To What Extent Had the Colonists Developed a Sense of Their Identity and Unity as Americans by the Eve of the Revolution?

What united the colonists in the 1770’s I think began with the fact that they were all getting started here in the “New World”. They had a chance to make something of themselves and start a new life, breaking away from the restraints of British government. Some of the colonists united based on the fact that they wanted their liberities, and did not want to have to live under the rules and regulations of the British, where on the other side of that coin, there were the colonists would didn’t want to separate from the

During the 17th and early 18th centuries, many American colonists took it upon themselves to unify the English colonies. As Puritans and other settlers began to establish villages across the eastern coast of North America, they found that the only way for them to function properly was through peace and order. Unity was attained through agreements and constitutions laying down the first steps to self-government and democracy, and to a lesser extent a call to action between the colonists and the English crown.

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

There was very little development of the industry as a result of plantation owners putting all of their money into their land and slaves. This resulted in little investment and was therefore the cause for little development. The little bit of industry development that there was resulted in Lumber, fur and Naval store trading. In the Middle Colonies the establishment was also partially economical, with the exception of Pennsylvania. Just as in the South these colonies were established to serve the mother country, however the agriculture was producing different crops, and the industry was producing fur and Naval supplies but not much Lumber. The agricultural aspect of the economy flourished because of the moderate climate which provided for longer growing seasons and also the rich soil found in the area. The main crops were Wheat, Barley, Fruit and livestock was also produced. These colonies were known as "The Bread Basket." Although mainly established for religious reasons the north also contributed to the mercantile system. The climate was cold ad growing seasons were short, the soil was rocky and it was hard to produce crops. However small amounts of Beans, Barley, Oats and corn were produced along with livestock. The main economic advantage in the North was the fact that it was in a good trading location and had good ports. This is why the

But those who revolted originally only united when they wanted protect their rights while remaining British citizens. They didn’t have the intention of becoming an independent nation (Document E). Unity was necessary for independence; without it there would be war between colonists. The man who made the official motion for independence, in the Second Continental Congress, was Richard Henry Lee. In fact, when he did such he was sure that all the colonies were “united...to defend their liberties... against every power on Earth” (Document C). But this idea of unification for the common good of the colonies was not new. In fact the Join, or Die cartoon that is often seen as a document of the revolution, was originally created by Ben Franklin to be used in the Albany Congress, back in 1754, as motivation to adopt his Albany Plan of Union (Document A). And when push came to shove, the colonies did show unity. After Britain passed the Intolerable Acts the Boston Harbor was closed; this greatly impacted the Bostonians. So, other states such as Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, and South Carolina aided their fellow colonists by providing grain, sheep, corn, and funds that they had collected. This was done of their own free will and with little gain for themselves. The part of this that is most extraordinary is that the states who contributed weren’t solely

The population of the colonies was doubling every two decades, this was why legislations such as the Proclamation of 1763 was passed down to show that the British people were still in control of the colonies but these issues of laws were mainly ignored by the colonists as they knew there wasn’t much the Brits can do about it. British Government would had to have known a war against their colonies would be hopeless and compared to how much people there is already, and would have had to resolve a crisis by giving concessions of yielding, but the American Revolution took place before anything could

From 1763 to 1789 the American Colonies underwent a radical transformation into an independent self governing nation. British debt accumulated from the French and Indian War brought colonists into conflict with the mother country over a variety of social, political and economic issues. However, the outcome of the American Revolution was not a radical departure from America had been prior to 1763 but later, with the introduction of the constitution, developed unto a revolutionary society.

The American Revolution took place between the years of 1775 and 1783. There were three sub-groups that chose three different sides during this time. One-third of the population were Patriots. These were the “anti-British”. They were fighting for the people’s independence. The next category consisted of the people who were against our independence. They were called Loyalists. They also made up one-third of the population. The last third was everyone else that hadn’t taken a position. As you can see by the way the population was split up, not everyone wanted independence. Boston Merchants did not want to be independent. Leading to this, the Loyalists were attacked and fled to Canada. January 10, 1776 was the day that “Common Sense”, by Thomas

The colonists had, in the course of many years of British rule, developed their own culture and beliefs while still holding the British government in utmost respect. The colonies had slowly begun to unify their efforts and deny British rule. Between 1750 and 1776, the colonies united and formed the ultimate identity of the United States of America.

The identity of the American colonists prior to the American Revolution was still work in progress because there were certain events that helped shape their identity and led to the American Revolution. The American colonies were trying to break away from the British control because they wanted to become independent and be their own nation. Once the British began to realize the intentions of the colonists, they began to create laws, acts, and other forms things to keep the colonists under their control. The identity of the American colonists between 1607 and 21775 helped lead to the American Revolution because there was no unity between the colonies, there was fighting for control and dominance in the colonies from both the British and colonists, and there was slavery as well as the emergence of diversity in the colonies in North America. After the American Revolution the identity of America became more about independence, freedom, and equality for every human race.

There was an American Revolution because the colonists gradually realized the allure of independence as every event that led up the revolution made them more united and self-sufficient, separate from the British. Beginning with the first conflict of the Proclamation of 1763, the colonists became more defiant from King George III, moving across the Appalachian Mountains further away from Britain with pride in fighting the French and Indian War. From then on, every act including the Stamp, Quartering, Townshend, Tea, and Intolerable Acts helped the colonists to unite against the tyranny of the King, who taxed them unreasonably without representation in Parliament. Inevitably, Patriots and other colonists formed a coalition against the British

While the colonists were establishing their own identities, they were also gaining useful experience in self-governance, which proved to be useful with their declaration of independence from the British. The colonists learned how to handle local issues through self-governance and were able to successfully remove themselves from Parliament and run their own democracy. I believe with their experience in self-governance, the colonists learned what worked best for their needs and what didn’t help them at all, eventually putting that knowledge into effect in their

In The Birth of The Republic 1763-89, Edmund Morgan claims that the colonists’ growing sense of human equality along with increasing self desires, especially land, caused the declaration of independence, successfully winning the war and coming together as one nation in the end. While his claims are not radical, his interpretations of the actions colonists took from the Stamp Act to the formation of The Articles of Confederation, created an effective and well supported idea that America was created in the search for equality and the continuous strive effective the outcomes of the war.

The American Revolution was in the early colonial days, and created such a ruckus about the world with the International relations with the Thirteen Colonies and Great Britain. But with the rebellion of the “united” states at the time, there was progression and they did get that independence. During the revolution, The Sons of Liberty, a well

This venture would continue for decades as the colonies watched and welcomed fleets and caravans of ships dock upon the countrysides. Each of them were pouring in vast amounts of new settlers, new immigrants, all finding themselves off in novel beginnings. From slave to scholar, America painstakingly filled up and began to prune itself into an opportunistic world of its own. By 1775, on the eve of the revolution, there was now a population of nearly 2.5 million (History). Here is where the tides turn, as the economical, sociological, and political landscapes of the colonies came to form a new ideology of freedom—much to the dismay of the previous European owners. America beckoned a call unto herself to be sole proprietor and true master of the land, so she bravely took up arms and fought for independence. Successful in the end, the colonies had now joined together in committed communion as The United States of America, and the people were no longer estranged immigrants, but native countrymen and women.