American revolution 4
American revolution 4Throughout the history of human existence, revolutions have been as common as the changing of the seasons. Usually, revolutions come a bout from a radical sect of people would disagree with the status quo and rebel, sometimes very violently, against their government. The American Revolution stands apart from these because it was a conservative revolution, one that people rebel against their government for disrupting the status quo. The conservative nature of the American Revolution is evident when the areas of politics, social change, and economics are examined.
The colonists' response to British actions in the area of politics definitely illustrates the conservative attitude of the colonies towards most actions of the British government. The first example of Britain altering the status quo in the area of politics was the Proclamation of 1763. This piece of legislature was created in response to Pontiac's rebellion. The Proclamation drew an imaginary line on the Appalachian crest and stated that Indians must remain to the west of that line and the colonists to the east. This angered the colonists because it put their western claims under royal control and severely limiting their expansion. Another legislation that promoted the violation of the colonists' rights was the writ of assistance. A writ of assistance is a general search warrant permitting customs officers to search any ship or building where stolen goods where thought to be. The evil in this law lies in the fact that no evidence of probable cause is necessary to search. The writs cut down heavily on smuggling but at the price of the colonists' privacy. By far, the best examples of the Parliament altering the status quo to serve them better are the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, and the Townshend Duties. These taxes put the burden on the colonies to pay for things like military expenses, the national debt, and the salaries of royal governors. These taxes were set at a very moderate rate but two aspects of these taxes upset the colonists. First of all, violators of the taxes were tried without juries. The second and probably the most significant reason for the American Revolution was that the colonies were being taxed without being represented in Parliament. The need for representation is not a radical idea at all; it is the basis of a republic. The colonists' demands were not preposterous; they just did not want to be contributing money to finance a government in which they do not participate. Many colonists and even some English people disagreed with the policy of British taxation. The British thought it made sense because they believed in virtual representation. Eventually, due to the high degree of colonial protest, parliament repealed the Sugar Act, Stamp Act, and most of the Townshend Duties. After the repeal of the Stamp Act, Parliament attempts to legislate over the philosophical differences between England and the colonies by passing the Declaratory Act. This told the colonies that Parliament could legislate for them in all cases (including taxes). This act did not have any effect on the colonies because it did not chance the fact that Britain was extorting money out of the colonies without giving them a voice. Another example the conservative political nature of this revolution is the absence of physical violence against government officials. Groups such as the Sons of Liberty did lead protests but they did not let any of their members carry weapons. This group made their point by damaging property. The last example of the colonists' conservative attitude is the Olive Branch Petition. The Olive Branch Petition was written (in very polite language) by John Dickinson just after the beginning of the war demanding three things: a cease-fire at Boston, repeal of the Coercive Acts, and negotiations about American rights. The King refused to even read it.
By observing colonial society after the Revolutionary War, it is evident that the revolution was conservative. The first example is the issue of slavery. Leaders did not attempt to even discuss any sort of abolition in the south for fear that it would succeed or the United States would go bankrupt. In the North, a gradual abolition was placed in effect but that did not make any difference for two reasons. First, the vast majority slaves lived in the South so a few freed slaves in the North do not make much difference for the whole cause. Second, freed slaves lived as second-class citizens and still remained living in conditions like those of slavery or worse. Another issue is women's rights. The revolution gave now new political rights to women and still treated them as inferior and subordinate to the male figures in their lives. The final social issue is that of Native Americans. The revolution offered this minority no hope of retaining a semblance of cultural of political independence. In conclusion, the revolution was socially conservative because it did not limit or challenge social distinctions and class distinctions, racism, and subordination of women continued to be part of everyday life.
The last area in which the conservative spirit of the American Revolution is demonstrated is economics. The colonies are happy with the status quo, they like the support they get from Britain. The first economic blows from Britain are the Navigation Acts. They were created to indirectly stimulate the economic growth of the British Empire by controlling the trade habits of the North American colonies. The colonies also benefited from the Navigation Acts; their economy grew at a percapita rate of 0.6% (twice that of Britain). The colonists still protested because tobacco and rice exporters income was reduced and the price of non- British goods was increased. Another issue is what happened directly after England won the Seven Years War. Because Britain gained so much land, it needed soldiers and money to maintain it. Some of the tax burden to raise the funds for the government and soldiers was put on the colonies. They saw this as an economic intrusion and a dangerous demonstration of tyrannical power. The most significant example of conservative economic values is the colonists' response to the Tea Act. The Tea Act gave a monopoly on tea to the British East India Company, which was going bankrupt. It also permitted the company to sell its tea directly to consumers without going through wholesalers. This part greatly angered and economically hurt merchants. The act as a whole infuriated many colonists because they knew the money from the Tea Act was going to pay royal governors and they felt that Britain was punishing them for their love of tea. To protest the Tea Act, colonists boycotted British tea, men that worked on docks would not let British East India Company ships touch the dock, and the Sons of Liberty threw the Boston Tea Party.
The British government infringing on the rights and philosophies of their North American colonies caused the American Revolution. The colonists fought and protested to conserve their violated rights. The American revolution was definitely conservative because it stemmed from a mass of people supporting and fighting for their God given rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness which are all traditional values.