Eventually, these deficiencies would lead to the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. But during the years that they 13 states struggled to achieve their independence, the Articles of Confederation accomplished what they had been intended to. Adopted by Congress on November 15, 1777, the Articles became operational on March 1, 1781 when the last of the 13 states signed the document (The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, 2009).
During the debates that took place regarding the adoption of the Constitution, the opponents argued that the Constitution would open the way to tyranny by the central government. With the memory of the British violations of their civil rights before and during the Revolution, they insisted that a bill of rights be used that would spell out the protections of the individual citizens. During the state conventions that were held to ratify the Constitution, several states asked for these amendments (Bill of Rights, n.d).
On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of the United States put before the state legislatures 12 amendments to the Constitution that dealt with the things that had most frequently been argued against it. "The first two proposed amendments, which concerned the number of constituents for each Representative and the compensation of Congressmen, were not ratified. Articles 3 to 12, however, ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures, constitute the first 10 amendments of the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights "(Bill of Rights, n.d).
How revolutionary was the Revolution? Explain what was changed, what the same remained, and how this revolution compares with other movements of liberation.
The definition of revolution is to throw over the current government and replace it with a new one. A revolution is usually started because the people feel that there is a lack of freedom or a violation of their human rights. During the American Revolution though, economics seemed to be the biggest factor that lead to the revolution. The American Revolution was started because of the actions by Great Britain like the Stamp Act or Tea Tax. The colonists did not like these acts and openly disagreed with them. That is why the...
Otherwise, if England had not have been so focused on making the biggest profit that they could the colonists may have been very happy and satisfied with the way it was. In the sense that the colonists rebelled against the current government and began their own, the Revolution was revolutionary. But when you really look at it, the idea of taxes and taxation remained, it was just that the new government made the profits and not Britain.
The American Revolution ended two centuries of British rule for most of the North American colonies and created the United States of America as we know it today. The Revolutionary era was both thrilling and disturbing all at the same time. It was a time of progress for some and disruption for others. The Revolution led to events such as the drafting and ratification of the Constitution of the United States of America and the rebellion of slaves who saw the contrast between slavery and proclamations of liberty as not right (The American Revolution, n.d.).
If you look at the bigger picture although the arena changed the issues and the fights for freedom did not. Although the colonists gained their independence on the premise of inequality, they truly just shifted the inequalities to their side of the ocean and started the uproar all over again.
References
Bill of Rights. (n.d). Retrieved June 13, 2009, from The Charters of Freedom Web site:
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights.html
The Articles of Confederation. (2003). Retrieved June 13, 2009, from Ben's Guide to U.S.
Government Web site: http://bensguide.gpo.gov/9-12/documents/articles/index.html
The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union. (2009). Retrieved June 13, 2009, from Archiving Early America Web site:
http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/articles/
The American Revolution. (n.d.). Retrieved June 14, 2009, from Web site: http://revolution.h-
net.msu.edu/
Treaty of Paris, 1783. (n.d.). Retrieved June 13, 2009, from U.S. Depart of State Web site:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/ar/14313.htm
