American Revolution overview and historical significance

American Revolution had far ranging effects not only in Colonial America but also throughout the rest of 18th Century society. These effects started slowly but eventually transcended nearly every aspect of life in America and spread to Europe.

The changes that occurred subsequent to the American Revolution began long before the actual conflict. Great Britain had established a fairly loose approach in regard to the day-to-day management of the American colonies and, as a result, the American colonists enjoyed far more liberties than most people throughout the world and their taxes were the lowest of any of Great Britain's other colonial holdings. Against, this background, however, protest and, eventually, revolution was fostered.

In the process that gradually progressed into an actual rebellion, there were fervent attempts by most of the founding fathers to reach a compromise with the British monarch and Parliament. Although there were a variety of issues, the colonists would have likely been satisfied with effective representation in Parliament but this possibility was never forthcoming and the colonists became frustrated by the lack of progress in this area.

One of the initial changes was the concept of egalitarianism (Wood, 1993). Prior to the Revolution, society in America mirrored the condition present in Europe where society was divided into classes and there was a clear line of demarcation between the classes. With the outbreak of the Revolution, both the wealthy and poor were joined together in an effort to rid the Colonies of what the colonists believed was monarchial oppression. This forced combination was the beginning of a generalized idea in the equality of all men. In time, family background and income became less important and opportunities began opening up for those who worked hard or were able to develop new ideas. This egalitarianism, unfortunately, applied only to white Americans as Blacks and Native Indians continued to be excluded but it was a major step forward as it marked a radical change from the rigid class structure of 18th century Europe (Holton, 1999).

This exclusion applied particularly to Blacks living on American soil. Slavery continued to be an important economic consideration in the South and in formation of the new government the Southern states were adamant about protecting the institution of slavery The South's economy depended heavily upon slavery continuing so while the North is rapidly ridding its borders of slavery the South was advancing in the opposite direction by increasing its level of reliance on the institution. There were a number of Southern politicians such as Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry who fought to develop a system that would gradually abolish the practice of slavery but their arguments fell largely on deaf ears. Jefferson and Henry both realized that a sudden abolishment of slavery would stall the South's economy and neither advocated an immediate abolishment. This proved to be the case following the end of the Civil War and the retention of slavery allowed the South to develop economically following the Revolution but it also planted the seed for problems that would eventually result in the American Civil War.

The effect of the Revolution on Native Americans was negative as well. The results of the Revolution meant that there would be increased pressure on the colonial borders as more and more settlers began to establish communities in areas formerly occupied by Native American tribes. Prior to the Revolution, the monarch and Parliament had restricted colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains but once the War ended these restrictions were removed and the settlers entered territory that was previously allocated to Native Americans. As more and more new settlements were being developed the pressure on the Native Americans increased and the conflicts between the two societies intensified. Relationships between the United States and the Native American tribes worsened over the intervening years and resulted in the young nation's participation in government sanctioned relocation movements that pushed the Native Americans tribes farther and farther west.

Settlers attempting to expand the borders of the United States also had to contend with the continued presence of British and Spanish military forces on the frontier. The British in particular contributed to the Native American problem by supporting them in their efforts to stall frontier development by American settlers.

Acerbating the economic problems of the new nation was the large national debt created by the war. The colonies were forced to borrow millions from the French and Dutch governments in an attempt to finance the war against Great Britain. In addition, the new government had issued bonds that citizens were now clamoring for payment as they became due.

In response to financial pressures, the individual states began developing their own currencies and, as a result, travel from state to state was difficult and these new currencies were not accepted by foreign governments who demanded payment in gold and silver. This process created confusion and uncertainty for the new nation. Prior to the Revolution the economy of the colonies were financially supported by the British government but the founding fathers of the new nation failed to adequately provide for the financial future of the colonies. For a period of a number of years the American economy teetered on the edge of depression and resulted in the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first governing document to be abandoned, and a new Constitution being drafted that provided greater powers to the national government. Powers that enabled the government to effectuate changes that eventually led to a stronger monetary structure for the country's economy and provided to financial security.

The Revolution also signaled the end of mercantilism as an economic system as it related to the former American colonies. Prior to the Revolution the colonies were required to do all trading through Great Britain. The Revolution ended this requirement and the colonies were now free to trade with other nations. This development had both positive and negative effects. Although the new nation was now free to trade with nations other than Great Britain, it also, for a period of time, lost the profits from loss trade in products such as rice, indigo, and tobacco that were bought in large amounts from the America. The new country had tremendous resources in the form of land and cheap labor due to the existence of slavery that enabled it to prosper.

Within a few short years the new American economy began take advantage of its opportunities by exporting its surplus products. The exporting led to a corresponding growth in the nation's shipping industry. This growth allowed the young nation to begin paying back its heavy war debt. As they did so, they also established themselves as a good credit risk in the international marketplace, and using this good credit to their advantage American businessmen saw their share of international trade increase.

The different regions of the United States did not benefit equally from the country's surge in business. The industrial North due to climatic and environmental factors was never able to successfully develop agriculturally but its abundant source of water and good, deep water ports afforded the region the opportunity to develop a strong industrial base. Meanwhile, the South enjoyed the climate and good soil that the North did not and, therefore, the South based its economy on agriculture. The result was that the South's economy was based primarily on the less profitable farming industry while the North prospered from the export of the South's agricultural products and its own growing textile mills. These economic differences became an additional source of friction between the two areas and would manifest themselves in the years following the Revolution and would play a significant part in the North being able to defeat the South in the American Civil War.

The Revolution also resulted in social changes. The democratic form of government in the United States abolished the use of aristocratic titles. Instead of a monarchy and nobility that was positioned in authority by the luck of birth, the new United States was destined to be governed by elected representatives. A concept that had been tried before but not on the scale set forth by the U.S. Constitution. Separation of Church and State was a proposal that was unique in the world when the founding fathers incorporated it into the U.S. Constitution. Traditionally, this had not been the case but it also eliminated the process of the Church paying taxes on the lands that they owned.

The role of women in society was also affected by the Revolution (Zagarri, 2007). Prior to the War the role of women in the colonies mirrored the situation that had existed throughout most of Europe. In society's ruled by monarchies the need for an educated populous is minimized. The monarchy determines what the needs of the general population are and there is no participation by the public relative to what these needs are. In a democratic society, however, the responsibility for making governmental decisions is transferred to the citizenry and it is incumbent that the citizenry be provided with at least a rudimentary education so that they are in position to make such decisions. Although the original U.S. Constitution did not initially grant women the right to vote and otherwise participate in the government, women were afforded, on a limited basis, to participate in the increased emphasis on public education following the end of the Revolution. The theory behind allowing this greater participation by women in the educational process was that in order for the republic to succeed, women must be able to teach the democratic principles upon which the nation was founded to the children (Cohen, 2000). This idea of allowing women to become educated became known as "Republican Motherhood."

The American Revolution was also a major inspiration for future revolutions in other countries and the American governmental form also served as a model for the organization of other governments. The colonies' victory over what was then the world's greatest power, Great Britain, created a strong sense of patriotism throughout the new nation and demonstrated to the rest of the world that such insurrections could be successful. The world powers, Great Britain, Spain, and other nations with colonial interests began to take a different approach in regard to the management of their colonies by weakening their control. Arguably, it could be said that the American Revolution began to signal the end of colonialism. In any event, there can be no denying that the American Revolution played a direct role in the sentiment that evolved into the French Revolution (History Channel, 1996). Ironically, the very King who supported the American colonists in their efforts against Great Britain, Louis XIV of France, was himself the subject of Revolution. The soldiers and officers who fought on behalf of the American colonies gathered revolutionary thoughts while serving there and transferred these thoughts to others upon their return to France. Although the French Revolution did not materialize immediately after the American Revolution, the result was the same as the French people expelled the French monarch and established a National Assembly similar in structure to the U.S. Congress. More interestingly, the French Declaration of Rights of Man almost exactly mimics the American Declaration of Independence.

The spirit of Revolution spread to other nations as well (Langley, 1996). In the area that is now known as Latin America, Haiti was the site for the world's first republic populated primarily by Blacks when slaves there revolted in 1791. In South America, Simon Bolivar, using the skills he learned participating in the Haiti Revolution, led forces in Venezuela toward independence. Venezuela was the first of several South American republics that were formed subsequent to revolutions in the early 1800s and then Mexico's successful revolution in 1821. America, as a nation, did not participate by sending money or men to these other revolutions but the American Revolution and its accompanying ideology provided the impetus for these struggles for self-determination and freedom.

The spirit of the Revolution did not spread to all the colonists. A significant number of American colonists remained loyal to England and their loyalty meant that they were placed in danger both during the War and the years immediately subsequent to it (Bailyn, 1976). Most either fled to Canada or England but in doing so were forced to abandon their homes and personal property. Many of those who fled to Canada played instrumental roles in the formation of that country. Attempts at compensating these loyalists were made through Great Britain's treaty with the new country but there remained significant prejudice against said individuals and most received far less than what they left behind.

Similarly, the Anglican Church, which enjoyed widespread popularity in the American colonies, disappeared completely from the American scene once the War ended. Under Anglican theology, the official head of the Church of England is the British monarch and such loyalty, even for religious purposes, would not be tolerated in the new republic. Further, because of the doctrine recognizing the separation of Church and State, the new American citizenry was not prepared to allow the Anglican Church to enjoy tax free status. The Anglican Church re-established itself in the United States as the Episcopalian Church but all ties with the British monarchy were severed.

More significant than the demise of the Anglican Church was the abolishment of the English system of primogeniture (Alston, 1984). Under English law, primogeniture required that all land be passed from father to the eldest son. The result of this system was to keep land concentrated in the hands of a very few select individuals. In the United States the system of primogeniture was abolished in nearly all the individual states almost immediately and within all the states within 15 years after the end of the Revolutionary War. The end of primogeniture proved to be a windfall for the new nation as the land of the Loyalists was seized after the War and parceled out to the many landless that were eager to own property. The sale of this property was not only profitable for state governments but was also a great social equalizer as thousands who were previously land poor were suddenly lifted to the ranks of property owners.

The effects of the American Revolution were remarkable. Some of the effects were obvious such as the formation of a democratic government, the separation from the British monarchy, and the end of colonization in the American colonies; however, some of the other effects were far less obvious. The ideas that supported the American Revolution spread rapidly throughout the rest of the world and would influence many subsequent revolutions and would eventually lead to a greater demand for equality and human rights throughout the rest of the world. Arguably, the ideals of the American Revolution continue to influence political and sociological change even today as more and more nations adopt the principles that America's founding fathers espoused nearly two hundred and fifty years ago.

References Alston, L.J. (1984). Inheritance Laws Across Colonies: Causes and Consequences. The Journal of Economic History, 277-287. Bailyn, B. (1976). The Ordeal of Thomas Hutchinson. Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. Cohen, P.C. (2000). Women in the Early Republic. OAH Magazine of History, 7-11. History Channel. (1996). French Revolution. Retrieved July 16, 2011, from History.com: http://www.history.com/topics/french-revolution Holton, W. (1999). Forced Founders, Indians, Debtors, Slaves, and the Making of the American Revolution in Virginia. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. Langley, L.D. (1996). The Americas in the Age of Revolution, 1750-1850. Ne Haven: Yale University Press. Wood, G.S. (1993). The Radicalism of the American Revolution. New York: Vintage. Zagarri, R. (2007). Revolutionary Backlash: Women and Politics in the Early American Republic. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. American Revolution