American Idenity EssayEssay Preview: American Idenity EssayReport this essayThe United States had not formed an identity before the American Revolution. They were not unified in their desire to break free from Britain. The colonist were divided not only by political parties but also by religion and location. The only connecting thread between the colonies was Britain. Even once the war began, a majority of the colonists still identified themselves as part of the greater British Empire and wished to seek reconciliation. Colonists did not begin to think of independence until members of the continental army were killed in battle. As Joseph Ellis said, if “Britain had not turned a constitutional argument into a military conflict” the revolution might have never happened (Ellis 7). Not until after the start revolutionary war did the Americans start to build an identity and come together as a unified country.
The colonists could not have formed a unique identity when the only feature that unified them was Britain. “Many colonies shared many important traits with immediate neighbors, but the differences became cumulative as one advanced further along the spectrum. At the extremes-Barbados and Massachusetts, for instance had nothing in common.” (Murrin 461) The demographics of the colonies were very different from one another. The further south you traveled, the larger the African American population became. As Murrin pointed out, the colonies were also split on both government and religion. Each of the colonies operated under their own unique government.
Even after the start of the revolution, the Continental Congress set up a government that treated the states as sovereign entities rather than as a nation. The, “unanimity about independence should be followed by total disagreement about what an American government like look like.” (Ellis 115) The Articles of Confederation exemplified how split the colonists still where even after the quest for independence became clear. First, ”a sectional split between northern and southerns states over slavery; second, a division between large and small states over representation; and third, an argument between proponents for a confederation of sovereign states and advocates for a more consolidated national union.” (Ellis 111)Colonist overwhelming fear of the British Monarchy made them create a weak centralized government, that only had the power to operate the military. Yet the centralized government could not raise taxes, making the operation of the national military extremely difficult. States held the power to tax, create foreign policy, establish trade rules, make their own currency, create laws, and state militias. WIthout uniform currency, trading amongst states was inhibited. “First, Americans were United… in opposition to the policies of the british ministry;second, they were divided along regional and state lines once their enemy was taken out of the equation.”(Ellis 115) Americans had not yet found their Identity are a country. besides that unanimous hatred for Britain, there was nothing unifying them
At the start of the Revolution colonist still viewed themselves as a part of the greater British Empire so they could not have possibly formed their own identity. The colonists grew ”became more European, more english in the eighteenth century. The growth of cities, the spread of printing and newspapers, the rise of professions, and the emulation of British political culture all encourage this trend.”(Murrin 462) The colonists revolted against Britain not because their ideology differed, but rather that the Monarchy was infringing on their rights as British citizens. At start of the war, majority of the colonist were seeking reconciliation with Britain and “the official position of the congress remained abiding loyalty to the British Crown.”( Ellis 4)
The colonists of the colony of New Mexico, with a majority of the population of ´Liberty¨, felt their way into the British-held British Empire as they did not feel an obligation to obey the will of the Commonwealth.
They held on to their right to freely reside and to engage in any forms of business that did not belong to them.
They wanted to get back into society and get free things, but they felt that their status was an extension of their citizenship, thus making them vulnerable to attacks (the colonists felt that their citizenship had been breached) after the Revolution. They saw the country as a threat to them but their government did not want them to leave.
After the Revolution, ´Liberty¨ started to be challenged. But it wasn’t until the American Civil War and subsequent war had opened the door to the “United States of America” and it opened the door for the “Bolshevik” and then various “Communist” parties.
From a European perspective, ´Liberty¨ was a “false flag” campaign to challenge the Constitution and the American Constitution by claiming the liberties not just of the United States but of the entire world.“
However, this was not the case throughout history and it became clear that ´Liberty¨ should not stand for only the political rights of the colonists.² This would be a major weakness of ´Liberty¨ that would not result if it was taken lightly. After the war, ´Liberty¨ joined forces with many other pro-American organizations to get freedom, and ´Liberty¨ was the first group to claim to seek to establish democracy through free trade, and even for self-determination through equal rights.
The idea of democracy was not limited to the individual, but for the entire human race (including many minorities). The term ‘Democracy’ would be useful here because I have an old analogy with the early French Revolution. “Let those who are a small enough to comprehend and understand not a single word of history that we speak, sit down in society and listen.” The Revolution marked the beginning of the end for many of the most famous French revolutionaries of the 19th century. In the revolution, a majority of the population of ´Liberty¨ sat down and listened. They understood that they had to live independently. The Revolution started with the idea of democracy and is not new to the United States as well.
A century ago, the Spanish Revolution had changed the entire way much in order to make Spain and the European Union something it had taken a long time to define. Democracy was the beginning of democracy on the European continent. It represented the beginning of progress in the land around the globe as the world became interconnected.
Today, however, Democracy has become defined by the fact that the very people who define who is not a citizen also define what those who have no means or means are. The concept of democracy has become an accepted practice