This essay will discuss five significant developments in American History from discovery until 1877. They are as follows: The American Revolution (1775-1783), the signing of the Declaration of Independence (1776), the Ratification of the Constitution (1787), the Louisiana Purchase (1803), and the Civil War (1861-1865). Though American history has experienced many developments over the years, it is the firm belief of the author that these five developments were instrumental in propelling thirteen loosely associated colonies into the path of what would develop into the United States of America. This essay will show why the Revolutionary War was the first step toward democracy, how the Declaration of Independence signaled the birth of a …show more content…
The signing of the Declaration of Independence was a cornerstone in American history because it sent a message. It was a brilliantly written document penned by Thomas Jefferson intentionally to deliver a message, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” A line in the sand had been drawn. The Declaration gave us the foundation for a government, created by men, stating that the powers of government came from the consent of the governed rather than by a monarch with power given by divine right through inheritance. The Declaration of Independence stated clearly each injustice carried out against the colonies by King George sending the message we would rise to independence! If this document had not been written and endorsed by the founding fathers of our nation, it is likely that the British might have continued in their arrogance and not taken our stand for liberty seriously. Perhaps they might have even won the war since they had superior numbers, a seasoned army and a professional navy. Previously, if a capital city was captured the war would come to an abrupt halt. But still, the colonists continued to fight until British morale was so demoralized that
The Declaration of Independence was formed resulting from the treatment of 13 colonies from the British government without representation after subsequent denials to be represented and treated equal. This historic document was revolutionary because it’s what began the transition of our government into a democracy unlike that of parliament in the 1700’s. The British government and their ruling made decisions that didn’t involve what was right for the people; only what was in the best economic interest of parliament. This caused significant hardships on the American colonies which eventually led to them coming together as a people and forming this declaration.
The author wrote this book to summarize the Revolution Era with a brief description of the pre-revolution; with some analytical arguments and opinions incorporated within the book. Morgan takes into prospective the actual motives behind the founding fathers' decision during the Revolution, which he claims to have been driven by their personal benefits. This shows as slavery was not eliminated even though a fundamental basis of the revolution was human equality. Morgan aimed to make an easily accessible outline of the Revolution Era, backed with several documents which critical to the outline; such as, The Constitution of the United States and the Articles of Confederation. He also devoted several pages outlining important dates mentioned throughout the book.
One reason that The Declaration of Independence was so influential was that Thomas Jefferson’s claims against the King of England were easy to understand and logical. Typical complaints include “For quartering large Bodies of Armed Troops among us;” and “For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent.” Jefferson uses plain language that everyone can understand to point out large injustices done by the king. His statements about the King are short and to the point. He does not waste any words or bore the reader with abstract writing or excess words and thoughts. He goes from one point to the next to the next in such a fashion that the reader’s concentration is never broken. His points are logical and everyone living in the colonies at that time and many people around the world probably had some idea of the incidents behind all his grievances against the king. Jefferson raps up the injustices done by the king by declaring the United Colonies to be free and independent states.
The years leading up the Declaration of Independence were filled with grievances and unfairness. The Declaration of Independence declared America’s position of being a separate, political country with Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence, furthermore, listed the grievances Americans were going through under the control of King George. America was betrayed and neglected by a leader who didn’t care about her. The grievances in the Declaration of Independence resonate with every American who were living under the tragedies caused by an absolute ruler. I would sign the Declaration of Independence because it is the first step of becoming a fair country. If I was a colonist living in America during this period, I would want to change it
Though the American colonists had not achieved a true, uniform sense of identity or unity by 1776, on the eve of Revolution, the progress towards unity and the inchoate idea of an “American” between 1750 and 1776 is inevitable in both existence and significance. Previous to the French and Indian War, America as a whole had been, more or less, loyal mercantile-based, and subservient to the British crown as British colonists in the New World; however, the Americans' sense of unity kindled and proliferated with the increased tax burdens and coercive Parliamentary decisions, while even until 1776,
After the colonies gained independence, the founding fathers soon found that becoming a new independent nation was going to be a difficult task. The biggest task was deciding on the division of power in the government. This issue divided the people into two groups, the federalists and the Jeffersonian republicans. Alexander Hamilton led the federalists and Thomas Jefferson led the republicans. These two important men in history would later show how the challenges of becoming a new nation. In this essay I will be analyzing the ideas of Linda K. Kerber’s “The Fears of the Federalists,” to Drew R. McCoy’s “The Fears of the Jeffersonian Republicans.” Furthermore, comparisons will be made about both essays to gain a better understanding of the struggles of government in early America.
The Declaration of Independence is one of the most significant documents in the history of the United States. It has completely and forever changed the structure and foundation of our country. The Declaration gave purpose to the Revolutionary war. It was a justified reason to revolt against a government that no longer assured us our rights. It shows that they didn't go to war without
In the making of the United States, there were many events that are important. This paper intends to highlight a few of those events including; Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation and the Federalist Papers. Many events in America’s history helped to establish the United States as a free and independent country. The Declaration of Independence in particular explains the rights and freedoms that Americans. Each document is like a stepping stones that leads to the next and building upon the pervious document.
The Declaration of Independence was an important document in American history but it does not mean that it gained us our true freedom. It was a document that was written and signed on July 4th, 1776. The men that signed such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson told the colonists that this was a sign of them splitting from Great Britain and becoming an independent nation thus being called the United States of America. The document was then sent over to Great Britain for King George to read. This possibly could have caused even more hostility between the colonists and Great Britain because of how the British completely ignored the document. It may be seen as an important aspect to the progression of the Revolutionary War but it also
The document signed July 4th, 1776 was the most important document ever written in the United States of America. The Declaration of Independence is exactly that, Thomas Jefferson along with the Committee of Five came together to write the document for freedom and independence. The Patriots were serious and as the colonies together would not back down to King George who betrayed and treated them with treason and abandonment. This document changed the entire nature of the revolution in more ways than one. Without the Declaration we would’ve been under British rule longer and would have suffered the treason and abuse of the King of England.
American history is full of battles and freedom fighters. From the Boston tea party to voting rights. America fought against a king who was unfair and unjust. They may have had a civil war but it was also for the idea that rights were being taken away. The country has many amazing historical characters that made it the country it is today. This paper will discuss the Boston Tea Party, George Washington’s inaugural address, his warnings upon leaving office as well as the Boston Massacre, the Battles of Lexington and Concord, and John Adams on voting rights.
Before we had gained independence from britain the Civil War had begun. That just one last shove that gave us all the more reason the sign this document. Many acts, laws, wars, and taxation laws had to be passed and underwent to allow us to be free from britain and form our own government. In The Declaration Of Independence exists all of our rights as Americans as our own country. We still abide by these very same laws and rights.
Numerous events and people have played a great part in shaping this country of ours into what it is today, the United States of America. Choosing such events or people to talk about is no easy task since there are so many that play a key role in how this country was founded, but the three different ones that will be covered in this paper are George Washington, the Revolutionary War, and finally the Civil War.
American History and its people are extremely important to the health and progression of their nation. So may played a critical part in shaping this nation into what it is today. Even though many would love just to focus on the crisis and bad decisions that some have made. Our country is considered the land of the free, land of opportunity, land of dreams coming true. We can’t let bad choices by a few select cloud who we are and celebrate the great achievements we have made together as a nation. To do so would be to make a mockery out of the lives of those who worked so hard to shape this nation into one of the greatest nations on the earth. Most of these people acted from a place of strong faith and beliefs. They forged on against adversity and hostility because of this hope in God and in freedom.