November 13, 2006
The American Revolution?
Some historians have referred to the period in American history from 1770
to 1781 as the American Revolution, and claim that the United States was born out
of revolutionary principles.
A revolution begins when political or social problems that involve a large
segment of the society) are affecting people’s lives in different ways at different
levels. This large part of the population has to agree to overturn the problem’s
cause (normally the reigning political power or government), by replacing it with a
new order of society and its consequential new government, laws and
organization.
To understand the English American colonies during the eighteenth century,
we have to talk about the changes in the social structure, political philosophy,
business and industry that were taking place at the time. Colonialist communities
had their own local elections in which they chose men from the upper classes to be
their legislative representatives before the War of Independence, so colonists
already had a political culture of their own due to the lack of vigilance and
punitive power of England over their colonies. After the English victory in the
French and Indian War, American colonists started to experience a change in the
influence of England in their business and local affairs which affected their own
local order and economy. The British had begun to
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impose a series of taxes and the mercantile agenda due to the high debts and
expenses of the British government after the end of the war with France.
The English point of view was that it was fair for the colonies to contribute
and pay for their debts by paying taxes, but colonists hated taxes and the intrusion
of the British Parliament in their own affairs, especially since Americans were not
even represented in the Parliament. Only legislatures elected by their own people
could motivate them to pay taxes or obey any other kind of oppressive new law.
The...