Colonist were unified by the French and Indian war and the American Revolution. Even though most colonists considered themselves English they were now considered an American. Slaves participated in the war on both sides even though the British accepted them easier than the revolutionaries. The biggest change that took place for slavery was in the North. Abolition was set into motion legally. Slavery was outlawed in Vermont’s first constitution in 1777. Slaves sues for their freedom and won in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Slavery was kept under control after the Revolution by compromise. The North and South had different ideas on how to handle the contentious issue. Native Populations were worse off after the war. Disease and violence had
The American Revolution changed the political and social aspects of the United States. After the war ended many things changed in the states. From the political stand point women still had power but gained a few rights after the war and since the states where now free from British rule they could now create their own form of central government and elected a leader. On the social and economical side the belief of egalitarianism was widely being accepted, and mercantilism ended so the colonies were no longer forced from imported and export goods to England.
During the war, the colonists who were fighting, began to realize just how much they were deprived. The colonists observed how much more the British possessed and wanted the same since they were still Englishmen (Doc D). The English officials that came to lead in the colonies were not the most pleasant to work with and also were not superior listeners. The officers ignored what the colonists said, even if it was a colonial military leader. The colonial soldiers were seen as weak and inferior and were not respected by the officers. After the war, the taxes the colonists had to pay, also created new opinions in their minds (Doc G). Colonists began considering more about becoming separate from England and governing their own government. Revolutionaries propagated their ideas of disbanding as well. These theories created unity in the colonies but weakened the link between England and various colonists.
The American Revolution transformed the colonies in numerous ways. The Revolution caused a decline in paid domestic services. Wage workers became indentured servants and were able to perform their required labor. Servants and apprentices were able to escape from their masters. By 1800, indentured servitude had vanished from the nation. The Revolution was able to create a separation between slavery and freedom.
Slaves in the colonies during the revolution were faced with no real options and little liberty. The slaves’ lot in life varied greatly between individual experiences. Those slave owners who had only a few slaves generally treated their slaves better than those with large numbers of slaves. Even if they were treated well, the slaves had little in the way of freedom. They would be required to work throughout the day at the bidding of their masters and had no recourse to whatever punishment was given at their master’s hands. The slaves also had little hope of ever obtaining freedom for themselves and their children (Pavao, n.d.).
The American Revolution occurred due to the conflict between those living in the 13 colonies and the colonial government, which represented the British crown because of the high taxes they were ordered to pay to their homeland. By definition, a revolution means to forcible overthrow of a government or social order in favor of a new system. With the new colonies winning the war against Great Britain, yes, they did overthrow the ruling of the Queen and if not, the United States would still be considered colonies of England. But if one looks through the lens of social, political, and economic change occurring for all people, this was not a true revolution. The middle class did not grow. Slavery was still legal. There was no restructuring in terms of economics and the new America was run on a system of capitalism. Change only truly occurred in terms of politics, with the introduction of a democracy and the constitution. With these changes, only the white male elite were only able to benefit from these changes, gaining more power, ability to participate in politics and financial success. African Americans, white women, and poor men saw no changed in way of life after winning the war. What the war did was began a quest of reform and revolt from these groups who suffered from injustice.
For the institution of slavery, the American Revolution meant that it would soon be against the law and not allowed in any part of America. The North abolished slavery and still was fighting hard to abolish it in the South.
Early in the history of the colonies, slavery was widely accepted as well as applauded. Slaves were a key part in the development of the country and they were a very important part in the revolutionary war. Slaves fought on both sides of the revolution, it is estimated at nearly 5000 thousand men. The American Revolution was very important as it brought about different views and ideas. "In much of the North, by contrast, the combination of Revolutionary sentiment and evangelical Christian fervor helped spread antislavery sentiments widely through society" (Brinkley 120). The American Revolution had a huge impact on Northern states; antislavery movement swept the states. The slave trade was outlawed in several states and laws were changed regarding freeing slaves.
The colonist's rebellion was based on the simple fact that they had been denied their rights. The country was finally freed from the British rule. American was in unified in their fight against British domination. It was very important that a common purpose was hard in order to defeat the British. After the British won the revolutionary war, all of the colonists lost the right to put any input on anything. A pro on the revolutionary war is that many of the northern states adopted anti-slavery legislation after the war. In a few of the southern states slaves were set free or allows to buy their freedom. The revolution introduced more liberal thinking and the principles of emancipation found greater relevance in the minds of the populace. The attitudes of women also changed. The women had to assume greater responsibilities during the conflict and this resulted in great respect and regard for them after the war. They were deemed more the equal of men and respected for their significant contributions in winning the war. Some cons of the
The effects of the revolutionary war were felt far and wide by everyone involved; however, groups such as the colonist slaves, the Indians, and women felt these influences in particular. For the colonist, the revolution signified the introduction of the idea of “life, liberty, and property” (Schultz, 2009, p. 112) as a natural right for every person. Additionally, the conclusion of the war signaled the possibility of the new politics of republican democracy, instead of the Old-World gentry style of governing (Schultz, 2014). Also, instead of seeing each state as its own entity, they began recognizing that they all shared attributes that separated them from everyone else; in fact, this provided the colonist with a sense of unity that was necessary for the creation of the United States of America (Schultz, 2009). These effects on the colonist were for their benefit, but what about the slaves?
This led to the very bloody war, and the conflict led to the Emancipation Proclamation and freeing the slaves in the south. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments were added to the constitution during this time period (Doc C). These amendments abolished slavery, and gave them civil and voting rights. This was a revolutionary because once blacks were given rights it was a complete turn in society. At the end of the Civil War, there was still had many issues to address. One was the new currency systems. Senator Sherman felt that the country was not nationalized enough and was anti states rights (Doc B). GIdeon Welles wrote that the federal government should have no say in whether blacks could vote, it was a states rights issue (Doc D). The United States was making progress on social issues, too. Although, these were considered non-revolutionary for the reasons being blacks still weren’t getting complete amount of equal rights. This is because the new laws were only on paper, and for a long time, the whites made the lives of blacks difficult because they made the blacks separate but equal. An example of this was the Freedmen’s Bureau, which was set up to educate blacks and learn to read and write so they could be more equal to whites. In a
The American revolution took place in the time frame of 1765 and 1783. The reason was because of the feud with the thirteen American colonies and the British government. The Americans went to war with the British and won their freedom, but how much actually changed for the Americans?
During this time African American people were not treated the same as white people. They were looked down on and most of them were slaves. The American Revolution was revolutionary because it led to the freedom of slaves. In 1787 The Northwest ordinance was passed which outlawed slavery in the Northwest Territories ( Document 5).
One of the most radical changes brought by the American revolution was the abolishment of slavery. In document 5, the map of the United States of America clearly shows that the abolishment of slavery started in 1777 and continued on until 1865. This document clearly indicates that all the states started to abolish slavery, which the completed to do so in less than 90 years. The abolishment of slavery backed up the idea from document 2 which is “ that all men are created equal”. While the abolishment of slavery was one of the radical changes, there were multitudinous more.
America is a country that allows people freedom and equality. In the Declaration of Independence, it states that “all men are created equal” and most people agreed with that. However, there were a few people who thought that slaves were not part of the equality factor. Those people, who were mostly slave owners, saw the African Americans as property and did not see them as equals. Since there was such a big difference in views, it created many tensions between the people. Some people wanted to get rid of slavery and give them freedom and equality, some wanted to get rid of slavery but not make slaves equal to other people, and others wanted to keep slavery as it is. Mostly, there was a disagreement between the South and the North and since there is a difference in other factors such as political and economic, these things began to create tensions and drive them farther apart. During 1783-1859, there were numerous cultural, political, and religious tensions and differences between the United States North and South which led to the unforgettable American Civil War. For this essay, I will be using six sources to support my thesis.
The American Revolution marked significant changes in the political, social, and economic status of the Americans. For a long, time the lives of the Americans were darkened by the British colonial rule. The British government passed several intolerable Acts. For instance, the Massachusetts Government Act was a restriction to town meetings. As a result, the American opponents began collective actions to disapprove the colonial rule. After a long struggle, the Americans overthrew the existing rule. However, the new dawn did not provide freedom to all citizens. The slaves were compelled to continue supplying forced labor to the Whites. The resultant effect of oppression pushed the slaves to start fighting for the equality. In this case, it is evident that the Civil War was a direct consequence of the American Revolution.[1]