Question

What evidence indicates that colonists continued to think of themselves as British subjects throughout this era? What evidence suggests that colonists were beginning to forge a separate, collective “American” identity? How would you explain this shift?

Answer 1

Answer:

Before the American Revolutionary War, and even a few years after that, many Americans still struggled with the idea of themselves as separate entities from the British crown, or seeing themselves as another thing than subjects to the British king. Proof of this was the difficulty that the rebelling colonists, like Washington, and others, had, to convince the everyday American that the Revolution was necessary. Many colonists even supported the British when they tried to stop the Revolution from happening. Some even supported the British cause. They wanted the injustices caused by the decisions made by the British Parliament and King George III to be taken back, but they did not consider themselves apart from Britain.

However, this did change as time went by, and as colonists like Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, and other such thinkers and influential Americans began to show the people the importance and the need for a separate nation from Britain. And supported by the anger in the colonies given the unjust taxes levied by the British crown on the American lands, people began to see themselves not just as non-British, but also, they began to develop their identities as Americans, and not as British subjects.