The American Revolution was a conflict fought between the American colonists and the British. The colonists were unhappy with what they perceived as a violation of their rights by the British. In events leading up to the American Revolution, the British were heavily taxing the colonists as well as neglecting them in terms of their demands and passing laws that were seemingly oppressive. The colonists who supported England were referred to as Loyalists whereas those who sought independence were known as Patriots. Between the years 1763 and 1783, the views on American independence were extremely complex as they varied depending on the time period, their religion, and where they were located. To begin with, although not a popular opinion at the …show more content…
Patriots were pro-Revolution, meaning they supported American independence and were prepared to separate from England in order to achieve their goal. In Document 3, Samuel Adams voices his support for the Patriot cause when he says, “All men have a right to remain in a state of nature as long as they please; and in case of intolerable oppression, civil or religious, to leave the society they belong to… [men] have a right to demand and insist upon the performance of such conditions.” By stating this, Adams is promoting the idea of self government by insisting that men have the right to leave a government or society in which they feel oppressed or feel as though their natural human rights are being violated. This idea clearly supports the colonists who were fighting to gain independence from England. Moreover, in Document 6, Charles Inglis provides an economic perspective to motivate other colonists to want to separate from Britain. He states that, “Certain I am that our commerce and agriculture, the two principal sources of our wealth, will not support [the expense of a Revolution]... [Britain has] left us still in debt! What then must our situation be, or what the state of our trade, when oppressed with such a burden of annual expense!” Here, Inglis is acknowledging that there perhaps is not enough money to support a Revolution, but rebutting that the only reason for this is that Britain has so heavily taxed the colonies in order to make a profit that it has left the colonists in debt and with little money to provide the basic necessities of life. By stating this, Inglis incites colonists to think of their economic futures should they continue to be dependent on Britain. Lastly, in an inspiration excerpt from The American Crisis by Thomas Paine, Document 7 attempts to rile up the colonists by saying that, “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we
The Revolutionary War was truly revolutionary. It created a change that changed how lived in the modern day. The Revolutionary War created change in jobs, wealth, government, and a change in freedom nationally and personally. The change in jobs occurred for many blacks and poor people, white and black. As it states in document #6, a young black free boy worked extremely hard and persisted to get a job, but no one would work with him due to his ethnicity.
The American Revolution began due to the corruption of the British government. The British had a monarchy in which the ruler’s descendants were given power after the ruler’s death. Thomas Paine explains that the British monarchy is not an effective form of government (Document 5). He states that man started out as all equal and that the present distribution of powers is unnatural. Paine calls hereditary succession an abominable practice.
In 1775 the British believed that they could beat the colonists quickly, considering they had more resources, more money, an army, and outnumbered them 6 to 1, but they were wrong. They still got fought into a stalemate in the North after 5 years! After losing the battle of Saratoga, the british feared French intervention. Therefore, they had to take the South, before it was to late to win the war. They believed that there were Loyalists down there that would rise up, rally together, and fight with the British army, if only they came down.
Document E: “In every stage of these Oppressions We have petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms; Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. ”-Declaration of Independence. As stated in the Declaration of Independence, America’s repeated complaints and compromises have only been returned with further blows from Britain. Document B: “There is another late act of parliament, which appears to me to be unconstitutional, and as destructive to the liberties of these colonies...”-A
As the colonies sought to break free from British rule and establish an independent nation, the American Revolution was an important turning point in history. However, not all colonists held the same viewpoint on this issue. Loyalists and Patriots emerged as two separate groups with opposing perspectives on American independence from British rule. The opposing views of Loyalists and Patriots on American independence from Great Britain can be analyzed through the perspectives of loyalty to the crown, economic interests, political rights and representation, and social and cultural identity, revealing the complex issues and motivations behind each group's position during the American Revolution. Loyalists, also known as Tories, were strong advocates of the British Crown.
For example, James Madison and George Washington were of the republicanism view, and Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin were of democracy. The public rhetoric that motivated them was political power and freedom. On a private level, Patriots were driven by the desire to protect Americans right and equality. The Patriots are the ones who took the fight to the stronghold cities of Britain and loyalists. By June 1776, the Patriots were in control of the 13 colonies, and loyalists were without the power to match them (Miller 87).
The reality is that it was in the best economic interest for the colonies to separate from the English government. The goal was to establish the colonies as a republic rather than a dependent of Great Britain. This is exactly Thomas Paine’s aim in the document in Common Sense. Thomas Paine used eloquent and forceful words to slay apart the English government. His goal was to show that it was only logical and reasonable
The beginning of war, is the ending of life. The reason that war is death, is that the war of Valley Forge caused many to be deceased, and deceived. I have decided to not re-enlist into the Colonial Army because of sickness (Doc. C+A), Housing (Doc. D+B), and supply shortage (Doc. C+B). These reasons listed are big reasons that caused death, and sadness taking away loved ones and friends. This document about the Revolutionary War, will bring you to the place itself, living through the damages and sad doings this war brought.
Many circumstances have, and will arise, which are not local, but universal, and through which the principles of all Lovers of Mankind are affected, and in the Event of which, their Affections are interested (Paine, 1776)”. Thomas Paine disagrees with the British government and the way they handling business he encouraged Americas to declare their independence. The Declaration of independence was a documented created by Thomas Jefferson that announced the split from the colonies and Great Britain, it. The Declaration of Independence states “we hold these…all men are created equal...with certain unalienable rights...that when any form of government becomes destructive... It is the right of the people to alter or abolish it (Jefferson, 1776)”.
A challenging question to answer as an American Christian is whether the American Revolution was biblical or not. It is clear in the Bible the expectations God put forth as being the roles of both the government and obedient citizens. The big question is if the founding fathers of America were biblically justified by the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution. There is a difference between being obedient to a government and being in a position where the government expects its people to commit sin.
Introduction: Thomas Paine was an English American writer of essays and pamphlets in the 18th century. He was born in England and moved to the American colonies in 1774 after Benjamin Franklin encouraged him to. His most notable work was called “Common Sense” which was printed in January of 1776, a fifty-page pamphlet that inspired the colonies to fight for their independence. Prior to its publication, the colonies had been in revolt for a few months against England, namely in the battle of Lexington & at Concord. There was a big discussion in the colonies on whether they should go for full independence against England or go for an improved representation within their political system at the time.
There was tension, blood, and tears with the Thirteen Colonies and Great Britain. This was due to the American Revolution that started in 1765 and ended in 1783. So how revolutionary was the American revolutionary war? Well, first what does revolutionary mean? Revolutionary means that things have changed dramatically.
Published propaganda intensified the demand for change, but the motion to sever ties with Britain wasn’t popular. Thomas Paine’s pamphlet was a solution to sway colonists and justify the necessity of independence. In Common Sense, Thomas Paine articulates the illegitimacy of the British government. Particularly, Paine focuses on dismissing the idea of hereditary succession while arguing for equality of man. He asserts that as a whole, the colonies have the ability to succeed without attachment to Britain, and this is the time to fight the royal force.
Before this many Colonists did not know of the harsh injustices done by the British. They also did not believe that the cause for revolution was urgent. Thomas Paine showed them that the cause was urgent by explaining the wrongs the British had committed and why King George was a tyrant. He also showed them that America did not need the British Empire 's protection. This quote shows his reasoning “Small islands, not capable of protecting themselves, are the proper objects for kingdoms to take under their care; but there is something absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island.”
Throughout Thomas Paine's "The Crisis: number one" he uses rhetorical devices, which properly justify his claim that Britain has wronged them and they should revolt. In the first paragraph of the excerpt, Paine he uses a metaphor to show how bad British rule truly is. In the excerpt, it says "Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right not only to tax but to bind us in all cases whatsoever, and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth". In using this metaphor the British tyranny being compared to slavery.