The Causes and Consequences of the American Revolution

The Transformational Centuries

The eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries were defined by radical transformations in the societal, political, and economic sectors. The American, French, and Haitian Revolutions altered the course of political and societal history within the respective countries. Similarly, the Industrial Revolution changed several aspects of how humans worked, lived and consumed and thus, changed the global history in meaningful ways. New ideologies emerged during these revolution eras as people sought to make sense of the major modifications that were happening in their daily lives.

American Revolution- Causes

The American Revolution is also commonly termed as the Revolutionary War. The Revolution happened between the years 1775 to 1783. This was as a result of a progressively growing tension between the residents of Great Britain 13 North American colonies and the then government. Some of those causes of the Revolution include; the then British Government made an effort to try and raise revenue by taxing the 13 colonies, for instance, the Tea Act of 1773, the Stamp Act of 1765 and the Townshend Tariffs of 1767. All of these attempts were met with great resistance from the residents of the colonies even as they demanded the same rights and equal parliament representation as the other British citizen (Kelly, 2018).

In the years leading to the Revolution, soldiers and officials were awarded unlimited control over the colonies. This facilitated corruption, and it did not sit well with the residents due to the unlawful acts that the soldiers and officials were exercising. The “Writs of Assistance” gave the officials the mandate to search peoples businesses, homes, warehouses, and ships and seize properties that they considered illegal or smuggled goods (Kelly, 2018). However, most of these officials abused the powers and became increasingly corrupt, thus prompting resistance from the residents. The third cause was the unjustified criminal justice system. After six officers of the British Government and two more acquitted of their charges, the British Government sought to change the rules. Accused officials would be tried in England henceforth. This then meant that there were fewer or no witnesses which thus lead to fewer convictions. The colonists could no longer access free trial, hence the resistance.

Effects of American Revolution

The Revolution brought forth several significant changes in the economic, political and cultural/societal sectors of the Americans. These were all in an effort to formulate what the leaders deemed an ideal society. Politically, the experienced a set back since there was no formally established system of governance. This caused them to revert to the British governance system. However, over time they the drafted the constitution. The most important aspect of the constitution was the checks and balances of the government and the residents in order to facilitate a functional society. Additionally, there was a spur of the first American party system, the federalist and non-Federalists. The Federalists were more inclined to a loose constructionist that allowed for varied interpretation of the constitution and the non-Federalist that believed in word by word adherence.

Cultural/social changes that were witnessed majorly focused on women and slaves. Several slaves were set free. Although women’s suffrage took a while to actualize, the end of the Revolution greatly facilitated gender equality. Women no longer wanted to play the housewife roles and sought to participate in the matters of the nation (History Lover, 2013). Economic impacts were not directly felt immediately after the Revolution. Nonetheless, in the promotion of agriculture, the Philadelphia Society issued a medal that indicated “Venerate the Plough”. Although it served to show the rewards the rich gave to the less fortunate, it acted as an encouragement. This is as a result of the message that it promoted that the U.S. was a land full of fertility, abundance, and freedom.

Liberalism in the American Revolutions

Liberalism is basically a moral and political philosophy that is based on the equality and liberty of the people. The ideology considers protecting and promoting human freedom in several aspects such as speech, that the people hold sovereignty, and that the government acts according to the people’s demands. The liberalism ideas were essentially significant during the Revolution. For instance, the colonies were adamantly convinced that they deserved equal representation in the parliament as well as had similar rights as their fellow especially since they were under the authority of the same government (McPetrie, 2010). Further, the resistance to the Acts that had been established at the time led the liberalists to take up weapons against the government since they held the perception that that was justified in cases where the government failed to honor its service to the people. Liberalism was a great success as it led to the Declaration of Independence for America. Henceforth, America became the first country whose government powers rested with its people and as such was formulated to serve its electorate. Similarly, the liberalism ideas sought to diminish government autocracy by imposing liberal ideas (McPetrie, 2010).

Consequences of industrialization

The industrialization of the 19th to 20th centuries had several benefits as well as challenges to offer. For instance, there were great milestones made regarding technological advancement. Henry Ford released the first ever car. This was the beginning of automobile inventions and innovations. Additionally, it was during this period that entertainment technologies, as well as computers that enhanced peoples’ lives, were invented (Kellydog10, 2010). These technologies facilitated efficiency and convenience in the way people learned and lived. Other significant technological improvements were evidenced in the medical sector.

Socially the most significant consequence of industrialization impacted on women. Women were granted more rights. For instance, according to “Document 6: Women At Work” women were able to find more jobs contribute considerably to the economy of the nation as well as become self-sufficient. They were more independent and did not experience the pressure to find financial support or social status through marriage (Kellydog10, 2010). Besides technological and social changes there were also economic impacts of the industrialization. At the time there were booming activities. Production scale increased significantly impacting trade among people. Several individuals shifted from agriculture to manufacturing, with several businessmen and investors willing to stake their finances. These activities improved people’s lives significantly.

References

History Lovers, 2013. Political, social, and economic change after the American Revolution. Retrieved from https://www.teenink.com/nonfiction/academic/article/591066/Political-Social-and-Economic-Change-after-the-American-Revolution/ on 20th Aug 2018.

Kelly Martin, 2018. The Root Causes of the American Revolution. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/causes-of-the-american-revolution-104860 on 20th Aug 2018.

Kellydog10, 2010. The Positives of Industrialization on U.S. Society in the Late 19th

Century/ Early 20th Century. Retrieved from http://www.teenink.com/nonfiction/academic/article/265309/The-Positives-of-Industrialization-on-US-Society-In-the-Late-19th-Century-Early-20th-Century/ on 20th Aug 2018

McPetrie Callum, 2010. Liberalism and the American Revolution. Retrieved from http://www.solopassion.com/node/7412 on 20th Aug 2018.