...Joey Abualrob American Revolution Persuasive Essay The American Revolutionary War forever changed the idea of a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” and took the first steps in bringing an end to the world’s last great true empire. The reasons the Americans decided to break free from Great Britain are numerous, but the British Empire’s sense of superiority was the most important reason. Also important was the failure of the British Parliament to address the needs and growing discontent of Americans weary of “taxation without representation.” Colonists also began to oppose rule from Britain because of ideas developing in new intellectual schools of thought like the Enlightenment. King George III’s arrogance was well founded in the 1760s, but it led to poor decision making. Early in his reign, the British had resoundingly defeated France in the Seven Years’ War to become the dominant power both in North America and on the Asian subcontinent. This dominance clearly created a false sense of security and as the British Empire continued to grow, its central authority, or ability to control its ever-expanding colonies, weakened significantly. Great Britain’s failure to recognize its weaknesses and its foolish decision to respond to every colonial expression of discontent with a tightening of the noose effectively sealed it into an everescalatingspiral of conflict. The conflict could have been avoided and King George III could have...
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...George Washington, Sun Tzu’s Apprentice The American defeat of the British during the Revolutionary War was a direct result of George Washington’s incredible leadership and generalship which showed the greatness of Sun Tzu’s “Art of War”. The key to the success of the American Revolution was the George Washington himself. Faced with an almost impossible task of defeating a powerful enemy, Washington was required to defy the odds. So how does Washington’s accomplishment of this task relate to Sun Tzu and his teachings of “The Art of War”? There crucial points come to light: Washington’s selection as to command the Continental Army and inherent command capabilities, Washington’s strategy for winning the war against the Empire of Great Britain, and the art of maneuver that eventually lead to the critical defeat of Cornwallis and the British at Yorktown. George Washington was the greatest leader to choose for the revolutionary war. Sun Tzu said a leader needs to have wisdom, sincerity, humanity, courage, and strictness. These five crucial traits are shown in Washington’s strategy to win the War of independence. Washington was the embodiment of everything fine in the American character. In caring for his troops and their families he would spend his own money to help them. Washington brought more than just military ability and statesmanship to the Revolution he brought character. General Washington was respected not just by the rank and file, but also by people in all parts of...
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...Three Similar but Different Wars Justin P. Wilson Excelsior College Abstract Wars share similarities in cause, though not all are the same. The same goes for effects. The French & Indian War, Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812 all share this. Each war had its similarities but each war had its own outcomes and reasons for the start of the war. Each war was a turning point in the history of the newly independent United States. Three Similar but Different Wars The Revolutionary war, War of 1812, and the French and Indian war had similar yet different effects on the new United States. The young United States would learn new ways of fighting and dealing with conflicts. Each war had its similarities but each war had its own outcomes and reasons for the start of the war. Each war was a turning point in the history of the newly independent United States. The French and Indian war was a starting point for the American Revolutionary War. The War of 1812 was a war to expand and verify territory borders. All the wars involved the British, French, and the Americans. The War of 1812 and the French and Indian War involved the Indians. Each war had a different treaty or agreement that settled the disagreement and evolved the way the countries fought and handled disputes. The French and Indian war was composed of three different phases. The leading causes started back in Europe with the King George’s War, which took place in between the years of 1744 and 1748. The first...
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...of his people and led them to victory in the Cuban revolution. This victory did not only prove Fidel's courage by standing up against the Cuban government and standing up for the poor, but it also demonstrated his determination to become victorious. However, in order to overthrow the government, Castro would have needed supporters for his cause, in which his charisma helped influence. Such a revolution would be impossible to achieve if Castro was not an extraordinary leader. Fidel Castro was courageous, charismatic, and determined. First, Castro always displayed courage and bravery throughout his lifetime. After he witnessed what was truly occurring in Cuba, Fidel began to doubt the political system and the rein of Batista. As a result, Fidel had begun to participate in revolutionary campaigns and speaking out against Batista. On July 26 1953, Castro participated in a battle between the guerillas and the military. Many of the guerillas were killed, but luckily for Castro, he was sent to prison and later exiled to Mexico, where he formed a revolutionary group. Forming another group displayed courage by attempting another assault on Batista and risking death. Since Castro supported communism, he was put at further risk because the concept of communism was looked down upon. "The Communist Party with only some ten thousand members, was in an uphill battle and did not have any influence to speak of"(Diary of the Cuban Revolution, page 12). Being aware of the consequences to follow...
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...brand of political struggle as Parisians stormed the Bastille, sparking the French Revolution and beginning a new era in popular government. This Revolution, in addition to reshaping Europe in the nineteenth century, would be the inspiration for many revolutions to follow, including the Russian Revolution. Furthermore, it established a collection of values which many revolutions would aim to uphold: liberty, equality, and fraternity. Chicago Historian Sheila Fitzpatrick, however, argues that these are aims that “almost all victorious revolutionaries inevitably dishonour.”1 By examining the Cuban and Russian Revolutions, this can be seen to be too general a statement. Under Lenin, the Russian Revolution instituted one of the most progressive constitutions yet seen,2 while Cuba, with its unique role in relations between two Cold War superpowers, stayed mostly true to its primary goals of attaining social justice and equality. The objective that tends to be the most fraught by revolutions is liberty, because in order to completely reshape a society, power must be, at least for a time, concentrated in the hands of few. Thus, the Russian Revolution, particularly under Stalin, can be said to have dishonoured the goals of the original revolution, while the Cuban Revolution under Castro, for the most part, did not. The aim of eliminating inequality was central to both the Russian and Cuban Revolutions. Since before its independence, Cuba had been subjected to nepotistic governments...
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...University of Phoenix Material Causes and Outcomes of the Revolution Part 1: Causes Complete the grid by describing each pre-war event and explaining how it contributed to the Revolutionary War. |Pre-war event |Description |Contribution to the Revolutionary War | |French and Indian War|Also known as the Seven Years’ War, this New World conflict marked another |The French and Indian War helped lead to the Revolutionary War in two ways. | | |chapter in the long imperial struggle between Britain and France. When France’s | | | |expansion into the Ohio River valley brought repeated conflict with the claims |First funding this war lead to a huge national debt for Great Britain, which they felt | | |of the British colonies, a series of battles led to the official British |the Americans should help pay. Parliament decided to service the debt by passing the | | |declaration of war in 1756. Boosted by the financing of future Prime Minister |stamp act, a terrible failure that angered citizens on both sides of the Atlantic, which | | |William Pitt, the British turned the tide with victories at Louisbourg, Fort |started the rift...
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...American Revolution The American Revolution is a war to reckon with and was actually a significant event in the history of American and basically, if there was no revolutionary war the United States of America may not have been in existence. The American Revolution brought an end to the two centuries of British rule for most of the North American colonies and brought the modern U.S.A. The American Revolution was all about people that got tired of the stress of paying for big government and that made the people revolt about the tax. Regardless of Peoples different opinions and the failures, the Revolution brought about change to the world, in terms of launching a global Age of Revolutions. The war actually made Americans see themselves as Americans, not as Britons who lived in America. In my own opinion, I believe that so many things caused the revolution, Firstly the economic situation, there was dissatisfaction of the unlimited power and authority, which made the colonies not to run their own economy to bloom, and also not allowing the colonials print legal tender money, and any other monies printed was not considered legal by the King, and this made it very hard to pay royal taxes. The colonist was also very disturbed and angry about the taxes imposed on them by England, so as to pay off the French Indian War debt. . They had no representation in that body and hence no way to limit those taxes. Also the colonists could no longer tolerate the taxation without representation...
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...“Don't Tread On Me” is a classic phrase which adorned the revolutionary fervor of Americans and their founding fathers, well known for its appearance on the Gadsden Flag. Consisting of a coiled rattlesnake and a bright yellow background with the statement written underneath, the flag was first adopted as the flag of the revolutionary navy and has southern roots. The snake, being a significant political symbol of unity due to the Albany Plan of Union, was additionally a symbol of nobility in South Carolina. Appropriately, he would attack only in self defense and was always deadly, gaining the admiration of Christopher Gadsden and a nod from the Continental Congress. Gadsden was a notable individual of the south then, and today an admiral of...
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...Why and What Do We Compare? The Story of Revolution and Democratization Mehrzad Boroujerdi, Syracuse University Introduction The field of comparative politics starts with the assumption that knowledge in the social sciences must proceed by way of the search for comparisons, or what has been called "suggestive contrasts." Scholars of comparative politics compare in order to discover similarities and explain differences. As infrequent and highly complex events, revolutions have attracted a great deal of attention from comparativists. In this article, we will address the following topics: • The Concept of Revolution • Why Revolutions Happen? • Can Revolutions be Predicted? • What Do Revolutions Accomplish? • What Are some of the Failures of Revolutions? • Comparing Characteristics and Outcomes of Some Revolutions • Questions The Concept of Revolution: According to the American philosopher Richard Rorty "revolution," like such other words as "reason," "democracy," and "socialism" is a "thick word" which can be contrasted with such "thin words" as truth, dialogue, and justice. How do we define a "revolution?" How are revolutions distinct from other forms of political change such as Coup d'état, rebellion, mutiny, insurrection, or uprising? All of the above nouns may denote acts of violence aimed at changing or overthrowing an existing order or authority. However, there are important legal and political differences among them as well. ...
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...Events Benedict Arnold Affected Ever since the turnover of the West Point American fort, Benedict Arnold’s name has become synopsis with the word ‘traitor’. However, before this was the case, Benedict Arnold was actually an American war hero, assisting the Patriots and their ‘call’ for freedom (Benedict, 2009). There are five major events where Arnold helped shape the outcome of the Revolutionary War; The Capture of Fort Ticonderoga, the Battle of Quebec, the Battles of Lake Champlain, and the Negotiations of West Point. The Capture of Fort Ticonderoga When the Massachusetts Committee of Correspondence learned of Arnold’s knowledge of Ticonderoga being poorly guarded and full of ammunition, they commissioned him as a coronel. “Ticonderoga was also vitally important due to its locations as it was situated on Lake Champlain and provided nice staging grounds for an assault on Quebec” (Yost, 2011). The Fort...
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...HISTORY 1500 WINTER 2014 RESEARCH ESSAY TOPICS 1. Select a crusade and discuss the extent to which it accomplished its objectives. Why did it succeed or fail? Jonathan Riley-Smith, The Crusades: A Short History; Carole Hillenbrand, The Crusades: Islamic Perspectives; Christopher Tyerman, God’s War: A New History of the Crusades 2. How did anti-Semitism manifest itself in medieval Europe? Kenneth R. Stow, Alienated Minority: The Jews of Medieval Latin Europe; Mark R. Cohen, Under Crescent and Cross: The Jews in the Middle Ages; Solomon Grayzel, The Church and the Jews in the Thirteenth Century 3. What was the position of prostitutes in medieval society? Ruth Mazo Karras, Common Women; Leah Otis, Prostitution in Medieval Society; Margaret Wade Labarge, A Small Sound of the Trumpet: Women in Medieval Life 4. Why did the French choose to follow Joan of Arc during the the Hundred Years War? Kelly DeVries, Joan of Arc: A Military Leader; Bonnie Wheeler, ed., Fresh Verdicts on Joan of Arc; Margaret Wade Labarge, A Small Sound of the Trumpet: Women in Medieval Life 5. Discuss the significance of siege warfare during the crusades. You may narrow this question down to a single crusade if you wish. Jim Bradbury, The Medieval Siege; Randall Rogers, Latin Siege Warfare in the Twelfth Century; John France, Victory in the East: A Military History of the First Crusade 6. Why did the persecution...
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...Name Professor’s Name Course Date The American Revolution The Great Britain’s southern military strategy emerged during the revolutionary war which aimed at winning conflicts in Carolina, Virginia and Georgia states. Several factors invoked Britain to adopt the southern military strategy. Some of these factors included their failure in the northern fights where they lost several battles and since more loyalists lived n the southern region, British had hopes that they would receive undivided support from them (loyalists) which would enable them win more battles against their counterparts. In the beginning of the southern campaign there was reputable success at savannah, Charleston and Camden. However, the British knew that for them to win the battle, they had to defend the whole territory including the south (Griess 37). Unfortunately, similar reasons which led to their failure earlier on in their homeland, led to the failure of the strategy implemented in the south. After Britain failed to capture Charleston and Carolina, Cornwallis began service in the colonies under major general Henry Clintons command. They both played an important role in the acquisition of New York City. Cornwallis was later promoted to lieutenant general and in 1776 he was commanded to lead a siege against George Washington’s troops following the sudden...
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...There were many differences between the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. At the end of the American Revolution, the free states needed some of control that would generate to a unified country. Issues were that the people want equal rights, and a new government. Their first attempt at solving this issue was the Articles of Confederation, which was a failure for the most part, but not completely. After the failure of the articles, the state delegates tried to revise the articles, but instead, constructed the Constitution. There were so many changes made and very little remained the same. Unlike the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution had a greater sense of central government. In the Constitution a president was the executive. The president was the person that can approve or veto the new rules. After gaining independence from Great Britain, the United States was operating under the “Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union.” Under the Articles, the states retained sovereignty over all governmental functions that were not relinquished to the federal government. The American Revolution did not overturn the social order, but it did produce substantial changes in social customs, political institutions, and ideas about society and government. Among the changes were the separation of church and state in some places, the abolition of slavery in the North, written political constitutions, and a shift in political power from the eastern seaboard toward the frontier...
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...Being a traitor is one of the biggest crimes one can commit against their country, especially during a time of war. A prime example of someone who betrayed their country to help the other side is Benedict Arnold, who secretly helped the British during the American Revolution even though he was technically an American. Born in Connecticut in January of 1741, Benedict was destined to have some part in the American Revolution. He had a rough childhood as his father was an alcoholic and he eventually signed up for the militia when he was 16. He became a member of the Sons of Liberty, a secret group formed during the American Revolution for revolutionaries, as he was angry at the British for taxing his goods so heavily. Arnold by this time...
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...The American Revolution occurred because of Great Britain's failure to adjust to conditions brought on by the growth and development of the colonies, and by the aggravation of a breakdown in the political and economic harmony that existed between the colonies and their mother country. America was a revolution force from the day of its discovery. The American Revolution was not the same thing as the American War of Independence. The war itself lasted only eight years, but the Revolution lasted over a century and a half and begun when the first permanent English settlers set foot on the new continent. Insurrection of thought usually precedes insurrection of deed. Over the years such ferment had occurred in the thinking of the colonists that the Revolution was partially completed in their minds before the first shot was fire or musketball began to fly. The American Revolution had its beginnings in the French and Indian war. For seven years, Britain battled the French and Indian nations in the colonies. Where the colonies militia fought beside the troops of the British army and learned war first hand. After winning the war, Britain had a huge debt to pay. To pay these expenses, George Grenville, who was secretary of Treasury in England, came up with a plan. He reasoned that the debt should be paid by taxing the colonies. After all the war had been fought to protect their land, that is the land of the Ohio River Valley. However, even before the French and Indian War had ended the...
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