American Revolution

American Revolution 1
Running head: AMERICAN REVOLUTION
American Revolution
Má rcio Padilha
College of Southern Idaho
HITS 111 – Tremayne
Fall/2009
American Revolution
By echoing the Irish motto “no taxation without representation,” Americans started
signaling their repudiation to excessive taxation by the British, eventually leading to the
Revolutionary War which would shift the political structure of America and the role of its
inhabitants[ CITATION Oat07 \p 79 \l 1033 ].
Whereas Adams contended, “American freedoms were not ideals still to be obtained,
but rights long and firmly established by British law and by the courage and sacrifices of
generations of Americans,” the British indicated to view the issue under a very different
perspective in light of the 1765 Stamp Act, Britain’s first direct tax on Americans. With that
being so, the formative elements of the American Revolutionary war for independence
were set in motion [ CITATION Oat07 \p 76-89 \l 1033 ].
When the fifty-five delegates, comprised of the Thirteen Original Colonies’ leading
political figures, convened, in September 1774, to the first Continental Congress in
Philadelphia, not only were they forging the beginning of a new nation, but also, and more
importantly, committing an act of treason under British Colonial law as their newly
adopted Continental Association, calling for non-importation of British goods, non-
consumption of on British products and non-exportation of American goods to Britain and
the British West Indies, hurt the British Empire’s interests in the New World [ CITATION
Nor05 \p 143 \l 1033 ].
In order to assure efficacy, “Committees of Observation” were created. Although
officially charged only with overseeing boycott implementation, they became de facto
government agents which, via an elaborate spy network, circulated copies of the
Continental Association for signatures and investigated reports of questionable remarks

and activities believed to reflect vice and corruption. The concomitant synergism was that,
proportionally to the extension of the Committees of Observation power, the regular
colonial governments started to collapse [ CITATION Nor05 \p 144 \l 1033 ].
The epitome of the American Revolution took place at the night of March 5, 1770 in
Boston when a shouting crowd attacked the despised Red Coats, who, in turn, fired back,
killing five men. The war that eventually ensued out of this occurrence led to a foremost
reassertion of the social fabric of the land. Whereas great majority of people on American
soil proclaimed their loyalty to Great Britain, the loyalties of Indians and of settlers
remained uncertain. The Native People’s grievances against the European American
predisposed many toward an alliance with Great Britain. Reciprocally, recognizing that
their standing with Native Peoples was poor, the patriots also sought the Indians neutrality.
A group of Cherokees, nevertheless, decided to seize the moment and regain some land
while the Iroquois, despite pledging to remain neutral, ended up allying with the British to
protect their territory from land-hungry colonists. About one fifth of the European
American population remained loyal to Great Britain, firmly rejecting independence while,
between patriots and loyalists, there remained perhaps two-fifths in the middle of the
European population who, being true pacifists, were neutral. To patriots, neutrality was as
heinous as loyalism. Whereas revolutionary fervor was widespread in the north and free
African Americans enlisted in local patriot militias in New England, in South Carolina and
Georgia, where slaves composed more than half of the population, there was noticeably less
enthusiasm about resistance to Britain. In light of their charged relationship with the
patriots, supporting the British appeared more promising to most slaves. In 1775,
Virginia’s royal governor offered to free any slave who would leave their patriot master
and join the British forces [ CITATION Nor05 \p 141-163 \l 1033 ].
Upon being appointed as the first president of the United States, George Washington
was in a unique position to restore order due to his previous military experience,
remarkable stamina, coolness and caution, all of which even loyalists admitted to be
attributes of his leader skills[ CITATION Nor05 \p 152 \l 1033 ]. Furthermore, in light of the
early death of a brother and his marriage, was one of the largest slave owners in Virginia,
George Washington fully demonstrated his embracing of the doctrine of the new nation, i.e.
that “all men are created equal”, by stating that he regretted slavery ever existed
[ CITATION Oat07 \p 117 \l 1033 ].
Due to Washington’s perseverance, the British temporarily left Boston for Halifax in
the spring of 1776. Subsequently, second continental congress formally recommends that
the individual colonies form new governments, replacing their colonial charters with state
constitutions on May 10, 1776. Meanwhile, the Declaration of Independence, adopted on
July 4, 1776, is being drafted, which will pave the way for a new Nation to come into
existence. Nevertheless, the north and south of this new nation-to-be would be viscerally
different, a factor which will event promote greater societal reshaping [ CITATION
Oat07 \p 147-167 \l 1033 ].

Bibliography
Norton, M. B., Katzman, D. M., Blight, D. W., Chudacoff, H. P., Logevall, F., Bailey, B., et al.
(2005). A People and a Nation: A Hostory of the United States, Vol. 1. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin Company.
Oates, S. B., & Errico, C. J. (2007). Portrait of America, Vol. 1. Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Company.

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American Revolution 1

Running head: AMERICAN REVOLUTION

College of Southern Idaho

HITS 111 – Tremayne

inhabitants[ CITATION Oat07 \p 79 \l 1033 ].

were set in motion [ CITATION Oat07 \p 76-89 \l 1033 ].

political figures, convened, in September 1774, to the first Continental Congress in

adopted Continental Association, calling for non-importation of British goods, non-

consumption of on British products and non-exportation of American goods to Britain and

Nor05 \p 143 \l 1033 ].

In order to assure efficacy, “Committees of Observation” were created. Although

Continental Association for signatures and investigated reports of questionable remarks

proportionally to the extension of the Committees of Observation power, the regular

colonial governments started to collapse [ CITATION Nor05 \p 144 \l 1033 ].

and join the British forces [ CITATION Nor05 \p 141-163 \l 1033 ].

[ CITATION Oat07 \p 117 \l 1033 ].

constitutions on May 10, 1776. Meanwhile, the Declaration of Independence, adopted on

Oat07 \p 147-167 \l 1033 ].

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