American Idenity Essay

The United States had not formed an identity before the American Revolution. They were not unified in their desire to break free from Britain. The colonist were divided not only by political parties but also by religion and location. The only connecting thread between the colonies was Britain. Even once the war began, a majority of the colonists still identified themselves as part of the greater British Empire and wished to seek reconciliation. Colonists did not begin to think of independence until members of the continental army were killed in battle. As Joseph Ellis said, if “Britain had not turned a constitutional argument into a military conflict” the revolution might have never happened (Ellis 7). Not until after the start revolutionary war did the Americans start to build an identity and come together as a unified country.

The colonists could not have formed a unique identity when the only feature that unified them was Britain. “Many colonies shared many important traits with immediate neighbors, but the differences became cumulative as one advanced further along the spectrum. At the extremes-Barbados and Massachusetts, for instance had nothing in common.” (Murrin 461) The demographics of the colonies were very different from one another. The further south you traveled, the larger the African American population became. As Murrin pointed out, the colonies were also split on both government and religion. Each of the colonies operated under their own unique government.

Even after the start of the revolution, the Continental Congress set up a government that treated the states as sovereign entities rather than as a nation. The, “unanimity about independence should be followed by total disagreement about what an American government like look like.” (Ellis 115) The Articles of Confederation exemplified how split the colonists still where even after the quest for independence became clear. First, ”a sectional split between northern and southerns states over slavery; second, a division between large and small states over representation; and third, an argument between proponents for a confederation of sovereign states and advocates for a more consolidated national union.” (Ellis 111)Colonist overwhelming fear of the British Monarchy made them create a weak centralized government, that only had the power to operate the military. Yet the centralized government could not raise taxes, making the operation of the national military extremely difficult. States held the power to tax, create foreign policy, establish trade rules, make their own currency, create laws, and state militias. WIthout uniform currency, trading amongst states was inhibited. “First, Americans were United… in opposition to the policies of the british ministry;second, they were divided along regional and state lines once their enemy was taken out of the equation.”(Ellis 115) Americans had not yet found their Identity are a country. besides that unanimous hatred for Britain, there was nothing unifying them

At the start of the Revolution colonist still viewed themselves as a part of the greater British Empire so they could not have possibly formed their own identity. The colonists grew ”became more European, more english in the eighteenth century. The growth of cities, the spread of printing and newspapers, the rise of professions, and the emulation of British political culture all encourage this trend.”(Murrin 462) The colonists revolted against Britain not because their ideology differed, but rather that the Monarchy was infringing on their rights as British citizens. At start of the war, majority of the colonist were seeking reconciliation with Britain and “the official position of the congress remained abiding loyalty to the British Crown.”( Ellis 4)