Why The Colonists United

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. The Colonists system of beliefs was different to the English. Living an ocean apart allowed for these grievances to be put aside. 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 get the colonies together as seen in the illustration, there were propagandist photos that predicted the ultimate result some twenty 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 put down the situation that resulted in the ongoing problem that became the American Revolution.

Creating an identity proved to be quite a problem for the Americans. As Crevocuer mentions, he recognizes the obvious European fall, but also acknowledges the "metamorphosis" of a new type of people. Upon grasping the change, it became clear that the problem of having the English govern people who have altered from their ideals would not be easily solved. The situation was made worse with the continued negative attitude of the British and the better mentality they held regarding the colonists. Burke, poses the related dilemma of governing the colonists in the same way as the English, but fails to recognize the problem fully. He believes the better people that make up the British colonization are too good for the colonies.

Developing the growing resentment of the British and the formation of a uniform identity, the Colonists were now int a point to unify against the British. The calling of the First Continental Congress in 1775 provided the first meeting 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. Though, this step of legal action is important in that it was a unified step toward the eventual calling of arms during the Revolution. There were also other events that led directly in the mounting hostilities of the revolution. The establishment of certain taxes and acts