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The Essentiality derived from Woody Holton`s book, Forced Founders.

The acquisition of the much anticipated independence, as far as the revolutionary history of the people of Virginia is concerned, has been a real struggle to the revisionist. Being colonised by the British, the patriots of Virginia had various reasons in many different situations which caused a rising desire to gain their rights and freedom. In Holton`s book, he demonstrates how those revolutionists were compelled or forced to rebel against the British. The Virginia gentry comprising of the Indians, merchants and the slaves decided to propel the patriots into independence under a ‘web of influence’ illustrated in the book. The founding fathers of Virginia were coerced to rebel against the British by forming revolutionary movements. Holton also reveals how Washington, Jefferson and others in the Virginia gentry aimed at gaining control over slaves and small farmers by pressuring the Britain through constant rebellion. There were different influencing factors, featured in Holton`s book, that compelled the Virginia gentry to go against the Britain control of the state. Constant failure on issues that affected them immensely in the negative way, made them feel that the removal of the British government will be the only solution. This has been shown in the book as one of the factors coercing the patriots. British made an imperial policy on the establishment of a permanent western boundary which was aimed at separating the North American colonies. The policy made by the British was named as the proclamation of the year 1763. This move was mainly focussed on having a common agreement between the Indians in North America and Britain in order to prevent any occurrence of another Indian War. It was also aimed at preventing the Americans from using the land for commercial purposes mainly in the growing of tobacco for export in Europe. The boundary was in favour of the Indians resulting in them having a good relationship with the Britain. However, there was stiff competition between the Virginia gentry and the Indians who were based in North America on land issues. Holton book describes the work of the gentry involving land speculation. (7). Due to this proclamation, the gentry`s profits would significantly be affected. It led to them forming the House of Burgesses designed to object the policy of the British to the Privy Council. Unfortunately their claim or requisition was rebuffed by the council. (6-8, 35). When the gentry suffered heavy debts due to this, and the debtors rioted for a civil order in the country, the House of Burgesses approved a bankruptcy law. It was used to counter the rising debts but the law was also rejected by Privy Council (61). All these initiated the desire among the Virginia gentry to have control and freedom since they had failed twice in the political arena and the contesting class. In 1775 Lord Dunmore, a British governor, decided to get help from slaves by arming them because he was fed up with the unruly rebels. On this issue, Holton tries to show that the decision to stop slavery in America by Lord Dunmore would increase the gentry`s desire to gain independence. The interests of this class of slaves were completely opposite with those of the Virginia gentry (160-163). The British had sided with both the Indians and the slaves in order to counter all the gentry`s rebellion (72-73). All this frustrated the gentry and the need for freedom continued to rise among them. In this section, we see that the Virginia gentry`s economic status and its wellbeing was based on the use of free labour with the slaves in order to repay the debts that were rising and also the land that the Indians from North America had. In the book, Holton also shows the other factor that influenced the Virginia gentry to rebel was the boycott strategy that attracted them. It was a form of commercial resistance which they were convinced it would help in having the parliament to repeal some of the domineering laws. The boycott would also reduce the impact of gentry`s debts that the gentry and the smallholders had to the merchants. All these benefits would help the Virginia gentry to slowly move towards their independence (106). It was considered the best way form of rebelling since it touches all the areas that are crucial to their needs and tries to ease the problems suffered during that period. The British merchants have greatly affected the gentry with the debts and this affected them economically. The boycott would involve refraining from dealing in business with any organisation to show protest or that the involved party does not agree with certain policies or conditions imposed by the other party. In this case the gentry will only start business until the parliament revoke certain policies that the British had imposed on them. The British imposed taxes on the all the products that the Americans produced especially the tobacco growers resulting in less profits. They knew that the only way to increase their profits is when Britain has no control over what the produce, and so opted not to export tobacco to Europe. In 1774, the act of resistance had completely made major alterations in Virginia`s community in various profound ways. It helped the colonised Virginians to have alternative prospects and also increased pressure on the British government making it susceptible to the constant rebellions. In the book, Holton explains that in the efforts of building political unity, the most operational strategy was to advise the people the need to incorporate wider personalities (213). The use of boycott strategy had made the gap between the gentry and the smallholders to decrease. Both of them were being negatively affected by the heavy debts that the British merchants imposed on them. Therefore having the same challenges made the two co-exist and forming a good relationship between them. This was because the decision of non-importation and non-exportation made farmers to understand the gentry`s efforts to gain their independence and to protect their economy from collapsing. Holton clearly shows how when people put efforts together, the division between them continues to decrease (103). From the planned or proposed strategy to rebel the British in 1774, to the actual implementation of the same, the Virginia gentry decided to change the demonstration movement to an independence association. This was due to the vast opportunities that were available due to the new strategy of resistance they had adopted. Holton explains that the insurgencies that were raising due to the lack of commercial products, also prompted negative effects on the social order. This would in turn bring infringement of the social order in time. If the people wanted to re-establish the already disrupted order, they would be necessitated to form another government. To bring another government into control, will only mean that the people of Virginia would have to gain their independence. Since the Britain were already vulnerable, this attempt will greatly enhance the possibility of them acquiring their freedom and control. This section of the book only shows the desire and the spirit that the Virginia gentry have for freedom and control of their economy. At this point, the gentry are fed up with all the negative impacts that the Britain had on them and ready for a change. In conclusion, the book tries to explain the process that the Virginians underwent in the process of acquiring their independence. Virginians are viewed by many of their generations as the noble society but Holton demonstrates how these aristocrats struggled in order to gain their freedom from the British. They also went through rebellions and with time they were able to conquer their enemies. However the leaders of the Virginia gentry were forced by circumstances subjected by the Britain to have that need for independence. After the British made their imperial policies to the freeing of slaves and the establishment of boundaries, prompted the gentry to remove the existing government from control. The book gives a detailed account of how the gentry wanted independence due to the competing classes and interests. Holton has also showed how the slaves and the Native Americans greatly affect the political structure of the Virginia gentry.