Differences between North America and England

 

The colonies became less like England due to the wide range of differences between the two regions. As the British were busy fighting with the French and colonizing the 13 colonies, North America was busy defending and putting strategies for developing multicultural society. Also, with the British doing everything they could to cause trouble in North American colonies, the colonies were uniting through the Continental Congress.

2. Role of women

During the American Revolution, women were banned from participating in military warfare; however, sisters, mothers, wives, and girlfriend of the soldiers served the military in other important ways.  They could make blankets for the soldiers; they also cooked for them. Others would help in nursing wounded soldiers after the war. Some women went to greater extents of risking their lives by becoming spies. They would find ways of getting into the Britain camps, they would gather information, and then they would find ways to pass on the information to the American Soldiers. Although they worked tirelessly during the declaration of independence, women were not accorded equality; there still were gender inequalities in social, political, and economic arenas; this is after they had also participated towards independence. It is unfortunate that such gender inequalities still exist in various sectors, many years after independence.

Part 2

The inevitability of the American Revolution and the declaration of independence

The American Revolution and the subsequent American independence were inevitable, given the circumstances surrounding the events in the colonies. Given that Great Britain had debts following their Seven Years’ War, they had to find alternative ways of generating revenue for the country if they were to continue with their colonies’ administration. Therefore, one of the strategies they developed was the Stamp Act of 1765. The Act was to directly tax the colonies. In any paper document that was to be stamped, they had to pay stamp tax, which would be collected and sent back to Britain[1]. The Act would have enabled Britain to collect the needed revenue to maintain its operations; however, it marked the start of opposition from the colonists. This was one reason why the American Revolution and Independence were inevitable; the subjects in the colonies were unwilling to sit and pay hefty taxes that do not help them. In opposition, the “no taxation without representation” slogan was developed, and the colonies began the path to liberation from the British.

To show the seriousness of the colonists’ subjects, the house of Thomas Hutchinson, the Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, was destroyed. This was because he supported the Stamp Act’s punitive law that was only benefiting the colonizer at the expense of the people living in the colonies.

The Townshend Act also made the Revolution and eventual independence inevitable. The Brits were never tired of creating punitive laws one after another. This law followed the Stamp Act of 1765, which had been repealed in 1766. The difference with this law was despite not directly taxing the colonies; the law provided for Britain to tax all imports ranging from paint, paper, glass, lead, and even tea. This also created a lot of friction between the colonies and Britain, with the latter sending troops to the former to see the implementation of these laws. The use of force further created a need for independence with Britain seen to do everything they could to generate more revenue streams even if it meant implementing unconstitutional laws; the colonies still considered these laws as unconstitutional as they never had any representation in the British government despite being forced to pay taxes. The “Daughters of Liberty” helped supply the deficit in the market after people in the colonies boycotted goods imported from Britain; this organized group played a role in ensuring that the colonies do not continue depending on Britain for goods; as such, the Townshend Act pushed the colonies to relentlessly seek for autonomy and independence as they were not happy with the tough laws[2].

The Boston Massacre further set the stage for the inevitability of the American Revolution. In early 1770, more troops had been deployed in Boston to impose the various laws legislated in Britain, such as the Stamp Act[3]. An incident involving a British soldier and a local person led to a confrontation with the matters escalating to create a massive massacre of the British soldiers’ local people. The colonies who were already weary of the taxes now had an even bigger urge to fight for independence.

Following unsuccessful attempts for Britain to take charge of the colonies’ major economic aspects, they introduced the Tea Tax. The tax was meant to eliminate the middlemen who were reducing the maximum return from their tea, so Britain developed the Tea Tax to impose more taxes on importing tea. The major beneficiary of this arrangement was the East India Company, which generated a lot of Britain’s revenue. The colonists’ counter move was boycotting the supply of the same and dumping thousands of this imported tea into the Boston Harbor in a move known as the Boston Tea Party. This was in line with the series of defensive strategies adopted by the colonists, representing an imminent revolution. The colonists showed unity and the will to revolt against repressive laws by the British government.

Another reason that pushed the colonists into a revolution was the Coercive Acts, which were punishments for Boston’s people following the Boston Tea Party. Among these laws included restrictions to the use of the Boston port until the damages from were fully paid, the number of public meetings was limited in Massachusetts, and replaced the elected leaders with those appointed by the British royal. These oppressive laws further stirred anger from the colonists who were already weary of the British and their constant creation of new ways to oppress them.

The last push the colonists needed was the letters Common Sense by Thomas Paine in 1776. In the writings, Paine strongly and directly urges the colonists to pursue independence from the British[4]. Moreover, he called for unity for all colonists since unless they united, they could not stand a chance of gaining independence; even those that were loyal to the British had converted and became a patriot to fight for the colonists’ independence. The writings motivated the people on the same cause, thereby creating a revolution to bring independence.

The Continental Congress united the delegates from the 13 colonies, ensuring unity during the oppressive times under colonization. After the Coercive Acts, the First Continental Congress was held in 1774, followed by another 1775 on the eve Revolutionary War. Congress also became instrumental in the success of the revolution and eventual independence of the colonies.

The events leading to the revolution are progressive with one event intensifying the need to have independence; however, the one moment that became the turning point was the destruction of the Tea being under the possession of East India Company of Britain at the Boston Harbor by the “Sons of Liberty.” The event stands out because it is after this event that the British government imposed even stricter laws on the colonies, especially in Massachusetts.

[1] Allison Robinson, “American Revolution” (American Revolution, Texas State University 9/29/2020).

[2] Allison Robinson, “American Revolution” (American Revolution, Texas State University 9/29/2020).

[3] Johnson Michael, “The British Empire and the Colonial Crisis 1754-1775”. Document Set 4

[4] Allison Robinson, “American Revolution” (American Revolution, Texas State University 9/29/2020).