British Influence On American Identity

As generations grew up in America, nationalism within the colonies grew towards their new country. These settlers slowly lost their patriotic tie to Great Britain and it’s ruler, King George III. So when the French and Indian War ended in America, and the indebted England needed some compensation from American settlers in the form of taxes, the colonists questioned the authority of England and their ability to rule them. British imperial policies such as the Sugar Act of 1764 and the Townshend Tea Tax caused uproar within the colonies against British rule without

After the French and Indian War also known as Seven Years War, the British Government started taxing the colonists in order to pay the debt from the French and Indian War. The British Government established many acts such as Stamp act, Sugar act, Quartering acts etc. that required paying taxes. These taxes really upset the colonists and slowly it forced the colonies to break away from Britain and be Americans. During the british taxes, first, the colonists wanted to stay loyal to the british crown, after, they started to think about uniting with the other colonies against Britain, and then finally they decided to break away from Britain and be considered as Americans.

Contrary to an average American's belief on how Americans actually came to be, they did not do it completely on their own or the perfect American way. In fact, it all started around the seven years war when Great Britain beat France in the war for world empire. By doing this they also opened the lands west of the Appalachian Mountain for settlement. In order to win this war the british had to rack up a great amount of debt and mortality. They were able to do all of this without the slightest of help from the colonies and afterwards most british people were unhappy with colonists because of their lack of sympathy and support. The colonists simply stopped focusing on Great Britain in general and more on expanding their own territory to the newly opened lands. Almost everyone in the colonies now thought themselves as no longer British and started creating their own American identity.

In addition to unity by the end of the revolution, the colonies had developed a definite sense of identity. According to Document H, which was published two years before the end of the revolution in 1781, becoming an American was 'by being received in the broad lap of our great Alma Mater. Here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whole labours and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world. American identity meant being a mixture of European, Native American, and even African American blood and culture. Looking back at the times when the colonies were just being set up by the first arriving colonists, from that point, the spirit of the colonists had been that of fighters. They had fought to build a community out of nothing, and although they initially failed, they tried again. They fought the Indians numerous times in order to protect what was theirs, and during the time of the acts, towards the time of the revolution, they had fought again for what was theirs; their inalienable rights. Thus, the American identity

The reasons behind the sudden transition of England and it’s American colonies from allies to enemies is still debated today. When the colonies were first created they had a somewhat dependent relationship with the British. Trade was regulated through the British homeland while the British provided structure for the developing colonies. As salutary neglect came into play, the colonies became more independent in their ways by developing their own governments and laws. After the French and Indian War, the British economy dropped due to war expenses. The passing of the Stamp Act and all the taxes to follow were an attempt to create revenue for the British. This created tension between the colonists and the British government. The British government caused rebellion by trying to tax the colonists in ways that had not previously been done and by trying to control the colonies more closely than it previously had. The colonies were justified in waging war and breaking away from the British due to the unfair tyrant, burdensome taxes, and the aggressive behavior of the British.

This meeting shows cooperation throughout the colonies. When Benjamin Franklins Plan of Union(Doc A.) was refused by colonial legislatures, it showed that Americans could support and represent themselves and did not need representation in British parliament. An example of this is shown in Edmund Burke's "Notes for Speech in Parliament" which said "Govern America as you govern and English town which happens not to be represented in Parliament? They did not feel that they should be governed by a power that did not care for the best of their daughter country. When one colony fell of struggled, the others were there to pick them back up. This is shown in the Contributors of Donations for the relief of Boston. Several colonies donated things such as hundreds of bushels of Indian corn and rye from Connecticut, hundreds of sheep from Massachusetts, Cash and articles of provision from New Jersey, Sloop with provisions and more money from North Carolina, and a shipload of rice from South Carolina. This shows the support and unity America began to develop as a whole. The colonists were no longer English colonists. Hector St. Crevecouer, in his "Letters from an American Farmer," states "What then is the American, this new man? He is neither an European, or the descendant of an European, hence that strange mixture of blood which you will find in no other country. I could point out to you a family whose grandfather was an Englishman, whose wife was Dutch, whose son

The English Colonies was a hard place to live in with the Sugar Act, the Stamp act, and the monarchy trying to rule our every move . England was trying to pay for all their previous debts in other wars and took it out on the colonist. The English Colonies decided to revolt against England and won their independence, this war was known as the American Revolution. The United States was starting to look like a place where people would want to live, because there was no monarchy and a government that all white men can vote on. After the United States established independence the government ruled under the Articles of Confederation, and this was better than being ruled by England but was not what everyone thought it would be. Then after work and thought by the country leaders we now live under the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. There have been had rough times for the people of the United States and still is more to come.

England had first started having settlements in North America during The Age of Exploration, over time thirteen colonies were formed. In 1765 Britain began taxing their American colonies to help make up for the money lost by protecting them in the French and Indian war (bbc.com). This was the beginning of the colonies intolerance for their motherland. They continued to become more frustrated with Britain as they realized that as colonies of Britain they did not have all the same rights as British citizens. In 1775 the civil war between Britain and it’s thirteen colonies had just begun and lasted until 1783(bbc.com).

Through and through, the British had pulled America’s last straw. America was frustrated by being overtaxed. Many laws led to more resentment from the colonists. America was inspired by actions that defied the British rule. Patrick Henry’s speech and the Boston Tea Party emboldened the colonists. Tons of controversial laws led to war and changed the

In this essay I explain the evolution of American attitudes and ideologies—apropos of Britain—from 1764 to 1776. I do so by, first, beginning with providing the context and explaining the state of the relationship between America and Britain throughout the course of the years 1764 to 1774, which in turn, consequently lead up to and instigated the creation of Thomas Jefferson’s 1774 piece entitled A Summary View of the Rights of British America. Next, second, I situate and analyze this very piece, that being: Thomas Jefferson’s A Summary View of the Rights of British America, which is was a tract written before the Declaration of Independence, in which Thomas Jefferson (under his own personal authority/discretion) lays out—for the delegates of the First Continental Congress—a set of grievances directly against the King of England and his corresponding Parliament, and moreover, ultimately radically forewarns and threatens specifically the King of England to fundamentally change, alter, and lessen Britain’s stronghold on America or else something will be done on behalf of America. Finally, third, I reach to and evaluate another subsequent document, that being: the Committee of Five/Continental Congress’ 1776 Declaration of Independence, which is a statement written by the so-called “Committee of Five” (Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston) and the Continental Congress, which was to be adopted by the newly formed United States of

By 1760's the Americans increasingly felt a sense of unity and their own identity. The people knew that if they do not unite it would be much easier for the British to destroy them. However the each of the colonies still tended to

The history leading up to the American Revolution is very interesting. The aftermath of the French and Indian war played a big role in what began the colonists dissent against Great Britain. At the start of the war the colonist were glad that the redcoats were there to protect them but after the fall of Washington at Fort Necessity they started to feel disappointed towards them. After the war, Great Britain, although they won, was left with huge amounts of debt. Because of the cost to train troops and the debt the British wanted the colonist to pay their fair share. The colonists were not happy with this, although the Great Britain paid most of the debt itself. Another factor was the Quartering Act(1765). It said that the colonists were responsible for finding or

Around the world for centuries and till this day when an individual thinks of prestige and excellence the British Empire comes to mind. Although, in present day Britain is no longer and empire its influence continues to be found around the world. Britain created many of the ideas which are central to humanity today, such as the Magna Carta, which was signed in 1215 and considered the birthplace of modern democracy. Therefore, it is understandable that Britain is a traditional oriented culture, prideful of the prestiges foundations it has been built upon.

Anglicization of the Britain’s American colonies was a big event for the course of not only American or British history, but world history. The colonists adopting many British ways and becoming very patriotic towards the “mother country” had a large effect on the events that unfolded in the late 18th century. While it is true that the American colonists were incredibly British during the beginning to the mid-18th century, the colonies had been around long enough to develop their own culture and way of doing things. The series of events and acts that were imposed on the colonists post French and Indian War got the ball rolling on what came to be known as the American Revolution. The colonists were so fed up with the way in which the British were tightening their hold on the colonies to the point where they were driven to rebellion. The combination of British and underlying American ideals in the pre-revolution era were a necessarily pre-requisite and important component of what would become the American Revolution.

The Americans had lived independently and autonomously from Great Britain since the Puritans arrived in Massachusetts in 1620. They had developed their own patriotism and did not consider themselves to be British subjects. Thus, they no longer wanted or needed Britain, for the British were like foreigners in America.