What Made The American Revolution - Free Essay Example

What made the American Revolution, so revolutionary was the independence America gained after defeating Great Britain, and the disappearance of nobility thereafter. Because America had won the war, change had swept the nation unlike ever before. America officially becoming a republic after breaking away from Great Britain, which at the time of the revolution had been a constitutional monarchy. Although slavery still continued, free black men were allowed the right to vote. Furthermore, as an independent nation America no longer had to comply with the regulations of Navigation Acts. As a result of newfound independence, America broke away from Great Britain becoming a democracy, allowing people the right to vote, and no longer having to abide by the Navigation Acts, changing America from a colony to a nation. After the Revolutionary War, political structures in America began to change. Due to America breaking away from Great Britain and adopting a new political system, a republic. Additionally, it allowed free blacks and white males the right to vote, although it typically was rich white males that would vote. At the same time nobility had started to quickly disappear seeing that Great Britain had lost the war with America, no longer holding the same power they once did during Colonial America. On top of that there is also the Royal Proclamation of 1763, an event in Colonial America that had changed, because of the revolution. To begin with, the Royal Proclamation of 1763 was the halt of westward expansion into West America by the British. Specifically, to avoid further confrontation with Native Americans and to focus more on trade, dismissing the American desire to expand west. With the Royal Proclamation ending after American independence, countless Americans strived to gain land outside the thirteen colonies. Notably, at the same time of these political changes the roles of women remained the same. Therefore, it is clear that after the Revolutionary War, there were important political changes such as Americas new republic, the right to vote, the receding of nobility, and the Royal Proclamation of 1763 but, the role of women had stayed the same and for the most part blacks as well. Not only did America experience political change strongly but changed economically as well. In fact Americans no longer had to follow the Navigation Acts, a series of English laws issued in 1651 that regulated trade between English ships and other countries, namely the Dutch. Therefore America could trade with whoever they pleased. However not all change was good considering that America had thrown itself into debts, having spent all their money towards the war effort. Among economic problems was the Articles of Confederation, drafted by Congress in 1777, which allowed Congress to coin money but lacked the power to collect taxes and regulate commerce. Although multiple economic structures changed slavery had stayed the same due to it being an important part of the economy and American society. Which consisted of three distinct slave systems, tobacco based, rice-based, and non plantation, well-established in the colonial era. Tobacco based plantation slavery and the Chesapeake made up of large planters, yeoman farmers, indentured servants, and slaves. Rice-based Plantation slavery in South Carolina and Georgia focusing on the production of rice with a high number of slaves. On the other hand in non plantation societies, slavery was less important seeing that slaves did not pose a threat to the white majority. Even though slavery is an economic structure it is also a social or cultural structure. Since the most common aspect African-Americans shared was not origin, race, or even language, but in fact slavery. In the Chesapeake, slaves learn English, experienced the Great Awakening, and were laid bare to white culture. In South Carolina and Georgia slave communities maintained notable African cultural aspects such as, child naming and language. It is also important to note that some things did change socially, but not to the degree that it did politically. Though slavery stayed, the significance on the status of slavery began to change. The revolution having exposed the irony of Americans crying out for liberty while they had been enslaving countless Africans before and during the war. In fact in the North steps were taken between 1777 and 1804 toward emancipation, the process of being freed from legal social and political restrictions. After the war free black communities emerged along with the arrival of their own churches, schools, and leaders. Also free blacks were allowed to the right to vote but because of the Three-Fifths Clause they were represented as not a whole person but as three fifths of one. The roles of women from the colonial era up to the Early Republic how little change. For instance go coverture, the legal Authority the husband had over the wife, remained untouched in the new nation. Legally and socially women lacked the opportunity for solvency bus like the qualification of political participation such as the right to vote. Women played an important role by training future citizens or otherwise known as children. Furthermore despite changes after the Revolutionary War politics has still remained a mans world.