The American Revolution was a time of uncertainty for the population. Many of the Patriot supporters were afraid of what would happen if America was to lose the war. Many of the loyalist of Great Britain were attached both physically and mentally by the Patriots. It was another type of war going on in America, that had both sides trying to figure out the best way to support their cause. I believe that you had both pragmatic and anti-liberty type sentiments from people who opposed the war with England. In this essay we will look at some of these issues, you saw well thought out responses to questions or concerns about the conflict, some people were afraid of retribution from England if they lost, and some were scared that America could not …show more content…
(Kim, 1993) There was a return of "normalcy". Further brought on by the fact that, by the late 1770s and early 1780s people were appreciating economic and social freedoms. Eastern shore gentry reverted back to consensual values of the past, by finding the basis of their authority, and putting the knowledge into practice.
The treatment of British loyalist (Tories) was abysmal and a major trend for this period. People were being attacked by mobs, anyone who had a different view other than that of the Patriots were not safe (Oliver, 1775). One such person who was treated in this manner was Peter Oliver himself. He was a Justice of the Peace at Middleborough, and was forced to sign an "Obligation not to execute his office under the new Acts" (Oliver, 1775). Straight resentment and name calling of the Patriots became a major trend in the period of the American revolution. Loyalist in the 1770s had had enough of their Patriot neighbors and that they were not at all happy with what was going on. They were turning America into a "burning Hell" (Cooper, 1775) by objecting to the enlightened rule of Great Britain. People thought that the Patriots were led by proud ignorant fanatics. With all this going on it was making people that opposed the movement against England to flee to get refuge on a British ship soon to leave for England (Cooper, 1775).
The significance of these trends are huge.
This is about the American revolution and the taxes the King of England put on the American colonists and how the American colonists thought that King George was a tyrant. The reason that writing this is to show how the American colonists reacted to the Acts that the King put on them. One of the laws was the sugar act of 1764 and the imports from Britain. There was also the stamp act of 1765 that made the colonists real mad . The result of the Tea act was the Boston tea party lead by the Sons of Liberty. The quartering act was the direct cause of the Boston massacre where eleven people were shot and five of them died.
Did the majority support the Patriots. What might have prompted Americans to become Loyalists? What was the atmosphere like in colonial communities as the war began? The
4. What was the Revolutionary movement, at its core, really all about? Was it about the amount of taxation, the right of Parliament to tax, the political corruption of Britain and the virtue of America, the right of a king to govern America, or the colonies’ growing sense of national identity apart from Britain? Was the Revolution truly a radical overturning of government and society—the usual definition of a revolution—or something far more limited or even conservative in its defense of traditional rights?
During the revolutionary, many important things happened. The king of Great Britain was in charge of America at first. The king would place laws that were not fair at all to the colonists. Therefore, this made the colonists dislike the king. The king would make laws, that violate the colonist’s freedom, and put out new acts that would be worse than the previous one the colonists had petitioned against.
Patrick Henry once stated “Give me liberty or give me death.” In the 18th century, it was the age of reason, which focused on science and reason rather than religion, however still believed in a god. Progress was an important concept at the time. The American Revolution was just beginning when Patrick Henry gave his remarkable speech. Britain was over commanding, selfish, and ignorant; it was time to change that and fight for liberation and justice! Britain was causing loss of jobs for the colonies because of the harsh taxes put on trade. This caused hundreds of thousands of already poor colonists to now go into poverty. Patrick Henry’s pathos in his speech to the Virginia Convention was persuasive because it made the colonists feel further
American colonists should support the Declaration of Independence and the Patriots in the Revolutionary War. Great Britain was taxing the American colonists because of Britain’s great debt from the French and Indian War. Britain made the quartering act, the stamp act, townshend act, and the tea act. This is taxation without representation and it was unjust. The Patriots were angry and rightfully so. The King was making the colonists pay taxes on imported goods to decrease his country’s debt, the Patriots were outraged and wanted freedom.
Both Loyalists and Patriots faced several tribulations in events leading up to the American Revolution as the feelings of rebellion slowly progressed and created a great sense of tension. The Loyalists that inhabited the colonies, however, endured severe harassment in the times leading up to the war. They suffered through actions of disrespect and humiliation. They were, in other words, tortured for their position on the side of the English Law. This treatment forced many Loyalists to flee and return to England or to spread out and live elsewhere. Personal attacks and the stealing and destruction of their property were common nuisances that the Loyalists endured in times of trouble. Another example of the extremely cruel punishment towards
For a better part of the eighteenth century, the American colonists expressed vexation and disapproval of the "coercive " acts, which the British Government perpetrated on the colony through series of legislative acts by the British Parliament. Prior to the acts that the colonists in America termed as atrocious and oppressive, they were willing to cooperate and reaffirm loyalty to the King of England. Some of the legislations and declarations that colonists participated in was the sustenance of British soldiers in the colony, payment of import tariffs and other forms of taxes to support the British central government. These are but a few, the reasons as to why colonists objected to the mode of British rule in America. Another concern was the "Rights violations" by the English government regarding economic progress and representation. Because of these grievances, British colonists in America stepped up agitation through violation of the "tyrannical" Acts and petitions through the Continental Congress. The essay explores the grievances that Colonists in America held against the British government, in riposte to "My Dear America Cousin" letter.
Henceforth, the overall rundown of the book is based off the British view of the the American Revolution and how they viewed the colonist from a retrospect in the events happening. To begin with, King George the III had been placing taxes on the colonist, which made them furious over their relationship with him. The loyalist saw these “acts” as a part of
The American Revolution, one of the most significant events in our world’s history, has established a huge impact on not only life back in the eighteenth and nineteenth century but our society today. The Acts of Parliament highly benefited the British but did not afford those same rights to the colonists until the formal issuing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776, in which colonial freedom was granted. The most controversial issue is which group caused it; a result of propaganda by the colonists. Multiple acts and protests contributed to this war, three influential ones being the Stamp Act, Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party.
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
“Ostensibly, the battle was between freedom and tyranny (if you were a patriot), or about the responsibilities of being an Englishman (if you were a Loyalist).” (Shultz 2010) Leading up to the revolution, some of the colonists were beginning to feel independent from England. At the time, tensions were high because there were people who wanted to be nondependent on England; at the same time, there were people who felt loyal to their homeland. The revolution was sparked by three things: local conflict, Britain’s uncompromising attitude, and a shift of opinion. (Shultz 2010)
The American Revolution dwelled on the separation of England and it’s colonies, and surrounding this ideal was the collective society of elites. The aristocratic and middle-class leaders, being the most privileged, were self-governed and practiced what they had preached. When the British came and the American Revolution began, many elites were rebelled against because of the heavy taxation they put upon minorities and lower class. The elites believed that more property meant more power or control among the lower working class which lead to this heavy taxation on the inferior persons. Ruling elites who seemed to have learned through generations that war makes them more secure against internal trouble. Therefore, the force of military preparation began and had a way of urging neutral people into line. Those who were exempt from fighting in the war consisted of Yale students and faculty, certain government officials, ministers, Negroes, Indians, and mulattos. The need for war by elites caused many poor working class to forfeit their own views on political views in order to obey
It is easy to interpret the American Revolution simply as a struggle for freedom. The magnanimous phrases of the Declaration of Independence have embedded in our hearts and minds glorious images of the Founding Fathers fighting for the natural rights of man. The American Revolution, however, also had a darker side to it, the side of self-interest and profit. The signers of the Declaration represented various classes – the working class, the wealthy land owners and merchants, the intellectuals, and the social elite. Each of these strata had its own set of expectations and fears, which lent a new dimension to the cause of the Revolution. The pressure of these internal, and often overlapping groups, combined with the oppressive external
Another theme of the text is "fear". Fear of loss of liberty in their homeland drove many colonists to begin thinking in Revolutionary terms, as previously mentioned. There was also fear on the English-side of an American rebellion. Fear is what drove England to force a standing British Army on the Americans. These fears would not subside and would eventually lead to war as neither side would back down.