"For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us." (John Winthrop). From the time the Puritans first sailed over to settle the new world to the day we established ourselves as independent country this though rings true. Ever since America was established until present all eyes are upon us. At first we it was to see when we would fail, but almost four hundred years later is as a symbol of how a country should be run. This all stems from the early colonial years on how the colonies were founded in how we became The United states. Like all countries we had an ethical dilemma establishing ourselves, some we will cover, but it’s the reasoning behind that rings true. The very reasons our founding fathers broke away leads us to who we are today. We will go over the differences between early colonial life and life at the time of the revolution and all the factors that go along with it. We as a country are founded upon religious freedoms, but it is the type of religion and the beliefs that are associated with it that start to blur the lines. It doesn’t only blur the lines with how they treat one another and gender, but also the natives that originally inhabited America. The Puritans started the taking over using religion in America based on religion or more over a right to do so. The Puritans believed in predestination, a belief that everyone from the beginning has been either chosen or not to enter heaven. This belief of being
“First, the people of the colonies are descendants of Englishmen. England, Sir, is a nation, which still I hope respects, and formerly adored her freedom. The colonists emigrated from you when this part of your character was most predominant; and they took this bias and direction the moment they parted from your hands.” and “In this character of the Americans, a love of freedom is the predominating feature which marks and distinguishes the whole: and as an ardent is always a jealous affection, your colonies become suspicious, restive, and untractable, whenever
When America’s founding fathers broke away from England, they weren’t the first colonial Englishmen on the American continent, there were plenty of French, Spanish, Dutch and even Russian colonial outposts established before them. What makes the English colonies along the Eastern seaboard story so important, was the fact that 13 colonies joined together to form what is now known as the United States. Furthermore, this 13 colonies New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia risk their lives, fortunes, and sacred honors to start a new nation free from Great Britain’s rule. In the mist of declaring independence from the most powerful nation on earth, America’s founding fathers created a governmental system that was unfamiliar during their era. America’s founding fathers created a government designed to protect civil liberties and encourage independence, a complex yet young and evolving system.
In the years before the war for independence, a majority of the colonies were supporters of our union with the British Empire. The dangers to a young colony were numerous, and without the vast resources of the British, it is doubtful the colonies would have survived. As the years progress, the colonies developed a stronger economy, increased food productions, and developed local governments that reduced the need for a guardian empire. As the British government tried to increase its control over the colonies, a group of colonials started to think about life out from under British controls. This group eventually came to be known as the “Patriots.”
In the 1700’s it was time for the United States to start something new and change. Like every other country it needed to be its own and have a well structured government. Before, the U.S. was controlled by the British who have already brought in their culture without any doubts. As the Americans tried so hard to gain their own country, they faced more problems. Soon they were finally free and on their own. The United States had made drastic changes to create a great country by fighting and for their independence, creating a constitution, and creating a well organized government.
Before America was established, it was a colony run by the most powerful country at that time- England, and though with its pros, the cons largely outweighed their benefits. The colonist felt that the king of England was a tyrant and did not respect even the most basic human rights of his citizens across the Atlantic ocean. A tyrant is a single person or group with too much power over their people- someone who can easily abuse power and can ultimately get away with anything they desire, which was horrible for the american colonists. When the U.S. broke away from England and was its own nation, our founding fathers wrote the Articles of Confederation, our first constitution, which weakened the federal government to the point where it could not function as it should’ve been able to in order to manage the nation and all the power was given to the states
When it began, America did not have the strong national identity and unity that it does today. Originally it was made up of thirteen individual colonies ruled by the British empire. As the colonies endured through the restrictions from the British government they became more and more rebellious. It wasn’t until the summer of 1776 that the colonies broke their ties with England and became a more united nation. While they did become more independent as time went on, their identity did not fully develop for years after the revolution; with regards to unity, the entire country did not fully unite for this revolution until much later in the war.
This insight is an important perspective into the burgeoning United States because all colonists fundamentally saw their respected states as for where they pledged their allegiance which was demonstrated plainly when Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence and referred to his country as Virginia. Holton went on to point out how there were revolts against the Native Americans and how they sought to persuade the Privy Council that they should nullify the King’s Proclamation. These revolts further touched off an initiative where political leaders realized the need for independence from
The founding Fathers were men of great knowledge and bravery. They were left with the task of revolutionizing America into the world power that it is now. From gaining independence from England, to the revolutionary war their impact has gone beyond what was expected. This impact has also extended to what we know as the constitutional convention. During the convention the founders had to coincide with their peoples needs and the challenges that they were faced with in order the fix their government in a way that could benefit America then and as well as in the future. With the incoming of immigrants, slave trade, and a debt to pay back, the founders were faced with a lot of challenges. The key to understanding the motives of the founding fathers is to consider all of the political attributes that affected the decision-making. Though the main purpose of the Convention was to reshape the government in an organized manner, it was also meant allow for peace within the colonies. The founders also wanted to make sure that all of the states were represented equally insuring a balance of power between the states and government.
The activities of Nat Turner and John Brown were as legitimate, if not more so, than the actions taken by the self-proclaimed ‘Sons of Liberty’ to break ties with Great Britain. The American Revolution was founded in the transformation of ideas taken from the Enlightenment philosophers based on equality in self-governing. The colonists wanted to break from a country that not only protected them but supplied them with necessities through trade. These people never lost their freedom to move or to work at jobs they wanted. It took an exceptional group of leaders to voice the ideas of insurrection based on freedom from governing suppression.
Our country was built heavily on liberty. We take liberty for granted, but the founders of our country actually didn’t. They, as colonists of the British colonies, were not given the liberty we now have. They had no representation in their government, and sometimes unfair laws toward them were passed without their opinion. A well-known act of Parliament, the Townshend Acts, was an important law in colonial times, and it partly led to the revolution of the United States of America.
Upon arriving in North America, John Winthrop stated the purpose of the colonies, "We shall be as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us." The passengers on the boat that left England had a vision, to be an example for the rest of the world. And for over 100 years, Great Britain ruled over these colonies, under the undocumented policy of salutary neglect. Salutary neglect was a long standing policy that allowed the colonists to violate the laws of trade. However, the British reversed this policy to raise taxes for the debts caused by the French and Indian War. After the reversal of the policy, the colonists started to grow tired and angry over the taxation. They debated Great Britain’s legal power to tax them
Even though you might have heard stories about the origins of this present state of affairs, that we live in, you will not be aware of the various incidents that led up this day. Most of us, especially the younger ones, tend to take our present situation for granted. However, if you knew about the amount of blood that was spilled for this day one might approach life in a much fresher and novel way. The times before the Declaration and the French and Indian Wars were not a pleasant place to be. During these times, we were not free men and had to follow decisions which were made for us, rather than by us. Still then, most colonists thought of themselves as proud subjects of the strong British Empire that changed with the passing of the Coercive Acts in 1774. However, to talk about the political decisions that created such an impact would seem too foreign and incomprehensible to you. Instead, I want you to know the story of these years through a more personal perspective, mine. Through events, we know our present and future has been developed by our past, as those before us paved the way in improving this great nation by fighting for economic policies, political ideas and social advancements.
The American Colonies’ transition from British territory to their independent nation was full of hardships. Legislation and British troops attempted to push the colonists into submission with resilience the colonists fought back and won their independance. In order to do so they had to change their ideals and beliefs on their rights. They went from fighting for their rights because they were the same as the British citizens, to fighting for their rights on the basis that they were different than the British citizens.
Religious intolerance has a been a plague on our society throughout time. In the 1700’s my ancestor, a French Huguenot named Leonard Varnado, sailed to America to escape execution for his beliefs. He was not the only one, many people from France, England and Scotland traveled to America in pursuit of religious freedom. America was founded by the people who left their lives, homes, and possessions behind to practice what they believed freely. Today many Americans still face the same persecution that their ancestors sought to escape all those years ago. In 2015 Supreme Court gave same-sex couples their long deserved right to marry, but many people still protest it due to it being against their own religious belief system. In fact, Senator and
Amongst the time of American history, liberty has been a topic for decades and many more to come. Throughout time, the idea of liberty has changed tremendously. One can define the term liberty, as the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one 's way of life, behavior, or political views. John Winthrop believed in using God’s word. When Winthrop became the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, he took people’s rights away due to the fact that liberty was living by the word of God. Winthrop’s idea of liberty is new to the term liberty that Americans know and believe in, during this time period. Many colonists came overseas because of the problems that were occurring in Britain. This lead