What is an American? Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â During the pre-revolutionary war era, the American colonists began to situation themselves increasingly as Americans, push throughing away from the English Culture and establishing themselves to act their permit identity element as American colonists. This was spawned by umpteen decades of salubrious neglect, during which the colonists developed their own identity, temporary hookup belt up recognizing themselves as moving in office of the British Empire but beginning to view themselves as divers(prenominal). The colonies soft began to unify, putting aside their petty differences, and pair British rule in many ways. The mixed bag from age which flourished on account of right neglect to years of stern popular opinion by superpower George tierce caused the colonists to mingle whole and obligate them to realize the juvenile identity while still desiring to extend part of the British Empire. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â The American colonies flourished chthonian Sir Robert Walpoles ideas of salutary neglect. This time period is best characterized by little to no British regulation over the colonies(Bailey, The American Pageant, 124). However, when this English insurance ended in 1762, marked by the end of the French and Indian war, Britain began to impose taxes on the colonists to indemnify for war debts and British troops in America and purely reinforce the already existing, yet ignored, Navigation Acts. Frustrated by the new British rule, the colonies fall in to defend their liberties against every(prenominal) nation on human race that tries to take them away, including Britain, and disagree their unfair preaching as Englishmen (Document C). They unifyd opposing such(prenominal) items as The Proclamation of 1763, The Currency Act, The moolah Act, The Quartering Act, The printing Act, The Tea Act, and The Intolerable Acts (Bailey, The American Pageant, 125-134). The underground o f these acts showed the colonies ability to ! unite and put and end to taxation without re putation. The colonists agnize that in order to have their grievances addressed by King George III and Parliament they ask to join fall inly as virtuoso(prenominal) or their cause would die out and be down(p) by the mighty British army (Document A). With compound sentiency in fountain spot the colonies began to unify as observe in the response to the Coercive Acts when Bostons bearing was closed. more colonies helped to assist the Bostonians by sending much needed supplies such as sheep, grain, corn, sheep, rice, etc. (Document G). This marked the beginning of compound mavin and the American identity separate from that of Britains. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â The startle Continental sexual congress in 1775 passed in a rejection of the Intolerable Acts, the system of compound militias, suspended trade with the British Empire, refusal to pay taxes, and a require for the redressing of grievances. The colonists insisted they had been forced by Britain to fight for the preservation of their liberties (Document E). The colonies were no commodious willing to undergo such unfair treatment from British rule. They were Englishmen, yet they didnt receive the rights of them. Thus, they began to join to beat upher against British rule. The spirit of single unified nation was present at the First Continental Congress during which it was stated that the colonies were with one mind resolved to die free men, rather that bed resembling slaves (Document E). Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â The harsh reinforcing of British oppression led the colonies to form a new identity based on their distinctive American culture. They slowly began to realize that Americans and Britains were two slayly different people and that they couldnt thrive in one empire. Is on that point a single Trait of Resemblance between those few Towns, and a great and growing people spread head over a vast quarter of the globe, separated from us by a mighty Ocean? (Document B). The British look ! was not one that supported the local American governments either, which were complete during salutary neglect and represented the American Identity. The culture of the Americans was a strange mixture of races which united many nationalities as a new race of men (Document H). As a root Americans snarl less loyal to the British government, which sought to bunk on them through strict governing. This aided in the administration of the American identity as a country no longer influenced by British rule.
        While the American identity and consistency was developing prior to the Revolutionary War many Am erican citizens couldnt betray their suffer country by forgetting their plight subjection to her. John Adams gives us the rule of one 3rd in which he states that approximately one one-third of the American population were patriots, one third loyalists, and one third indifferent. The loyalists didnt believe they had it all that bad and feared what they might get if they skint ties with Britain; the worst of which would be mob rule. At the First Continental Congress our founding fathers agreed that they had not increase armies with enterprising designs of separation from Great Britain, and establishing independent states (Document E). Even after(prenominal) the break out of war in the colonies many colonists still felt loyal to the crown, such as Mather Byles, which felt far to a greater extent loyal to the crown that to the American patriots (Document D). A good recitation of this is the loyal Olive break up petition during which the colonists pledged loyalty to the cr own and sought to repossess peace, even after clashe! s had already occurred in Lexington and Concord (Bailey, The American Pageant, 142-143). Some even ideal that the colonies were spoiled and well do by and that they rebelled against a parent who had exclusively done them good (Document F). Although thither were loyalists during this time-period the American spirit prevailed as the American identity and unity was established.         During the eve of the revolution the colonies were slowly discovering themselves. Throughout the dramatic change from salutary neglect to unapprehensive British rule the colonies united and began to protest and resent British rule. While loyalty to the mother country was still without a doubt present the authoritative American identity began to reach out which would set the salute for the revolutionary war during which America would bring out as a strong unified nation with a new identity. Bailey, The American Pageant If you want to g et a spacious essay, order it on our website:
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