The American Revolution is 250 years old
The American Revolution. also known as the American War of Independence, didn’t all happen on one day but people usually date it from the 4th July 1776 when the 13 British colonies declared independence. The causes of discontent had been building up for decades. In fact, there had been fighting on several occasions before the declaration was made. The ensuing conflict lasted several years and officially ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1783.
What is there to cheer about?
Some historians claim that the American War of Independence was unlike most previous wars because it was about principles rather than land, although the control of the land was one important issue in that war. What principles?
Independence
The American Revolution happened because the people wanted to govern themselves and not be merely parts of the British Empire run from London.
Liberty
The Americans claimed it was about liberty, but not everyone agreed then, or agrees now, as to what that word actually means. For some, it seems to have meant lawlessness. For others it meant living under laws the people agreed upon, rather than those imposed from elsewhere.
Democracy
Not only did Americans want to be free from King George and the British parliament, but to reject all aristocracy and inherited power. It was many years later that President Abraham Lincoln was to coin the phrase government of the people, for the people, by the people, but the sentiment was there in 1776. It included the concept of equality, because nobody should be inherently more important than anyone else.
Why only two cheers for the American Revolution?
Why would I or anyone not give a wholehearted welcome to the ideas of independence, liberty and democracy? Are they not principle we all share? Do we not rejoice that the American Revolution eventually succeeded?
Slavery
The Americans did not believe in liberty or equality for slaves. Their liberation had to wait for almost another century. Attitudes to freed slaves seems to have varied. Some Americans apparently regarded them as fellow citizens, but others thought of them as second class. There were arguments as to whether slaves should be asked to join in the War of Independence and many Americans were furious when the British offered freedom to any slaves who fought for them. Nobody seems to have asked what the slaves thought.
Native Americans
Freedom, democracy and all the benefits of the American Revolution never applied to Native Americans. In fact, one of the complaints the Americans had against the British Government was that the latter tried to limit settlement westwards into ‘Indian Territory’, because the British were concerned to avoid an ‘Indian War’. Various Native American nations fought on one side or the other – or neither – during the War of Independence, as they had different views as to whether they would benefit from independence rather than continued British rule.
The new aristocracy
The Americans did abolish hereditary titles. However, they did not challenge inherited wealth and the expression ‘money talks’ comes from America. Certain rich families dominated American politics from the start. Some people from poor backgrounds have succeeded in various walks of life in the USA, but that is true in Britain and most of Europe, The expressions old money and new money show that class distinction exists there as elsewhere. You don’t want to be born on the wrong side of the tracks.
What about the British?
Some commentators on the American Revolution say very little about the British point of view. Were the British simply oppressors and enemies of social and political progress? Were the Americans’ grievances and demands justified?
Blame the Seven Years’ War!
The British fought the French and Spanish in the 1750’s and 60’s for possession of North America and various other places. English-speaking Americans would not have been better off if France or Spain had won. The British Government tried to recover some of the cost of the war by taxing Americans. They also had to pay ongoing costs to keep defending the colonies. They saw the Americans’ objections to paying as unreasonable.
No taxation without representation!
That was the principal complaint, which set the two sides on collision course. Americans paid some taxes to the governments of the individual colonies and others to the British Government. They claimed the former were accountable to the people whilst the latter were not, as the colonies did not send representatives to Westminster. They argued they were being taxed twice. But then, as now, in Britain people paid taxes to central government and different taxes to their local authorities and in the USA there are federal, state and local taxes.
I am surprised there were no negotiations between the British and Americans to agree a sensible solution to paying for the costs in question before attitudes hardened.
By the way, I question whether everyone in each American colony had a say in its government. Women, Native Americans and slaves certainly did not. Did they pay taxes?
Britain moved towards democracy anyway
Britain was more democratic and recognised human rights to a greater extent than most countries in 1776. Since then, there has been a steady – or unsteady – movement towards democracy. That does not mean there is no need for further reform of our system of government, as I have said in a previous post. I wonder if the Americans might have achieved their objectives without a war or revolution if they had worked with many British people who were wanting progress?
Could the issues of the American Revolution have been resolved by better communication without the need for a war?
What about Canada?
If British rule in America was intolerable, why did Canadians not join the revolutionaries in 1776? (I know the name Canada wasn’t in use then, but you get the point). Strangely, Canadians have recently voted against joining the United States and value their connections with Britain. They acquired self-government without needing a war.
What did the American Revolution mean for France?
Louis XVI was an absolute monarch and was not planning on turning France into a democracy. His aim in supporting the American Revolution was to harm Britain and grab a few other bits of empire, rather than to help the Americans. The outcome was the opposite, and the cost of the war to France, on top of the cost of the Seven Years’ War was to bankrupt the royal treasury and hasten the French Revolution. What an own goal!
What did the American Revolution mean for the rest of the World?
The ideas debated during the American Revolution were to spread around the World and influenced revolutions and gradual reforms in many countries. Perhaps they were the real beneficiaries of the American Revolution?
So I give two cheers for the American Revolution!!
Want to know more?
I am enjoying the in-depth study of this topic in the documentary produced by Ken Burns, who looks at all the issues from many points of view. It’s worth it if you have the stamina. For a quick look, you could do worse than look at Lucy Worsley’s more personal take on the subject. Or you could go to go to Wikipedia.