Colonial Unity

DBQ: Colonial Unity

On the eve of the Revolution, the colonies were surely displaying fighting spirit and unity through the formation of the Association and the Continental Congress, but were weakened by the expansive layout of the South compared to the closely-knit New England. The colonists endured several unfortunate situations that helped them become unified. For example, the imposition of such laws as The Stamp Act (1765) allowed for unity through the formation of the Stamp Act Congress. In hindsight, this organization caused the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766. Still, there was resistance to the idea of revolt against England. Most of this opposition came from Loyalists, who were bent on remaining united with the Mother Country.

A 1754 political cartoon by Benjamin Franklin displays a snakes cut into several pieces, each labeled with the name of a colony or group of colonies. This symbolizes the disunity of the colonies and the eventual effect it will have on the formation of a strong nation. The disunity that is displayed became quite apparent when the colonies held important meetings that suggested the presence of delegates from each colony. For example, in 1774 when the first Continental Congress was formed, only twelve of the thirteen colonies sent delegates (Georgia excluded). Being one of the southernmost colonies, it is hard to travel that far north, and many southerners just did not think it was

that important. (Doc. A). A list of donations for the relief of Boston in 1774 and 1775 reveals that most donations were sent from New England colonies such as Connecticut. South Carolina only contributed a meager shipload or rice compared to Connecticut that provided sheep, grain, corn, rye, and more. This exemplifies the reluctant nature of southern colonies to revolt against England. This can be attributed to the fact that many Loyalist strongholds were stationed at vital southern ports such as Charleston, Savannah, and Norfolk. This may also explain lack of southern participation in boycotts against British imports. (Doc. G).

Although Loyalists and geographical challenges caused some disunity, the colonies were on their way to becoming a revolutionary nation. Richard Henry Lee expressed his opinion on revolution in a letter to his brother in 1774: "...N. America is now most firmly united and as most firmly resolved to defend their liberties ad infinitum against every power on Earth..." This point was illustrated in the very same year (1774) with the formation of the First Continental Congress. The idea of this organization was to express the grievances of the colonies and to ask Britain to redress them. Also in this document, Lee mentions "repelling force by force". In this case he is referring to boycotts of British imports. The most famous and effective boycott was a result of the Association, which was a system that was created to boycott