British American Identity

The early 15th century marks a period in global history known as the Age Of Exploration, during which there was a scramble amongst European nations to explore, settle, and control the corners of the world. It was during this period that the British began to colonize the Americas, and, by the early 1700s, just a couple hundred years later, there were an estimated 250,900 people living in the American colonies. As the colonies grew more autonomous and a number of political issues developed in Britain, the British government began neglect their control of the day-to-day function of the colonies, the result of which was that between the years of about 1690 to 1763, the British employed a policy towards the American colonies known as salutary

Before 1750, the undocumented British policy of salutary neglect greatly impacted the methods through which American colonists regulated their daily lives. Through mercantilist thought processes, Britain created the colonies merely for gain of the mother terrain itself. Therefore, it did not give them any specific attention and allowed them to simply rule itself by personal means—and this idea makes up salutary neglect. The colonies used their own assemblies, such as the House of Burgesses, to govern themselves.

Within the time frame from 1750 to 1781, historical evidence, as well as many documents, suggests that although the colonists at this time had developed a strong sense of unity, they had a weaker sense of identity. Leading up to the eve of revolution, the colonists had began developing bonds among them through unified acts against English taxes, the stamp act congress, and Townshend acts; also, organizations such as the sons and daughters of liberty had emerged. The colonists began to realize that if they all worked together, they could ultimately be a free nation, and they wouldn't have to be controlled by they English government in which they were not represented. Unity however, is not the same as identity. A sense of identity was harder

The 18th century can be marked as a period of internal and external struggle for the American colonists. From improper representation, to unfair taxes, such as the Stamp Act, to being overall abused by Britain, the colonists were justifiably angry. From this anger, the slogan “No taxation without representation” was born and quickly began to emerge from the lips of almost every colonist all across America. The demand from colonists everywhere for no taxation without representation weighed heavily as a symbol for democracy, as it revealed the mindset of many – Britain was using the hardworking colonists and took their money without even giving them a say – and laid the foundation for the American revolutionary war, allowing more arguments and

Most of the first settlers in America came from England and considered themselves to be Englishmen. At first they relied on their mother country for money, supplies and protection. As the colony became larger and more populous, people gradually started feeling as if they were a separate nation. By the eve of the Revolution the patriotism has built up to such an extent, that the colonists believed America was self-sufficient enough to exist as independent unit from England.

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.

While all of the above social, cultural and economic circumstances were playing out and laying the groundwork for the American Revolution, several important political developments came to fruition in the concluding half of the 18th century that sealed the certainty of the American Revolution and made it inevitable. These developments, namely, the relative strengths of the local and colonial governments at the time, the betrayal of the colonies by the British Crown after King George’s War, and the end of Salutary Neglect, proved to present insurmountable odds to the colonists.

There were a myriad of differences between Great Britain and her American colonies in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, but these differences can be divided into three basic categories: economic, social, and political. The original American settlers came to the colonies for varied reasons, but a common trait among these settlers was that they still considered themselves British subjects. However, as time passed, the colonists grew disenfranchised from England. Separated from the king by three thousand miles and living in a primitive environment where obtaining simple necessities was a struggle, pragmatism became the common thread throughout all daily life in the colonies. It was this pragmatism that led the colonists to create

American colonists mainly descended from England and were loyal to the British Crown, however, politically the decisions made in the Continental Congress and the stopping of salutary neglect angered the colonists, socially, as a result of unfair taxes, colonists from all the colonies began to rebel and thus have their interests aligned which developed a sense of social unity, and economically after many unjust acts were carried out by the British Empire, the colonies began to help one another, therefore between 1750 to 1776 colonists began to cease their loyalty towards England and develop an independent American identity.

The American Revolution was an unequivocal example of the ability of a nation’s people to rise and defeat an inadequate government. When a government fails to protect its inhabitants, citizens will grow uneasy and fight for their rightful cause. The British government’s rule over its colonies was erroneous and harmful to the colonists’ best interests. Best described by John Hancock, the British government’s rule caused many colonists to become despondent with their ruler. “As though they thought it not enough to violate our civil rights, they endeavored to deprive us of the enjoyment of our religious privileges; to vitiate our morals, and thereby render us deserving of destruction.” Evidently, the American Revolution was sparked by a

By the 1750s, the American colonies had come a long way from their original struggles and failures. They had grown in both population and economic stability. Even so, relations between the colonies and Great Britain were strained. The colonists became more and more discontented with England’s control of their political and economic affairs. The colonies were dissatisfied with the rules of British Mercantilism, or the idea that the colonies were a mere source of raw materials and market for the British mainland. This animosity for the motherland had then been seeded by the lack of economic freedom and the harsh taxes that had been set on everyday luxuries and necessities;

The colonists desire for equal rights and independence were always within them, but dormant; however, the acts and taxes passed between 1763 and 1783 sparked the growth of their rebellious attitude towards Britain. From when the first settlers from Britain travelled to America, they sought independence to practice their religion. As time progressed, Britain became more scrutinous towards the colonies, leading to the eventual breakout of war and conflict as well as the Enlightenment-influenced ideas within them.

The American colonists left England, but felt that they were still under England’s jurisdiction. The Continental Congress passed acts that questioned English authority. Cultures began to mingle and taxation policies increased under the British government after the French and Indian War. This caused the colonist to stop being loyal to England between 1750 to 1776 in order to gain independence and their own identity. Many of the colonists wanted to gain independence from Britain, but there were also some loyalist in the colonies.

The relations between England and the British North American colonies could always be considered precarious. Prior to 1750 British essentially followed a policy of benign neglect and political autonomy in the American colonies. (Davidson p.97) The colonies were for the most part content with benign neglect policy, relishing in a “greater equality and representative government”(Davidson p.95) within the colonies. Competition among European Imperial nations began to effect British policy toward North America colonies causing rapid shifts from 1750 to 1776. During this period, the British Empire made a series of policy decision that sealed the fate of the British North American

Is the American Identity still alive? Has it died? The issue concerning the American identity is has it died. Many claim that new cultures, new races, and new traditions have degraded the American identity. Although some people that the American identity has been lost because of new cultures and traditions, the American identity is still alive because those factors have not changed any original American traditions or the way they are celebrated.