While historian Gordon Wood won a Pulitzer Prize arguing that the American Revolution was radical, it is in my opinion that this war was no more radical than any other war ever fought. By reviewing the war from different angles such as the causes, leaders, economic state, and social movements of the war, it becomes clear that the war was indeed not radical. First if we looked at it from the angle of the cause, was it different than any other war? Just like any other war there was no singular cause to the Revolution. The overarching cause of the war was the colonies decision to become an independent country from Britain, and Britain’s unwillingness to comply. It is in the causes of the decision to declare independence that more specific …show more content…
The war forced people to establish positions on the war, choosing whether to support the patriots or the loyalist lead friction in communities and in families. One of the most obvious ways to view the social change caused by the war, is by reading the writings of the time. From the legislation written and enforced upon the colonies by the British government, to the writings of documents such as the “Suffolk Resolves” written in protest, the change in society is evident. Thomas Jefferson’s “Summary View” and Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” sparked revolution in the hearts of the U.S. citizens. Jefferson’s article is a prime example of the ideological shift from blaming parliament to blaming the king. Women also began taking on different societal roles as the men left for war. They would take over their husbands businesses, or even aide in the war effort by cooking and washing for the soldiers. The social influence of the war was also global, as both sides established international allies. France even returned home from the revolution to start one on the home front. Was the United States changed socially by the war, and did the war influence other counties? The answer is yes, but as I keep repeating wars have impacts. Impacts made on society and social ideas are just influence of war in
The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War in the United States, was the prosperous military revolt against Great Britain of Thirteen American Colonies which joined together as the United States of America in July 1776. Originally constrained to fighting in those colonies, after 1778 it additionally became a world war between Britain and France, Netherlands, Spain, and Mysore.
Gordon Wood’s Radicalism of the American Revolution is a book that extensively covers the origin and ideas preceding the American Revolution. Wood’s account of the Revolution goes beyond the history and timeline of the war and offers a new encompassing look inside the social ideology and economic forces of the war. Wood explains in his book that America went through a two-stage progression to break away from the Monarchical rule of the English. He believes the pioneering revolutionaries were rooted in the belief of an American Republic. However, it was the radical acceptance of democracy that was the final step toward independence. The transformation between becoming a Republic, to ultimately becoming a democracy, is where Wood’s
Many revolutions have taken place throughout history, ranging from the unremarkable to the truly memorable, such as the French Revolution, the Bolshevik Revolution and the American Revolution. Through an examination of the social, cultural, economic and political causes of the American Revolution, an exploration of key arguments both for and against the American Revolution, and an analysis of the social, cultural, economic and political changes brought about by the American Revolution it can be demonstrated unequivocally that the American Revolution was indeed truly revolutionary.
The topic of revolution is extremely subjective. What may appear as an insurrection to some might not be as extreme to others. When talking about the American Revolutionary War, however, the answer is clear. While the War certainly brought about change within the United States, it wasn’t necessarily very revolutionary. The most important aspects of the colonies, such as ideas about government, various types of societal equality, slavery and freed blacks, and the rights of women remained for the most part, unaffected.
The gun shot that was heard around the world, in 1775 marks the day of the beginning of the of the American Revolution .During the American Revolution the Seneca people had a critical role. The 3 three Seneca Chief’s , Big Tree, Corn Planter, and Half Town wrote a letter to them asking George Washington to stop killing their people. Some of the Seneca people joined the British, an interesting fact. Who were considering a revolution despite the fact that Native American’s didn’t do anything ? After the research that been done, it can be proven that the American Revolution was actually a Revolution. In the American Revolution the government changed and the people wanted to leave British rule resulting in and there was violence. Of
The revolutionary war, a time when a still young and growing thirteen colonies began to take a stand to their mother country, Great Britain. With a lack of communication with the American colonies, a sense of “salutary neglect”, a rift began to form between mother and child. Trust in each other was beginning to wane. This rift soon caused a series of chain reactions. With the British enforcing laws that seriously hindered American expansion and trade. Great Britain having losing their trust in the colonist, they did not respect any American leadership and or opinions. Both sides were both to blame for a war that followed their poor decisions and reactions.
War, blood, anger, hate, peace, independence, tax, massacre, pioneering, and confusion are all words that can be used to describe the American Revolution. A time where we were most vulnerable to the British. A time where America was once one of the lower nations in the world. Infact, we were not even a nation yet. We were a group of people fighting oppression that had been cast upon us by the British. We were the underdogs, and we should not have ever had to get into a war, but we did. We got into war to protect the values and beliefs that we held dear. America got into war to show the British that they can not use them like property. More importantly, to stop the endless taxation. A taxation that was very clearly stated in the Declaration
People would expect a significant change in politics from before and after the war because the reason the Thirteen Colonies fought was because they wanted to change the way the government functioned. This is not the case because the women thought that the “power [was in] the hands of the husbands [and people should] Remember that all men would be tyrants if they could.” (Document M) Tyrants were rulers who had absolute power and would rule with fear and intimidation, which is very similar to Britain's government, Monarchy. A king had all the power and used his power to make rules.
war, it is a sign of radical action. Britains' army was four times as big
In the book Radicalism of the American Revolution, written by Gordon S. Wood, the author states, "The Revolution was the most radical and far reaching event in American history.” What about the American Revolution made it so “radical?” Wood believes it to be so radical because it not only brought change politically from British monarch to American rule which is what we are used to, but it also brought about changes in the basic structure of American society. Within the revolution there was more than just a war, there was a total change to the way that Americans lived and presented themselves. This movement made America the way it is today.
Leading up to the American Revolution, were a chain of events that created a spark in the colonists to obtain independence from Great Britain. The American Revolution could not be tied to one single event but instead by the feelings and determination brought on by this chain of disgraceful actions. Gordon S. Wood explains what he believes caused the rebellion of the American colonists from Great Britain and how those causes help explain the outcomes of the revolution in his essay, “Radical Possibilities of the American Revolution.” Wood argues that the colonists were motivated to rebel against the British monarchy due to their need to preserve their liberties and through this revolution a radical change in government and American life occurred.
The Revolutionary War started on April 19, 1775 at Lexington and Concord. America was very much unprepared with no central government or army. The congress stepped up as the government and began to organize an army. The Revolutionary War did not end until September 3, 1783 with the signing of the final peace treaty between America and Great Britain. The victory in the Revolution War led to the birth of a new independent nation.
All of us alive today have grown up learning about the American Revolution. Although it contains the word “revolution” in its name, there are many who don’t consider the American Revolution a real revolution. After considering the definition of a revolution – a radical change of an entire system, usually by war, resulting in a change of the way of life of the people involved – and the American society before and after the American Revolution, it is obvious that those who don’t consider the American Revolution a revolution are mistaken. Among the many aspects of colonial society affected by the American Revolution, those most greatly affected by the revolution were the attitude towards slavery, the role of women, and the role of trade.
During the beginning of Colonial America, there were many people who migrated from Europe to settle the new founded American Continent. They traveled from Europe to escape the laws, taxes, demands, and nobility brought upon them at the hands of King George III and Parliament. They wanted to be free from the tyranny of King George III. When the colonist arrived on the American Continent they felt freedoms that they had never before felt. After, feeling the freedom of being on this newly found continent King George once again started putting his demands on the Colonist. Eventually, the colonist saw their rights being taken away by the acts that were passed, the taxes that were implemented, and the Proclamation of 1763. The Tyranny of King
“The story of post-revolutionary America,” writes Rosemarie Zagarri, “is the story of how American women and men sought to define – and ultimately to limit and restrict – the expansive ideals they had so successfully deployed against Britain.” In this excerpt from Revolutionary Backlash, Zagarri depicts the extreme radicalism of the American Revolution, while also suggesting that there were some constraints to its extremism. Unlike the normal way of life in European government and society, Americans desired a nation in which the inherent rights and freedoms of individuals were recognized and respected. While these rights and freedoms were ultimately achieved, many groups of people were still left out. Women of all kinds, people of color,