Question

The course text notes that tensions and differences in the 1770s led to the American Revolution that eventually produced independence for the United States from Great Britain. When the War for American Independence broke out, both the British and the Americans maintained what they viewed as very significant reasons for going to war based on the rift that had developed between the two groups. Explain the reasons why each side went to war. In doing so, discuss three (3) distinct reasons or events the Americans used to justify war and three (3) distinct reasons or events the British used to justify war. Be sure to explain why each reason or event helped to justify the war for its side. Be sure your answer does justice to both sides so that you fully demonstrate a clear and complete understanding of why each side would see its reasons as significant and legitimate.

Answer 1

I. Introduction

In the 1760s, Benjamin Rush, a native of Philadelphia, recounted a visit to Parliament. Upon seeing the king’s throne in the House of Lords, Rush said he “felt as if he walked on sacred ground” with “emotions that I cannot describe.”1 Throughout the eighteenth century, colonists had developed significant emotional ties with both the British monarchy and the British constitution. The British North American colonists had just helped to win a world war and most, like Rush, had never been more proud to be British. And yet, in a little over a decade, those same colonists would declare their independence and break away from the British Empire. Seen from 1763, nothing would have seemed as improbable as the American Revolution.

The Revolution built institutions and codified the language and ideas that still define Americans’ image of themselves. Moreover, revolutionaries justified their new nation with radical new ideals that changed the course of history and sparked a global “age of revolution.” But the Revolution was as paradoxical as it was unpredictable. A revolution fought in the name of liberty allowed slavery to persist. Resistance to centralized authority tied disparate colonies ever closer together under new governments. The revolution created politicians eager to foster republican selflessness and protect the public good but also encouraged individual self-interest and personal gain. The “founding fathers” instigated and fought a revolution to secure independence from Britain, but they did not fight that revolution to create a “democracy.” To successfully rebel against Britain, however, required more than a few dozen “founding fathers.” Common colonists joined the fight, unleashing popular forces that shaped the Revolution itself, often in ways not welcomed by elite leaders. But once unleashed, these popular forces continued to shape the new nation and indeed the rest of American history.

http://www.americanyawp.com/text/05-the-american-revolution/