The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were a tumultuous time in history. There were a lot of revolutionary and radical events that shaped the way how society, economy and even politics is looked at today. A few examples include the American Revolutionary War, the rise of industrialization and even the rise of political ideologies such as nationalism and socialism. In truth, 200 years is a lot of time and as such a lot is expected to happen, however, that does not undermine the fascinating times which the two centuries were (Royter, 2011). As such it would be prudent to deduce a few of these examples so as to have a better comprehension of that time era.
The American Revolutionary War also known as the American War of Independence served as the foundation of America as an independent nation. Spanning eight years from 1775 to 1776 the war pitted the British Empire and the colonists who later came to label themselves as Patriots. Tensions in America began after the British imposed heavy taxes in the form of Stamp and Townshend Acts. Following the events of the French and Indian war, Britain was running short on funds to run the colony, thereby, it was deemed necessary to impose taxes on the colonists partly because the war was aimed at protecting the colony. Such actions set a hostile atmosphere from 1770 to 1775 when the ultimately broke out after the First Continental Congress which united Americans from 12 colonies/territories to fight under a common banner against the British (Brezina, 2005).
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
In its wake, the American Revolutionary War resulted in a lot of consequences. The direct impacts included heavy casualties from the two warring sides and financial debt as a result of engaging in war. Brezina estimates that the colonists lost around 25,000 and 75,000 active combatants whereas the British Armed Forces documented that they had lost 43,633 people (2005). However, the American War of Independence’s main impact is that it led to the declaration of independence of America on July 4, 1776.
Nationalism is a concept used to describe the feelings, motivations, and actions that come about as a result of patriotism to one’s country and generally national autonomy. It is articulated that nationalism as a term was developed in the late 18th century as nations developed. It is important that before this period, the concept of nationhood was not common. This is due to a variety of reasons but most importantly was the fact that territories, empires, and kingdoms were often run by primarily monarchies and oligarchies. Typically the French Revolution is often credited with kick-starting the modern concept of nationalism as it not only led to development of French nationalism but also affected Germany and other nations after Napoleon’s conquests (Royter, 2011).
While the American Revolutionary is not directly correlated with nationalism it is imperative to evaluate the link. During the mid-1750s Benjamin Franklin documented the Albany Plan; a plan to unite the 13 colonies at the time (2005). The Albany Plan was not successful in any way; however, it did set grounds for nationalism during the war and independence discussions (Brezina, 2005). Nevertheless, two decades later the colonies were facing common plights with the British Empire as the oppressor. This ultimately led to widespread feelings of autonomy that not only served as pivotal factors in the war but also in the declaration of independence. All in all, nationalism has been playing key roles in almost every conflict ever since not only in America but the world as a whole. Examples include the American Civil War, World War 1, World War 2 and a host of other conflicts in the name of nationalism.
On the other hand, the industrial revolution which began in the early 19th century in America had a lot of consequential effects on the nation. Firstly, industrial revolution led to a lot of social changes that were unheard of prior to the revolution. As industrialization was accompanied by urbanization it changed the family outlook of America as more and more people migrated. Previously, individuals used to live near the ancestral farms together with their extended relatives (Royter, 2011). However, the industrial revolution created and accelerated the concept of today’s nucleus family as people migrated to cities. Moreover, the roles of women changed drastically which further changed the social outlook of the nation.
Conversely, economic wise the industrial revolution was pivotal in a number of ways. For one, it changed America’s economy from being a primary importer to a robust exporter. Moreover, as increased production meant increased income the industrialization can be credited with the formation of the middle class as well as the extremely wealthy in America. With regards to technology, the industrial revolution was imperative as well. According to Royster industrial revolution is defined is defined as the transition from labor-intensive methods of production to ones dominated by machinery thus in itself the revolution was simply an improvement in technology (2001). Nonetheless, mass production was a very important technological development of whose effects is still seen today.
In conclusion, the 18th and 19th century marked some of humanity’s important events and consequently alterations. Whereas, a lot of impactful change was witnessed globally America faced a couple of changes that ultimately defined her during this period. From the bloody American Revolutionary and American Civil wars to the industrialization the imperativeness of this period needs for further explanation. All in all, the 18th and 19th centuries were highly imperative to history as a whole and as such, they should be remembered.
References
Brezina, C. (2005). The industrial revolution in America: A primary source history of America's transformation into an industrial society . New York: Rosen publications Group.
Royster, C. (2011). A Revolutionary People at War: The Continental Army and American Character, 1775-1783 . The University of North Carolina Press.
