American Revolution and Adams’ Understanding

One significant difference between Rush’s understanding of the American Revolution and Adams’ understanding is that Adams believed the war was a consequence of the revolution, while Rush saw it as the beginning of a revolutionary era. Adam’s point of view was that the ideals of the revolution had been built upon for decades and that it had already been decided by the people that the revolution would be successful before the war even started. Rush on the other hand, saw the revolution as a development in which American government would continue to grow and change in the years following the war. The issuing of the Declaration of Independence can be used to support Adams’ interpretation. The Declaration outlined a list of grievances which had pushed Americans towards the revolution. These grievances were the result of many represents of the colonies by the parliament, including significantly, taxation without representation. The colonists had united in resistance to these grievances in the years leading up to the Declaration. They had developed a sense of identity and unity through boycotts, intercolonial communication and extra-legal bodies such as the Continental Congresses that made the break with Great Britain inevitable. The Declaration of Independence can be seen as the final straw following a long period of resistance and rebellion towards The Constitutional Convention supports Rush’s interpretation. The initial governing principles of the United States were the Articles of Confederation, which emphasized state sovereignty and a loosely bound Union. However, many issues arose from the lack of a strong central government, including the inability to resolve issues between states and the difficulty of modifying the Articles. The development of a new governing policy, under the Constitution, is an example of how the American government continued to revolutionize and build upon itself, long after the war was over. The Constitution provided for