Section 1
Explain the major ideas and events that led to the American Revolution
The American Revolution, which began in 1775, marked the beginning of a new era for the Americans who felt that their colonial masters were becoming a burden. The British had established 13 colonies in North America in an attempt to prove that it could dominate the world just like the French. The British had engaged the French and Indians in wars, which had proven very expensive forcing the British to incur huge debts. The British colonial masters decided to increase the taxes and trade regulations for the colonies so that they could raise the money to clear the debts (Corbett, Janssen, and Lund, 2018). Some of the most famous acts by the British government to raise taxes include the Currency Act and the Sugar Act. The Sugar Act led to an increase in taxes for the molasses and restricted the import of some sugar products to Britain only. On the other hand, the Currency act prohibited the colonies from printing currencies forcing them to rely on the failing British economy. The Americans were dissatisfied with the underrepresentation, over taxation, which led to an uprising, which set the stage for the revolution.
The 18 th century marked the beginning of American enlightenment, which played a significant role in paving way for the American Revolution. The period of enlightenment meant that thinkers and philosophers had begun questioning the government and the church. The philosophers realized that the government and the church were not doing enough to champion for the rights of the Americans. The proponents of the American enlightenment came up with several concepts aimed at giving the colonists more voice to demand fair treatment. Some of the concepts that set the stage for the American Revolution included the separation of powers, consent of the governed and limited government. The consent of the governed gave the colonists more power to demand fair treatment after realizing that they had similar rights with the British.
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Section 2
Describe how the social and political changes related to the American Revolution affected Native Americans, African American, and women
The American Revolution brought about several political and social changes and which affected the minority group including the Native Americans, African Americans, and the women in several ways.
Native Americans suffered significantly from the American Revolution. Before the American Revolution, the Native Americans owned vast tracts of land, which they used in propagating their traditions and for their survival. Once the colonialists came on board, there was a change in land ownership policies, which put the Native Americans at a disadvantage (Pirir, 2014). As a result, the Native Americans have pushed out of their native land something they did not take lying down as they considered this land their heritage. Some of the Native Americans decided to side with the British colonialists who promised to shield them from the American settlers. The British, however, failed to fulfill these promises putting the Native Indians at a disadvantage.
The American Revolution affected African Americans. The British recruited most of the African Americans most of whom were slaves with a promise of being freed from their masters. The British also promised the African Americans that they would be allowed to establish new homes in the Empire. After the Treaty o Paris that ended the war, the British evacuated the freed African Americans and took them to the Caribbean, Canada, and Great Britain. The African Americans who remained behind were taken to Sierra Leone in Africa after facing marginalization in America, which denied them land ownership.
The women faced their own share of challenges and opportunities owing to the social and economic changes associated with the American Revolution. Before the American Revolution, women were viewed as domestic workers who could only handle families. However, this perspective changed as they played a proactive role in the revolution by supporting their men, boycotting British products and acting as spies (Corbett, Janssen, and Lund, 2018). These new roles pointed to the fact that women had more to give which paved the way for increased women rights such as voting and conducting and managing businesses.
Section 3
Explain the reasons for English colonization
The British colonized other nations with the aim of gaining from these ventures. The main reasons for expanded territories were mainly political and economic. It should be noted that at times the British colonists expanded territories for both social and religious reasons to spread their influence.
Political motivations for English imperialism
English imperialism was highly political as the British set out to expand their political influence to other nations. During this time country supremacy was determined by the size of its territories and the nations a country exerted political control. A nation with more colonies was assured of an expanded market for its agricultural and industrial goods. Moreover, a nation with more colonies was assured of securing cheap labor, which would help to accelerate its political aspirations. The British used their colonies to get extra funding by taxing the colonists through varied regulations. The British set up colonial offices in their colonies denying the colonist a chance to be represented which made it easier to pass and implement the regulations(Rosenbloom, 2018) British military were then deployed in the colonies to secure the interests of the colonizers to ensure that Britain remained politically relevant as compared to other colonial masters.
Describe the social pressures that contributed to the English colonization of North America
The British had already established colonies in other parts of the world with the exception of North America, which had been a reserve of Spain. Over time, the English realized that North America presented both economic and religious gains owing to Spain's success. Back at home, Englanders were facing economic challenges owing to the population explosion. North America seemed like an economy destination, which promised better opportunities for the British. On religious pressures, England was becoming hostile to the Puritans in favor of the Church of England. The Puritans escaped to North America hoping to get more religious freedom. Their hope came alive and these British thrived in America by establishing 13 colonies which helped them advance their political, religious and economic interests until the American Revolution.
References
Corbett, P. S., Janssen, V., & Lund, J. M. (2018). U.S. History . Thames Ditton: Samurai Media Limited
Pirir, J. F. (2014). The extraction of the American Native: How westward expansion destroyed and created societies. The Undergraduate Historical Journal at UC Merced , 1 (1), 45-47.
Rosenbloom, J. L. (2018). The Colonial American Economy . Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa State, United States.
