... The American and French Revolutions: Compared and Contrasted The history of the human race always has been, and most likely will always be, that of evolution and revolution. – Lewis F. Korns, Thoughts A revolution occurs when one government is overthrown and replaced with another (Yahoo). The American and French revolutions can be both compared and contrasted in their origins and outcomes. Both revolutions began due to the common peoples’ need to obtain independence and liberty from an oppressive government (2). The American Revolution was triggered by the American colonists’ need for financial independence from the overpowering nation of Great Britain, while the French revolution was a struggle to gain social equality among the masses. Although the American and French Revolutions were fought over some of the same ideas, the American Revolution is considered more "conservative" than the French is (2). The intent of the American revolutionaries was not to initiate a revolution, but rather to gain their freedom from a "long train of abuses" (Jensen). In contrast, the French were trying to cause a true revolution because they were not just fighting for freedom but rather to over throw and remove the monarchy (3). The American revolutionaries had no choice but to defend their liberties and the tactics used by the Americans were not as directly aggressive as those used by the French. The American and French Revolution...
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...Christina Penh Mr. Jobs AP American History 2012 Summer Assignment The American Revolution: A History by Gordon S. Wood Many people mistake the American Revolution for the American War of Independence, but Gordon S. Wood saw it as something more: it was a complete change in the political structure of America. The American Revolution: A History provides a great swift account of the conflicts and motivations of the period from 1760 to 1790. According to Wood his main points, are: “How the Revolution came about, what its character was, and what its consequences were” as “the questions this brief history seeks to answer”(Wood, xxv). He tries to focus more on the important details instead of trying to argue whether or not the consequences of the Revolution were good or bad. The story is told clearly and is a great overview of the historical, political, and intellectual ideas and events that make up this fascinating time in our country’s history. It is detailed and goes in-depth, exploring all aspects of the Revolution. It includes maps, a time-line and quotes from colonists and people who were there. In order to explain his reasoning, he demonstrates how the United States was impacted by the radical revolution, transitioning from English colonies to an independent republic. This is why his book is organized into seven chapters: Origins, American Resistance, Revolution, Constitution-Making and War, Republicanism, Republican Society, and the Federal Constitution. Only fourteen...
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...THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION Name Course Date The American Revolution When armed conflict between the British soldiers and the thirteen American colonies started in April 1775, the English men were fighting only for their rights while remaining subjects of the British crown. It was after the war had developed in full swing that the American colonists started demanding for independence from the British government, forcing the delegates from the Continental Congress to cast a vote on the matter. In June 1776, a committee of five men including John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were given the task of drafting an official statement of the intentions of the colonies. It was after this that the Congress adopted the independence declaration that was written by Jefferson on 4 July. Currently, the date is celebrated as the day when America attained her independence. The American Revolution occurred due to a series of intellectual, political and social transformations that occurred in the way of thinking of the American society and government. For instance, in 1764, the Government of Britain imposed a series of taxes that were designed to raise the amount of tax that was imposed on the colonies. The American Revenue Act became the Sugar act, whose major component involved increasing the amount of tax that was imposed on sugar. These events impacted both on the social and political life of the thirteen colonies. The success of the American Revolution gave the people...
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...American Revolution Section one American Revolution dates back to the early colonial years. During the stat of the year 1650, Great Britain began to control, limit and restrict their American colonists by forcing them to follow and adhere to some of harsh rule such as the Navigation Act. This restriction took effect alongside many more restrictions. Thus between the year 1650 and 1776, a number of the colonists found it difficult to enjoy freedom and finally they opted to unite and rebel against their home country. Among the causes of revolution were high taxation, legacy in political issues and general restriction of civil liberals. All these added up to the strong forces that propelled the colonists to revolve. This section is going to answer the big question whether or not the American Revolution was successful and the major reasons behind the success. To start with, the American Revolution was indeed successful. Several aspects highly contributed to this success. Americans were under what we can describe as the strongest and one of the most stable leadership ever in the region. For instance, they were led by people like General Washington George who were extremely skilled and mastered the entire terrain of the country. The Britain forces came from across the Atlantic Ocean and they had no prior knowledge and experience of the American revolutionaries combat. In addition, the British had a general problem of transporting and supplying their equipment across the large Atlantic...
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...Joey Abualrob American Revolution Persuasive Essay The American Revolutionary War forever changed the idea of a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” and took the first steps in bringing an end to the world’s last great true empire. The reasons the Americans decided to break free from Great Britain are numerous, but the British Empire’s sense of superiority was the most important reason. Also important was the failure of the British Parliament to address the needs and growing discontent of Americans weary of “taxation without representation.” Colonists also began to oppose rule from Britain because of ideas developing in new intellectual schools of thought like the Enlightenment. King George III’s arrogance was well founded in the 1760s, but it led to poor decision making. Early in his reign, the British had resoundingly defeated France in the Seven Years’ War to become the dominant power both in North America and on the Asian subcontinent. This dominance clearly created a false sense of security and as the British Empire continued to grow, its central authority, or ability to control its ever-expanding colonies, weakened significantly. Great Britain’s failure to recognize its weaknesses and its foolish decision to respond to every colonial expression of discontent with a tightening of the noose effectively sealed it into an everescalatingspiral of conflict. The conflict could have been avoided and King George III could have...
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...The American Revolution was a political upheaval that formed our independent nation. Revolution is an event in which many countries sometimes experience. Many things can cause a revolution to occur whether its social political or economic, which influence the development of revolutionary forces. Historically, revolutions have caused both positive and negative forces on countries, such as The American Revolution which had a very big impact on the U.S. Not only did the American revolution make our nation independent ,it also gave birth to our new government, democracy, affected women socially, and also an economic increase which gave our country prosperity. An example of a revolution can be seen on the movie V for Vendetta. It takes place in future England, where a man, who calls himself V, is a Guy Fawkes mask. He tries to overthrow the oppressive fascist government. A major revolution was the American Revolution which was when British government raised a revenue by taxing the colonies " notably the Stamp Act of 1765, the Townshend Tariffs of 1767 and the Tea Act of 1773 met with heated protest among many colonists.” Although the American revolution could have been looked at as successful politically, socially, and economically some aspects of the revolution were negative, such as dance collapse and entered a violent era known as the French Revolution because of servers dept. Another negative aspect about the American revolution was the fact that 9 out of every 10 Americans were...
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...The American Revolution is best described, with a parallel to the Gettysburg Address given many years later, as a revolution of the people, by the people. This social revolution took place in response to the neglect shown toward the American colonies by the British government. Many final decisions were made and imposed upon the colonists without taking their opinions into account. The slogan of the time, “no taxation without representation”, was indicative of the colonist’s feelings toward these decisions. Although there were many peaceful pleas and bargains offered by the colonists, the British government failed to meet the needs of their citizens in the New World. These colonists responded aggressively to the British policies in an act to fulfill the very dream that led them to the Americas: escaping lives of deprivation and inequality. Because of the ample peace offerings and pleas of the American colonies, the American Revolution was absolutely avoidable. If Parliament had decided to take the colonists’ opinions into consideration by providing them with equal representation, the American Revolution could have never been a part of history. However, because of Britain’s failure to respond in a cooperative fashion, the only remaining question was how much longer would the colonists put up with subordination before revolting. Some of the policies that the colonists voted against were the Navigation and Intolerable Acts – policies that restricted the transportation of the colonists...
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...The American Revolution was a major turning point in American history that represented an evolutionary change in ideals and principles. Several political, economic, and ideological aspects had contributed to this revolution including, England’s Salutary Neglect, mercantilism, and the influences of the Enlightenment. The political aspect of the American Revolution starts with Salutary Neglect. For over 150 years (from 1609 up until 1763), the British had an unofficial, undocumented policy that would keep the colonists loyal to the mother country by allowing them to govern themselves as they please. It was mainly used not to enforce any trading laws on the colonists. The British allowed the colonists to form colonial assemblies; these were meetings between the colonists to discuss any issues that were concerning them as well as any ideas that they had in mind. The assembly had an appointed governor and helped political growth throughout the colonies. This unofficial policy came to an end in 1763 when the British nearly lost the French and Indian War. They immediately imposed new tax policies on the colonists to make up for the damage caused during the nine years of war. An economic factor that had a role in the revolution/evolution was Mercantilism. 120 years prior to the American Revolution, the British imposed a policy that was known as “Mercantilism”. It was an economic theory that in order for a certain to have economic growth, that nation must export more...
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...The American Revolution (1775-1783) Have you ever sat and actually wondered how the United States came about? The American Revolution which is also known as the American War of Independence played an important role in the formation, of what we see today as the United States. The American Revolution was a conflict between the thirteen British colonies in North America and their mother country Great Britain. The American Revolution began on April 19, 1775 and ended on September 3, 1783. There are several causes to how the American Revolution came about. Among these causes are The Stamp Act, The Townshend Acts, The Tea Act and the Boston Tea Party. The Stamp Act, which was passed in 1765, was Parliament’s first serious attempt to assert governmental authority over the thirteen colonies. It was an act for granting and applying certain stamp duties, in the British occupied colonies. The main purpose of these taxes was to help Britain pay for the troops stationed in North America. Not only the British colonies in America, but even the British merchants and manufacturers opposed the act, and the exports to the colonies were threatened by colonial economic problems caused by the taxes The Townshend Acts were a series of acts passed in January 1767, by the Britain Parliament. These acts primarily included the Revenue Act of 1767, the Commissioners of Customs Act, the Vice Admiralty Court Act, the Indemnity Act and the New York Restraining Act. The sole purpose of...
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...AWhat were the causes of the American Revolution? Please provide a chronological overview of the key events that led to increasing colonial discontent up until the outbreak of the American Revolution. 1763-1775 • Consequences of the French- Indian War- British broke > impose taxes on colonists > the salty war veteran colonists unhappy • Grenville taxes- Stamp Act, Sugar Act, Quartering Act • Proclamation of 1763- called for no expansion after colonists had just fought for land for 9 years • Colonists respond > Stamp Act Congress, Sons of Liberty, etc > British back off • (British and colonist tension due to presence of British troops in the colonies who took low wage jobs, get drunk, “date your sister” > Boston Massacre - colonists use propaganda which stirs up more colonial discontent • Tea Act 1773- high quality tea at a low price which affects and angers the merchant class (whom have power), • Boston Tea Party- merchants dress up as Indians during the night, sneak on British ships and dump the tea into the Boston harbor > British not willing to back-down this time because they saw it as a challenge of their authority • British respond with Coercive Acts- colonists called “Intolerable Acts” > brings up debate to colonists of “self governing” • Colonists respond by calling First Continental Congress > friendships and alliances made > embrace Virginia Resolves • British lead colonists are forming militia and storing gunpowder send troops to intervene > Lexington and Concord •...
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...Sohee Kang England's Vietnam essay The devastation of the French and Indian war left the British in heavy debt, which then led to the various acts and taxes imposed on the colonies. Starting in 1764 with the sugar act and ending with the conclusion of the revolution in 1783, many factors contributed to the defeat of the British. Mostly due to vast distance of the mother country from the colonies, it was difficult for England to supply themselves with soldiers, food, and weapons. Other factors that contributed to their defeat were the alliance between the Americans and England’s bitter rivals such as the Spanish and French, who sent soldiers and supplies to the colonies, as well as England’s own strategical follies. In the aftermath of the French and Indian war, England’s parliament taxed the colonies heavily to recover from the debt by passing various Acts that taxed materials such as sugar, paper, and tea. This caused the unrest and dissent among the Americans which was then followed by resistance and oppression. After several years of uneasiness, a violent battle occurred in Lexington and Concord on April 19 1775, which marked the beginning of the American Revolution. George III then proceeded to begin and quickly end a war against the colonies to set an example of them. This method, however, required vast numbers of soldiers and other supplies, which was scarce and hard to obtain due to the distance separating the opposing sides. Even if the British did obtain...
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...The American Revolution: The American rebellion known as the American Revolution has many different factors. A lot of political influences existed, it was primarily an economic rebellion, because of conflict over taxation and representation in Parliament. The colonists had strong beliefs that the English government was unfair and often tyrannical. The conflicts over trade, taxes, and government representation brought about the revolution that began shaping the United States as it is today. There were many economic influences on the American Revolution, these were not the primary causes. The colonists believed that the king, King George III controlled the colonies more than he should.. The Declaration of Independence shows this, declaring the United States free from "absolute Tyranny over the States." To add to this conflict, British forces were attempting to intimidate the colonists into submission. The colonist's attitude towards this policy was that it only gave them more cause and justification for violence.. In 1775, the colonists took up arms against the British troops in the colonies. They met at the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Although these political conflicts were occurring simultaneously, the economic influences were greater.. The colonists couldn't even afford to pay many of the taxes imposed on them. The Stamp Act, for example, taxed practically everything imaginable. The British finally repealed the Stamp Act in 1766, but they immediately replaced...
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...The American Revolution was a momentous event that changed the face of the whole world. Though the Revolutionary War lasted only a few short years, the American Revolution was a process that started long before the first shots of war were fired. The rebellion was permeated with the legacy of colonial political ideals, aggravated by parliamentary taxation, escalated by the restriction of American civil liberties and ignited by British military measures. England had a hard time controlling its American colonies from the very beginning, leaving them to develop relatively on their own for several generations. The North American continent is close to 3,000 miles away from England and the trip from England to American by boat in the 1600s took six to eight weeks if not longer. The trip was not easy and many died along the way, but when immigrants did reach the New World they arrived a bit changed by their harrowing journey. These new immigrants were met with a clean, new, virgin land, virtually unchanged for thousands of years. It was as if they had landed on a whole separate planet. These immigrants, then, established new societies based on whatever personal religious or political values they had, far from the shadow of England. Over 150 years later these values still lived strongly in the descendants of these original settlers. The rights of the individual were dominant in every aspect of American life in 1763. From the relative religious freedom, to the independence of the press...
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...The American Revolution The American revolutionary era began in 1763, after a series of victories by British forces at the conclusion of the French and Indian War ended the French military threat to British North American colonies. Adopting the policy that the colonies should pay an increased proportion of the costs associated with keeping them in the Empire, Britain imposed a series of direct taxes followed by other laws intended to demonstrate British authority, all of which proved extremely unpopular in America. Because the colonies lacked elected representation in the governing British Parliament, many colonists considered the laws to be illegitimate and a violation of their rights as Englishmen. In 1772, groups of colonists began to create Committees of Correspondence, which would lead to their own Provincial Congresses in most of the colonies. In the course of two years, the Provincial Congresses or their equivalents rejected the Parliament and effectively replaced the British ruling apparatus in the former colonies, culminating in 1774 with the coordinating First Continental Congress. In response to protests in Boston over Parliament's attempts to assert authority, the British sent combat troops, dissolved local governments, and imposed direct rule by Royal officials. Consequently, the Colonies mobilized their militias, and fighting broke out in 1775. First ostensibly loyal to King George III, the repeated pleas by the First Continental Congress for royal intervention...
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...Reasons for the American Revolution The King of England and Parliament were the direct causes of the American Revolution, because of their demands on colonists and harsh reactions after the colonists failure to meet their ridiculous expectations. These demands were far greater than any loyal American was able to provide. The taxes placed on Americans were so heinous that the sugar in their mugs was taxable. Survival while paying these taxes was slim to none. How could Britain force such severe taxes on the greatest asset of the crown. The Stamp Act forced the colonies to purchase a stamp with prices of upwards of four pounds on all legal papers, advertisements, newspapers, calendars, and playing cards. The colonists politely petitioned Parliament and the King but only to find they were speaking to a deaf ear. The Quartering Act was the worst demand placed on colonists. This forced colonists to provide food and shelter to men who took American jobs and raped American women. Why should Americans waste their hard earned money on men sent to enforce the unbearable English demands. The Currency Act hurt colonists by making paper money, which Americans had an abundance of, useless and converting them to gold and silver which was very scarce there. The American sailors were also subject to hardships brought forth by the British. They were forced by impressment to join the Royal Navy to fight against their own brothers. By placing...
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