The Birth of the American Nation

The American Revolution was not only a battle against the British; it was also a period of transition from a colony to a newly-formed country. Belonging to a country that was just liberated from colonial rule, the Americans attempted to apply revolutionary ideology to the building of their nation and the making of their society.

They managed to do so by first basing the Declaration of Independence on political freedom, social tolerance and economic opportunity. Political freedom played a huge influence on the ideas and ambitions of the revolutionaries and also resulted in social tolerance and economic opportunity.

Hence, the Declaration of Independence was not a promise or an excuse to wage war with Britain – it was a challenge to the Americans to preserve their sovereignty and develop as a nation. Political freedom for the 13 colonies meant “breaking away from England and being able to develop a sense of identity and a sense of self-government.  “Sense of identity and a sense of self-government” referred to a central government that they themselves elected and in whose affairs they have a say. Indeed, the lack of political representation angered the Americans more than any other atrocity committed against them by the British. The absence of their opinion in government policy-making allowed the British to enact unjust laws, such as the Sugar Act (1764) and the Stamp Act (1765).

The Sugar Act imposed a three-cent tax on imported refined sugar and increased taxes on coffee, indigo and certain types of wine. Meanwhile, the Stamp Act required taxation for every printed paper that American colonists used. With the 13 colonies free from the grasp of the British government, the Americans then proceeded to create laws that promoted economic and social liberty. On March 1, 1784, Thomas Jefferson proposed a prohibition on slavery in the entire United States after 1800 (this was narrowly defeated).

On May 8, 1785, the US Congress passed the Land Ordinance of 1785, which divided the northwest territories into “townships set at 6 square miles, subdivided into 36 lots of 640 acres each, with each lot selling for no less than $640. ” Thomas Jefferson's Ordinance of Religious Freedom (1786) dictated that “no man may be forced to attend or support any church or be discriminated against because of his religious preference. ” The first amendment to the US Constitution was later patterned after this regulation. Despite their nation's independence, the Americans continued using some long-held conventions, laws and customs. For instance, the US Constitution espoused the national government's division into three branches: the legislative, the executive and the judiciary. The legislative branch creates the laws, the executive enforces the laws and the judicial branch interprets the laws. The colonial government has a similar structure. The governor headed the executive branch in each colony.

He was “appointed by the king in the royal colonies, named by the proprietor in the proprietary colonies, and chosen by the voters in the charter colonies. The governor was assisted by a council (appointed by the same agent that appointed the governor) in administering to the affairs of the colony. The governor (in the royal and proprietary colonies) can also exercise a suspensive (temporary) or full veto upon the colonial legislatures. The legislative branch in the colonial government was a bicameral unit that was tasked to enact laws.

It also had the authority to appoint several administrative officials, starting with the colonial treasurer. The judicial branch of the colonial government dealt with all cases in the colonies. Colonial judges were either appointed by the king or elected by the people, depending on the type of colony. They were tasked to provide colonists judicial rights that the British people enjoyed at home. Another long-held convention that the Americans used was the development of individual military institutions for each state. This ran parallel to Britain, which had separate military units for the colonies and the mother country. A civil war broke out in Britain in 1642, resulting in the abolition of the monarchy and the House of Lords and the relinquishment of power to General Oliver Cromwell and the army. Under Cromwell's dictatorship, the size of the military establishment under the British king was limited.

This had a negative effect on the colonies, where Cromwell's absolutism fueled distrust of standing armies and the employment of professional soldiers. To compensate for the lack of soldiers, the colonies resorted to citizen soldiers. A law passed in 1777 required able young men (except for slaves) to render military service to the colonies. They were trained in the basics of war and law enforcement and were also considered potential recruits for short military offensives in the frontier. Land grants were often provided in exchange for able soldiering, turning the military into an attractive prospect for laborers with no property of their own and their sons. But the American Revolution left some problems unresolved, if not created new ones. The Americans remained divided on the topic of slavery. Slavery was abolished in states where either slavery was minimal or was non-existent at all, such as in New England and Pennsylvania, respectively.

Even the South experienced pressure to rectify or even abolish the custom. All southern states except South Carolina and Georgia banned further importation of slaves from other countries, while South Carolina also prohibited slave trade during the war. Virginia created a law calling for manumission (the freeing of slaves). However, slavery still survived in all southern and border states. The American Revolution also did little to promote the rights of women. Although the war made it easier for women in some states to obtain divorces and allowed women in New Jersey to vote, they still remained inferior and dependent on men. They had no access to education and had no legal protection from abusive and tyrannical men. Married women had no property rights of their own, making it difficult for widows of revolutionaries to regain their dowries from their husbands' estate. Aside from the issues of slaver and the emancipation of women, the Americans had to deal with post-war economic depression as well.

The hostilities left Americans with a host of economic problems, such as shortage of currency, high taxes, nagging creditors, farm foreclosures and bankruptcies. Increasing poverty at this period led to rebellion and violence. On August 31, 1786, to avoid the trial and imprisonment of debtors, former war captain Daniel Shays led an armed throng and stopped the Northampton Court from observing a hearing (Shays was already an impoverished farmer at the time of the revolt). Shays and his followers later instigated several related uprisings. The American Revolution served as a model for later revolutions in Europe and Latin America. It served as the primary influence in the French Revolution (1798-1799), the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) and the South American wars of independence. But the most important lesson it taught was that while the oppressed can free themselves from a tyrant, they should ensure that they deserve the freedom that they won.

Cite this Page

The Birth of the American Nation. (2016, Jul 09). Retrieved from https://phdessay.com/the-birth-of-the-american-nation/

copy to clipboard