Question

A) Choose ONE of the events listed below to represent the emergence of an American identity. Explain your choice, and provide at least ONE piece of evidence to support your explanation.
The end of the French and Indian War in 1763
The ratification of the US Constitution in 1788
The end of the War of 1812 in 1814
B) Contrast your choice with ONE of the other options, demonstrating why that option is not as good as your choice.

Answer 1

Answer:

A) The emergence of the American identity is best found in the ratification of the Constitution in 1788. After the Revolutionary War, and the misstep of the Articles of the Confederation, the U.S. Constitution laid out what the founding fathers were trying to do. More than the Declaration of Independence, this document defined who we were, then and now. Our Constitution was unique and reflected the compromises Americans made in order to create a new nation and a new way of government. The Legislative branch was a compromise between the states with large populations and those with small along with defining enslaved people in terms of population. Additionally, we have Executive and Judicial branches. The three provide checks and balances which prevent any one person or group from seizing power. The Bill of Rights provided and protected individual rights. We were so far away from our previous British monarchy and parliament, that we became a new species, Americans.

B) The end of the French and Indian War in 1763 is not as good an answer to this question. At the time, we were still firmly British colonies and identified as British. Although colonists fought in the war, it was primarily professional British soldiers.  The result was a win for Britain who gained more land, but a loss for the colonies. They were restricted in their access to the new lands and were heavily taxed to pay for the war. Colonists resented the King and Parliament because they were not heard and were instead oppressed by their own people. You could say the end of the French and Indian War planted the first seeds of rebellion, but it was not directly related to American identity, which the ratification of the Constitution was.  

Explanation:

Answer 2

Answer:

A) The ratification of the Constitution in 1788 best represents the emergence of an American Identity. The Constitution was drafted after victory in the Revolutionary War, in which America won its independence, during the Grand Convention in 1787. This document helped to create the unique form of government where the people could have a say in who leads them, an aspect of government that had rarely, if ever, been seen in the world beforehand. Three branches of government formed, namely the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branch which each had a certain duty to carry out and could check each other’s power as to ensure a situation similar to Britain’s rule didn’t arise. The inclusion of the Bill of Rights protected certain rights of citizens from government interference with amendments that guaranteed specific rights to all. These ideas had never before been seen in the world and were crucial in the emergence of an American Identity, where citizens can enjoy a free and independent life while taking pride in their country where all men are create equal.

B) The end of the French and Indian War in 1763 is not as good an option as the ratification of the Constitution. This is because this war was a conflict between mainly France and Britain and America wouldn't have had any stake in this war and wouldn't have gained anything, aside from more territory to migrate to, as an outcome of this war. While the Constitution was a direct cause of America forming an identity through establishing the country's foundation and rights of all citizens, the French and Indian War didn't benefit America in any way and only made them resent Britain more as a result of taxation they faced to pay off Britain's debt accumulated from the war. While this may have been an indirect cause of the build up to the American Revolution and the creation of a Constitution, this event isn't nearly as significant as the ratification of the Constitution because the war didn't move America forward but rather backward because it led to further oppression and unfair laws handed down by Britain as well as not establishing any rights of American citizens or giving them anything to take pride in.

Explanation:

This is what I wrote and I get 100s on these short writings most of the time.