspapers were censored, and severe penalties waited for the citizens for violating the existing order.³ The Americans asked for their representatives being in parliament and threatened that if their demands were rejected, the North American colonies would not pay taxes to the royal treasury.

Economic Reasons

The British authorities stated that the southern planters had to sell tobacco to England at low prices and buy fabrics, utensils, and iron tools at high prices. Merchants were not allowed to trade with other countries.⁴ Moreover, since after the end of the Seven Years’ War, Britain not only expanded its colonial possessions but also became a debtor, and George III, the king of England, decided to increase taxes.⁵ Precisely this extra money was supposed to pay off military debts. The British governors in North America started introducing new taxes and did not even ask the state legislatures. This unfair fundraising organized by Britain strangled the colonists and pushed them to the beginning of the uprisings.

Political Reasons

In 1763, the British government prohibited the colonists from settling west of the Appalachians. In the same year, the Royal Navy began to patrol along the U.S. coast to control the trade of the colonies.⁶ The British Parliament passed the Monetary Act governing the circulation of paper money in the colonies. English merchants considered paper money as avoiding paying debts, and, like all colonies, America was forbidden to issue paper money and was obligated to pay customs duties in silver. In 1765, supreme superintendents for Indian affairs were appointed to the colonies to conduct trade in fur and diplomatic relations with the Indians.⁷ Thus, these issues, which until then were mainly in the hands of the governors and legislative assemblies of the colonies, were transferred under the constant control of the English crown.

The American Revolution: Beginning of the National History

The American Revolution was a powerful and significant event that has marked the beginning of national history. People who used to be colonists got their freedom, rights, constitution, and their own and real country. It was their chance to start over and prove that they are worthy of all these opportunities. Nowadays, the United States of America, which used to be just a colonists’ settlement, is one of the world Powers with its own culture, voice, and authority. It is entirely independent of Britain, and it is possible to say that the American colonists’ mission was completed.

The American Revolution was the result of an amazing effort to mobilize and co-ordinate ordinary citizens across a big area. It has created a group of governmental systems that let people get much more significant control over the political processes than the one that existed before the Revolution. The United States of America has got noble ideals and visionary leadership compared to no one in human history, and this would not have happened if it remained under the control of Britain. The success of the American Revolution happened because of a shared commitment to finding out how to solve the problem.⁸ What is more, ordinary people managed to use power over the political structures in such a way that they got at least some control over the outcomes that had a significant effect on their lives.

Moreover, there were some major changes in the problem of slavery and racism; the fight with these negative aspects began after the American Revolution and resulted in the U.S. becoming a country of freedom and welcomed varieties. According to researchers, “the North’s free black population swelled from a small corps of several hundred in the 1770s to nearly 50,000 by 1810, while the number of slaves contracted.”⁹ It means that all the people, despite some past prejudices, gained their freedom and rights and could start a happy life in their own new country that welcomed them and promised to keep them safe.

The American Revolution: Prelude for a Continued Struggle

Despite all of the long- and short-term benefits, the American Revolution was a complicated, painful, and chaotic event. There were several violent disagreements, and a number of arguments were resolved not through reason but force. Some people have lost out badly, and all the benefits that came to the United States were paid for with great loss, turmoil, and upheaval. Even those people who may be considered as the long-term winners and beneficiaries have paid their price.

The American Revolution’s mission was gaining freedom and becoming independent from Britain. Though the Americans succeeded, there were people who did not immediately get their rights and liberties – slaves. They had to wait for almost a hundred years until they were finally freed with the cancellation of slavery. Moreover, the Revolution was a prelude for a continued struggle between the migrants and the Native Americans who did not want to let strangers interfere with their business and live on their territory. According to researchers, “as Americans moved west after the Revolution, powerful Native American communities north of the Ohio River preyed on migrants.”¹⁰ People who fought for and gained freedom from the British became threatened by the Indians.

After dealing with the British, former colonists had to face the Native Americans. Researchers note that “migrants believed in their racial superiority to Indians, often couched in the language of civilization against savagery.”¹¹ Hence, there was an awful struggle between the migrants who wanted to start a new life and the natives who tried to keep their land. However, each country has experienced class, race, and gender inequalities, and America as a new state was not an exception. Over the next centuries, it continued fighting for people’s rights, found a way to let women vote and control their lives, eliminated the class gaps, and equaled people of all races. Despite the fact that the struggle continued, its goals were vital, and the American Revolution to a greater extent was the beginning of national history.

Conclusion

Some of the historical events that have both short- and long-term benefits and adverse consequences are difficult to interpret either as only positive or negative, as there is no black and white in life. What is good for one group of people may be terrible and painful for another. Hence, in order to achieve further success, sometimes people just have to do something despite the fact that it may also have a negative impact. The American Revolution has changed the lives of thousands of various people: the British, the Americans, the Indians, and many others. It was indeed the beginning of the great national history and, at the same time, a prelude for a continued struggle. However, some problems like slavery or fight between the Americans and their competing class, race, and gender interests take time before being solved, and the Revolution was also the beginning of searching for their solution.

Bibliography

1. Berlin, Ira. Many Thousands Gone: The First Two Centuries of Slavery in North America. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1998.
2. Dierksheide, Christa. “The great improvement and civilization of that race”: Jefferson and the “Amelioration” of Slavery, ca. 1770—1826.” Early American Studies 6, no. 1 (2008): 165-197.
3. Kiger, Patric J. “7 Events That Enraged Colonists and Led to the American Revolution.” History.
4. Shriver, Cameron. “Wily Decoys, Native Power, and Anglo-American Memory in the Post-Revolutionary Ohio River Valley.” Early American Studies 16, no. 3 (2018): 431-459.

Footnotes

1. Patric J. Kiger, “7 Events That Enraged Colonists and Led to the American Revolution,” History.
2. Kiger, “7 Events That Enraged Colonists.”
3. Kiger, “7 Events That Enraged Colonists.”
4. Kiger, “7 Events That Enraged Colonists.”
5. Kiger, “7 Events That Enraged Colonists.”
6. Kiger, “7 Events That Enraged Colonists.”
7. Kiger, “7 Events That Enraged Colonists.”
8. Christa Dierksheide, “The great improvement and civilization of that race”: Jefferson and the “Amelioration” of Slavery, ca. 1770—1826,” Early American Studies 6, no. 1 (2008): 177.
9. Ira Berlin, Many Thousands Gone: The First Two Centuries of Slavery in North America (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1998), 228.
10. Cameron Shriver, “Wily Decoys, Native Power, and Anglo-American Memory in the Post-Revolutionary Ohio River Valley,” Early American Studies 16, no. 3 (2018): 433.
11. Shriver, “Wily Decoys, Native Power, and Anglo-American Memory,” 433.