The American Revolution was an event that could only have happened under certain crucial circumstances. Britain's taxation of the colonies as a way of paying their war debts reinforced an emerging sense of American identity and helped to precipitate the American Revolution. Resistance to the crown became more and more common as the years went by, and these minor inconveniences eventually led to the birth of a new nation. By the eve of the Revolution, the colonists had established a deep sense of identity, and although numerous Americans were united against Britain, many remained loyal to the crown.
             The unique identity of the American colonies became more obvious to everyone as the events leading up to the Revolution took place. Edmund Burke, an English statesman, refers to the American colonies as a "great and growing people spread over a vast quarter of the globe." This shows the American identity being drafted; being molded not only from the colonists, but from the observations of foreign people. The colonies' distance from Britain also affected their identity. The colonies were far enough away that England had little or no influence of American society. This allowed them to grow as a separate nation secluded from Britain's societies and cultures. Another example of the emerging American identity comes from a French settler named Hector St. John Crèvecoeur who states that an American is "either an European, or the descendant of an European, hence that strange mixture of blood which you will find in no other country." This is showing how America contains a unique people with unique customs and beliefs. Crèvecoeur goes on to say that an American "becomes an American by being received in the broad lap of our great Alma Mater." This again reinforces the unique identity of Americans, and mentions an Alma Mater, implying a unique culture in the colonies.
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