The Birth of the American Nation

The Ameri potful Revolution was not only a battle against the British it was in like manner a diaphragm of transition from a colony to a newly-formed country. Belonging to country that was besides liberated from compound rule, the Americans attempted to apply revolutionary ideology to the grammatical construction of their nation and the making of their society.They managed to do so by first basing the resolving power of Independence on political freedom, societal tolerance and economic opportunity. (http//www. megaessays. com, n. d.) political freedom played a huge influence on the ideas and ambitions of the revolutionaries and also resulted in social tolerance and economic opportunity. (http//www. megaessays. com, n. d. )Hence, the Declaration of Independence was not a promise or an excuse to wage state of struggle with Britain it was a challenge to the Americans to preserve their sovereignty and buzz off as a nation. (http//www. megaessays. com, n. d. ) govern manpowerta l freedom for the 13 colonies meant breaking away from England and being able to develop a sense of individuation and a sense of self-govern manpowert. (http//megaessays. com, n. d. ) Sense of identity and a sense of self-government referred to a central government that they themselves elect and in whose affairs they have a say. (http//megaessays. com, n. d. ) Indeed, the insufficiency of political imitation angered the Americans more than any opposite atrocity committed against them by the British. (http//megaessays. com, n. d. ) The absence of their opinion in government policy-making allowed the British to reenact unjust laws, such as the Sugar operate (1764) and the mold Act (1765).The Sugar Act imposed a three-cent tax on merchandise refined sugar and increased taxes on coffee, indigo and certain types of wine. (http//www. socialstudiesforkids. com, n. d. ) Meanwhile, the cast Act required taxation for every printed paper that American colonists used. (http//www. soci alstudiesforkids. com, n. d. ) With the 13 colonies free from the grasp of the British government, the Americans then proceeded to create laws that promoted economic and social liberty. On March 1, 1784, Thomas Jefferson proposed a prohibition on slaveholding in the entire United States afterward 1800 (this was narrowly defeated).(http//www. historyplace. com, n. d. ) On whitethorn 8, 1785, the US Congress passed the Land Ordinance of 1785, which divided the northwest territories into townships secure at 6 square miles, subdivided into 36 lots of 640 acres distributively, with each lot selling for no less than $640. (http//www. historyplace. com, n. d. ) Thomas Jeffersons Ordinance of religious Freedom (1786) dictated that no man may be constrained to attend or support any church or be discriminated against because of his religious preference. (http//www. historyplace. com, n. d.) The first amendment to the US Constitution was later patterned after this regulation. (http//www. historyplace. com, n. d. ) Despite their nations independence, the Americans continued using some long-held conventions, laws and customs. For instance, the US Constitution espoused the internal governments division into three differentiatees the legislative, the administrator and the judiciary. The legislative branch creates the laws, the executive enforces the laws and the judicial branch interprets the laws. The colonial government has a similar structure. The governor headed the executive branch in each colony.He was appointed by the king in the imperial colonies, named by the proprietor in the proprietary colonies, and chosen by the voters in the charter colonies. (www. grazian-archive. com, n. d. ) The governor was assisted by a council (appointed by the same agent that appointed the governor) in administering to the affairs of the colony. The governor (in the royal and proprietary colonies) can also exercise a suspensive (temporary) or full veto upon the colonial legis latures. The legislative branch in the colonial government was a bicameral unit that was tasked to enact laws.It also had the trust to appoint several administrative officials, starting with the colonial treasurer. (www. grazian-archive. com, n. d) The judicial branch of the colonial government dealt with all cases in the colonies. Colonial judges were both appointed by the king or elected by the people, depending on the type of colony. They were tasked to provide colonists judicial rights that the British people enjoyed at home. (www. grazian-archive. com, n. d) other long-held convention that the Americans used was the development of individual military institutions for each state.(http//www. americanrevolution. com, n. d. ) This ran collimate to Britain, which had separate military units for the colonies and the mother country. (http//www. americanrevolution. com, n. d. ) A civil war bust out in Britain in 1642, resulting in the abolition of the monarchy and the House of Lor ds and the relinquishment of power to General Oliver Cromwell and the army. (http//www. americanrevolution. com, n. d. ) Under Cromwells dictatorship, the size of the military establishment under(a) the British king was limited.This had a negative effect on the colonies, where Cromwells absolutism fueled distrust of standing armies and the employment of professional soldiers. (http//www. americanrevolution. com, n. d. ) To compensate for the lack of soldiers, the colonies resorted to citizen-soldiers. (http//www. americanrevolution. com, n. d. ) A law passed in 1777 required able young men (except for slaves) to render military service to the colonies. They were trained in the basics of war and law enforcement and were also considered potential recruits for short military offensives in the frontier.Land grants were oft provided in exchange for able soldiering, turning the military into an attractive outlook for laborers with no property of their own and their sons. (http//www. a mericanrevolution. com, n. d. ) But the American Revolution leave some problems unresolved, if not created new ones. The Americans remained divided on the topic of slavery (Brinkley150). Slavery was abolished in states where either slavery was minimal or was non-existent at all, such as in New England and Pennsylvania, respectively (Brinkley 150).Even the South go through pressure to rectify or even abolish the custom. All Confederate states except South Carolina and Georgia banned further importation of slaves from other countries, while South Carolina also prohibited slave trade during the war (Brinkley 150). Virginia created a law calling for manumission (the freeing of slaves) (Brinkley 150). However, slavery still survived in all southern and border states. The American Revolution also did subaltern to promote the rights of women.Although the war made it easier for women in some states to obtain divorces and allowed women in New Jersey to vote, they still remained inferior and dependent on men (Brinkley 147). They had no access to education and had no legal protection from disgraceful and tyrannical men (Brinkley 146). Married women had no property rights of their own, making it unenviable for widows of revolutionaries to regain their dowries from their husbands estates (Brinkley 147). Aside from the issues of slaver and the emancipation of women, the Americans had to deal with post-war economic opinion as well.(http//www. historyplace. com, n. d. ) The hostilities left Americans with a host of economic problems, such as shortage of currency, high taxes, nagging creditors, farm foreclosures and bankruptcies. (http//www. historyplace. com, n. d. ) Increasing poverty at this period led to rebellion and violence. On August 31, 1786, to avoid the runnel and imprisonment of debtors, former war captain Daniel Shays led an armed jampack and stopped the Northampton Court from observing a hearing (Shays was already an necessitous farmer at the time of th e revolt).Shays and his followers later instigated several cogitate uprisings. The American Revolution served as a model for later revolutions in Europe and Latin America. It served as the primary influence in the french Revolution (1798-1799), the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) and the South American wars of independence (Venezuela 1811 genus Argentina 1810 and Chile 1810). But the most important lesson it taught was that while the oppressed can free themselves from a tyrant, they should ensure that they deserve the freedom that they won. Works Cited Brinkley, Alan.A survey American History. New York McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007. Essay on Declaration of Independence and American History. n. d. Megaessays. com. 16 January 2007 . Sugar Act. n. d. Social Studies for Kids. 15 January 2008 . A Summary of the 1765 Stamp Act. n. d. Colonial Williamsburg. 15 January 2008 . A New Nation 1784 to 1790. n. d. The History Place. 15 January 2008. Three Branches of Government. n. d. Uta h Education Network. 15 January 2008 . Early American Governments and the Confederation. n. d. Grazian-Archive. com. 15 January 2008 . The US Army and the Founding of the Republic. n. d. AmericanRevolution. com 16 January 2008 .