American Revolution

From 1775 through 1783 America experimented with self-government as they broke away from Great Britain. Patriotic colonists felt that the edicts and Acts delegated by King George II and the British parliament were imposing on their way of life and that they should severe their ties with Britain. Furthermore, the American Revolution was revolutionary to a great extent because it allowed America to experiment with democracy, develop a national identity, as well as develop America into a nation that is tantamount to an ethnic melting pot.

One conflict that led colonists to undertake democratic styles of government was their lack of representation in British parliament. The Second Continental Congress met in Independence Hall, Philadelphia where radicals such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson led the favorable decision to seek absolute self-government. This decision was further encouraged through Thomas Paine's Common Sense (1776). In order to obtain and preserve their liberties, the American people were willing to do so through violence and warfare (doc. E).

A sense of nationalism and a national individuality formed as a consequence of the American Revolution. According to Benjamin Franklin, if the colonies refused to come together s a united front, they would not be able to survive let alone thrive without the support of one another (doc. A). Before the war took place, the Boston Tea Party (December 16, 1773) united the colonists because during this event people from differing backgrounds came together to fight against taxes on tea as well as a common enemy; Britain. Following the Boston Tea Party, King George III issued the Intolerable Acts (1774) in Massachusetts as well as other colonies as chastisement for rebelling against taxes on tea. Consequently, in an act of protest against the Intolerable Acts, the Virginian House of Burgesses proclaimed a "day for fasting, humiliation, and prayer," along with the colonies of Rhode Island, New York and Pennsylvania. The colonies also showed their unity by supplying the army/military with supplies thus, aiding the overall war effort in America (doc. G). Creating a national identity and unity amongst the American people increased morale and established a sense of nationalism/pride in colonists from different socio-economical statuses after the American Revolution (doc. F).

Lastly, part of made the American Revolution revolutionary was that it allowed the American people to view their nation as a melting pot. The ethnic demographics of America were diverse because the people who settled in America originated from England, Sweden, Italy, Spain, France, and the Netherlands. Regardless of ones racial backdrop, they could still recognize themselves as American. Moreover, to be American means having obligated from a foreign land(s), but being able to assimilate into and connect with the general population through commonalities that people choose to have; not are