The American Revolution

James Slevin

By the eve of the revolution, 1750 to 1776, the colonists struggled to develop a sense of identity and unity. Parliament began making laws and restrictions on the colonies that in their belief was unfair. All of these events led the colonists develop a sense of identity which was freedom.

The American Revolution was a product of years of mounting grievances that culminated in an uncontrollable situation. From the outset, the Colonists system of beliefs was contrary to the English. Living an ocean apart allowed for these grievances to be put aside temporarily. However, as the situation grew to be insulting, the Colonists realized that they needed to organize their efforts in order to introduce any real change. In an attempt to unify the colonies, as seen in the illustration, there were propagandist illustrations that predicted the ultimate outcome some 20 years before the actual revolution: "Join or die." Seeing as how this form of unification wasn't successful, Colonists soon realized that they needed to form an identity behind which each colony could relate to and rally around. It was this progress, and the failure of the British to diplomatically quell the situation that resulted in the ongoing problem that became the American Revolution.

Creating an identity proved to be quite a dilemma for the Americans. As Crevocuer mentions, he recognizes the clear European descent, but also acknowledges the "metamorphosis" of a new type of people. Upon realizing the change, it became clear that the problem of having the English govern people who have transformed from their ideals would not be easily solved. The situation was made worse with the continued negative outlook of the British and the superior mentality they held regarding the Colonists. Burke poses the relevant dilemma of governing the colonists in the same manner as the English, but fails to recognize the problem accurately. He believes the vastly superior people that make up the British Empire are too good for the colonies.

Utilizing the growing resentment of the British and the creation of a uniform identity, the Colonists were now in a position to unify against the British. The calling of the First Continental Congress in 1775 provided the first gathering of multiple colonies in an effort to make changes. The Declaration for the Causes of Taking up Arms exhibits the initial calling to arms that still proposed an idea of a forgiving conclusion. However, this step of legal action is significant in that it was a unified step toward the eventual calling of arms during the Revolution. There were also other events that aided directly in the mounting hostilities of the revolution. The establishment of certain taxes