...Similarities of the American and French Revolutions Occurring during the latter half of the 18th Century, the American and French Revolution were linked through similar circumstances and ideals. Born out of dire economic conditions and a desire for liberty, they both brought about constitutionalism in their respective nations. Just prior to the Revolutions, the citizens in both France and America were suffering under the weight of tax burdens. Along with the immense influence of the Enlightenment ideals of the time, out of both revolutions formal documents were written addressing the natural rights of citizens. The first similarity that can be seen in the American and French Revolutions was the presence of social unrest due to the imposition of taxes levied by their respective monarchies. America, as a colony under British rule was subject to taxes levied on them, without representation. The British Parliament was passing taxes to be levied against the colonists without them having constituents present in Parliament. This was particularly concerning to the American colonists, as this new pattern of collecting “unprecedented amounts of revenue” went against the precedent of prior “colonial-imperial relations.” (The Seven Years War to the American Revolution) Likewise, the French suffered under the “burden of a grossly inequitable system of taxation.” (French Revolution) As a result of the Seven Years War, both the British and the French monarchy enacted...
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...The Assignment I have chosen is a project called the “American Revolution”.Ms.Amendola asked us to include five things in this project.First,we chose an idea that helped the colonist develop freedom and rights.We then needed to pick an action that led the colonist to dislike England, as well as choosing a battle that was held during the American Revolutionary War.The fourth thing we needed to include was one patriot that participated in the development before or during the war, finally a timeline of important events from 1763 to 1783. The point of this assignment was to learn about the American Revolution and how and when things took place.This project was worth 100 points and I had gotten a 100/100 which is an “A”. I decided to do this...
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...For our research project we began with the question “How much freedom did Cuba really achieve after their revolution?” After brainstorming together for a little we decided which lenses we should apply and which ones we should focus in on more. We decided the most important ones for us were environmental, economic, ethical, political, artistic, and historical. To begin our project we loosely divided up the lenses we wanted each other to cover, but we the ones we were assigned were only our base lenses to cover. This was we all knew that it was our responsibility to make sure at least those were done well, but we also had to research and make ourselves familiar with every person’s lenses. When we approached researching this topic we tried to be careful about not only getting the American perspective. Mostly because it could be more biased, or state the effects it had on America, rather than Cuba. To avoid this for some of the research we got views from British perspectives, since they weren’t directly involved. We also tried to get more Cuban perspectives, but that was actually a lot more difficult than we thought it would be. When we started this project we all quickly agreed that focusing on revolutions would be interesting for two main reasons: we focus on them so much in history classes through our life, and...
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...If you were able to be an important part of the American Revolution, would you do it? John Jay played an important part in the government, in multiple, and I mean multiple positions. He was involved in the Continental Congress and the second governor of New York State. Also he was a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the First Chief Justice of the United States. Hopefully, the following information can tell you how Mr. Jay played his part in the American Revolution. Born in 1745 in New York City, John Jay became the the First Chief Justice of the United States. Studying at the King’s College, he studied law from Benjamin Kissam and became a prominent member of the New York Committee of Correspondence. In September, the year he graduated, he became the second youngest member to attend the First Continental Congress. He retired from the Congress because he didn’t want to sign the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Instead he became deeply involved with the New York government. In 1777, John Jay became the first Chief Justice of the state of New York. He also served in the Council of Safety for the state along with being elected for the second time in the Continental Congress in 1778. !779 came around and John Jay was appointed the Minister to Spain for treaties, independence, and financial aid. In 1782, Jay, Adams,...
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...world. The Revolutionary era was the catalyst for the birth of dissent ideologies, radical literature, protests and boycotts (Dennis Lecture Notes). The Seven Years war had a negative economic domino effect on the colonies. Debt from the war on American soil consisted of various increases on tariffs and taxes in order to pay the debt left by The Seven Years war (Dennis Lecture notes).Tensions brewed between the colonies and the British crown due to unpopular taxes such as the tea, sugar and stamp act (Dennis Lecture notes). The Stamp Act crisis inaugurated not only a struggle for colonial liberty in relation to Great Britain but also a multisided battle...
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...Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death” speech in 1775 along with Thomas Paine’s “Common sense” pamphlet in 1776 greatly influenced the ideas of American colonists when they began questioning their role in the empire of England. The declaration of resolves of the first continental congress in 1774 and the declaration of independence, devised in 1776 had the same effect on these American Colonists. About a year after the declaration, the articles of confederation were published as the first actual constitution, having it’s own effect on personal feelings of colonists. On one hand, the American colonists had a self government which could have influenced their mindset during the 17th through 18th century. On the other hand, a speech by Patrick Henry, a pamphlet by Thomas Paine, two different declarations, and the articles of confederation all lead up to questioning in terms of authority in the empire of England and are what truly caused the mindset of American colonists to change. In March 1775, at the third Virginia convention, held in St. John's Church in Richmond, Patrick Henry gave his iconic “give me liberty or give me death” speech to discuss the latest relations with Great Britain. During Henry’s speech, he states "There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged...
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...When the Light Shines on Literature The Enlightenment Era is a period of philosophic and scholarly excitement which took place globally in the early eighteenth century. In a historical context, the American Enlightenment led to the American Revolution, American Independence, and the creation of the Constitutional Republic of the United States America (Bailyn 26-27). Influenced by those of the European Enlightenment, such as John Locke and Isaac Newton, and fueled by the colonist’s growing frustrations with the English Crown, the literary soil of the New World was a fertile garden. From this newly enriched land sprung both flowers of poetry and the nutritious fruits of the realistic pen that were deeply inspired by the American Enlightenment. The literature of the Enlightenment period was powerful indeed, as it motivated people to think and to take action. Two superlative examples of American Literature and the influences of the Enlightenment Era are Philip Freneau’s poetry and Thomas Paine’s prose. The influence of enlightenment ideas is in the works of both of these important literary figures. Philip Freneau was the poet of the American Revolution (Bowen 213). From Freneau’s naturalistic poetry, such as “The Wild Honeysuckle, we can see the Enlightenment idea that nature is a revelation of God that holds instructions for mankind. “The Wild Honeysuckle" was America's first major poetic account on the themes of life and death. The poem begins by discussing the types of death...
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...Unit 1: Individual Project Margaret Mukula U.S. History-x-1302A-02 American Intercontinental University Abstract This paper addresses the literature that followed soon after the Revolutionary War. One of them being The Articles of Confederation which served as a written document establishing the functions of the national government of the United States after it was declared independent from Great Britain. It established a weak central government that mostly, prevented the individual states from conducting their own foreign diplomacy, (EB 2012). The Articles of Confederation mentions the Albany Plan which was an earlier, pre-independence attempt to join the colonies into a larger union. However according to the book (EB 2011) this had failed somehow because of the individual colonies being concerned about losing power to another central institution. That being the case though, it helped the American Revolution gain momentum and this lead to many political leaders see the advantages of a centralized government that could coordinate the Revolutionary War. Benjamin Franklin went on a drew up a plan for “Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union.” Some delegates, however, like Thomas Jefferson, supported Franklin’s proposal even though many others strongly opposed Franklin’s plan. Congress however did table this plan. (EB 2012). The Articles of Confederation therefore went on to mention how after the Declaration of Independence Continental Congress...
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...Prior to the American Revolution, social groups in the United States were defined and divided by laws and labor hierarchy from which, race and racism begin to formulate. The early time of colonization, from mid 17th century to early 18th century witnessed the rage and destruction of the country. In response to social depression, Bacon’s Rebellion represented for the springing resentment in the society that frightened both colonies’ governors and European administration. This let the rulers rethink about the dangerous prospect when indentured servants, black slave and poor white frontiersmen untitled. The governor’s council used different legislation to maintain obedience and avoid unexpected revolts in the society. For example, Virginia’s governor William Berkeley passed out the Indian policy to restrict those Native American in certain area for control purposes. Excerpting from Zinn’s “The People History of The United States” book,...
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...After he retired from the printing business at age forty two he became more focused on the rights of American colonies. Franklin was most influenced by Boston's Puritan and Philadelphia's Quaker religious teachings. He spent many years in England before going back to America. He worked really hard in England to get the Stamp Act repealed. He used common sense and logic and finally convinced London's Parliament. This popularized and restored his reputation to the colonists in America after he had lost reelection years before. Franklin became involved in a debate concerning taxes. By 1768, Franklin was beginning to form ideas that would become part in the Declaration of Independence. He later went to France. He was welcomed by French citizens who had read versions of Poor Richard. He had published this almanac yearly and it was quite...
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...My Revolutionary war project is written on General Nathanael Greene. Nathanael Greene was born in Potowomut, Rhode Island on August 7, 1742. He married his wife Catherine Littlefield on July 20, 1774 (Encyclopedia). Nathanael didn’t have a great education. He got training on the bible and some books that were available to him at that time. He did his best to educate himself but all together he didn’t have a ton of education. He fought in many battles including Trenton, Princeton, and Monmouth. Nathanael and his family were one of the earliest settlers of Rhode Island and helped establish it. He was the founder of the family in the new colony(Charles). He took over his fathers family-owned forge just before his father died. He helped establish...
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...Unit 5 Introduction to Humanities Individual Project HUMA215-1101B- Cultural Artifact Artifacts of our own cultures surround us. From art and music to architecture and literature, from philosophy and religion to laws and economics, we live among cultural artifacts that have deep roots. (American Intercontinental University, 2013). An artifact is an item of culture that represents deep traditions and customs. The single artifact that I believe represents the culture that I live in today is the United States Flag. The US flag consists of 13 horizontal stripes which represent the original 13 colonies. The stripes are alternating red and white stripes: 7 red and 6 white stripes. The stars on the flag are symbolic of the 50 states of the union. The colors on the flag are also significant. The color red represents hardiness and valor. The color white represents purity and innocence. The color blue represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice. All of the colors represent the US struggle to fight for independence, justice, and equality for all people. (USA Flag Site, 2012) The United States flag relates to the values and beliefs of the US culture because it represents unity. The US flag in itself is symbolic of the unity of the 50 states. The United States flag is a source of pride and inspiration to many US citizens because of the bearing on the historical roots. For many the United States is also a symbol that represents equality and justice for all. The United...
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...Benjamin Franklin was a true citizen of the Atlantic World. Even though born and bred in America, he lived his life on a global scale. From speaking before Parliament to wooing the French court, to opening America’s first library; Franklin went everywhere and did everything. Just as Franklin influenced the world, the world influenced Franklin in return. However, just like the Atlantic world influenced the First American, it too had great impacts of America herself. The connection between Europe and the early Anglo-American colonies influenced how America’s political system formed, from its beginnings in the earliest colonies, to the evolution of America’s unique brand of politics and the completion of America’s political system in the 1800s. Early in the 1600s the establishment of colonies by joint stock...
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...Cast two Shadows is a story about Caroline Whittaker, a 14 year old girl who lived in Camden, South Carolina on a plantation during the American Revolution. As the war goes on Caroline’s father is sent to jail for being a rebel. Her brother is at war fighting for the Loyalist. Caroline’s family home is taken over by Lord Colonel Francis Rawdon, a leader of the British army. Caroline her mother and sister are forced to be the servants for Colonel Rawdon and the other soldiers in Caroline’s house. This invasion affects not just the plantation owners but everyone who lives on the plantation and in the town. I t change the lives of slaves, women, and loyalist and forced them to play major roles during the war. The slaves played a significant role in the American Revolution. They served as cooks; they fed everybody on the plantation including the other slaves. They served as maids and cleaned the plantation. They took care of the people who were injured on the plantation. The slaves also raised the owner's children and their children. Occasionally, the slaves served as soldiers in battles. During the American Revolution women played an important role. A lot of these women husbands were soldiers. They were away from home fighting in the war. The women were forced to take care of the house, become servants to the British army, help in the fields and help to make weapons for the soldiers. Caroline’s role has change significantly. Her family was wealthy. Before the war she...
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...By 1763, American colonies were becoming more and more separated from Britain. In 1763-1776 these British imperial policies led to more colonial anger and hatred of British rule. In these 13 years the British enforced new taxes and set up many disliked restrictions on colonial life. All of these changes led the colonies to establishing new principles and later declaring to be separated from England. The British started enforcing taxes in 1763 that did not please the colonies too well. The British thought the colonies should pay an increased tax since they needed money to pay off debts from the French and Indian War. In 1764 the Sugar Act was passed, it taxed sugar and molasses. In 1765 the Stamp Act was passed, it put a tax on all papered goods. The colonists were angry by the taxes and they formed the Sons of Liberty and Daughters of Liberty and British tax collectors were tarred and feathered. The colonists refused to trade or buy British goods until the Stamp Act was repealed. In 1765-1766 the Sons of Liberty led over 40 protests up and down the colonial coastline. They were successful in forcing the British to repeal the Stamp Act. In 1767, a new act was passed called the Townshend Acts which put a tax on paper, paint, lead, glass and tea. In 1766, the Declaratory Act was passed and it declared that Parliament had the power to tax the colonies both internally and externally and had absolute power over the colonial legislatures. In 1773, there was a huge rebellion...
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