Did Americans find their identity at the Eve of the Rev?
"What then is the American, this new man?" (Document H) is the question lingering at the eve of the Revolution. After the separation of the colonies and Great Britain, what now are these free men? Are they still British? Though they have always thought of themselves as British, years of salutary neglect had given them the opportunity to develop their own culture. For about 150 years, Great Britain and the American Colonies sat with salutary neglect. Then Great Britain began taxing the colonies inorder to pay their debts after the French and Indian War. American Opinions were forming. John Lock believed that the government was there for the people. Also, people have certain rights. He believed
With the colonies new found unity, they began to understand their identity. As presented by the Continental Congress in 1775, "in defiance of every hazard, with unabating firmness and perseverance, employ for the preservation of our liberties," (Document E) expresses their belief of every man equal and the need for their natural rights to be in place once again. Now Americans are becoming more defined by the opinions they have. This was the first direct tax that taxed things like newspapers, pamphlets, legal documents, commercial bills, and advertisements. At the eve of the Revolution, the colonies were proud to be American. Contracts for boycotts were drawn up, bringing a closer unity to the colonies. In effect, Congress wrote the rights that they believe the colonists should have. Despite the number of Loyalist, a stronger number of Americans emerged. For example, Mather Byles, expressed that there is always conflict between government and the governed (Document D). With every conflict, they gained a more defined identity with their opinions. Although the colonies were full of radical thinkers, there were still many Loyalists who did not want to live without the rule of their mother country. "We mean not to dissolve that union which has so long and so happily subsisted between us" are the words of the Continental Congress (Document E). The colonies united time and time again to oppose acts such as the Stamp Act. no man had the right to harm another's "life, health, liberty, or possessions.
Common topics in this essay:
John Lock,
Stamp Act,
Continental Congress,
Despite Loyalist,
American Document,
Branch Petition,
American Colonies,
United America,
Mather Byles,
American Opinions,
salutary neglect,
identity unity,
eve revolution,
continental congress,
separation colonies,
colonies united,
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Acceptance Essays
