The American Revolution - Essay Example

?“The American Revolution created the noblest ideals and aspirations of Americans-their commitments to freedom, constitutionalism, the well being of ordinary people, and equality. In short, the Revolution had convinced Americans that they were a special people with a special destiny to lead the world toward liberty”. (Wood, Preface) Introduction Freedom is one of the basic rights of every person in every nation and is among the longest standing aspirations of the west (McDonald and Hoffmann 143). It is essential to one’s growth as it allows a person to exercise his privileges. However, there was a time in the history that this basic right was suppressed by foreign nations who wanted to enlarge their territories by conquering undiscovered lands. Oppression was their method in order to get by force lands that they want. People resisted their oppression for years, until they woke up one day realizing the importance of liberty. The United States of America nowadays exercises their freedom to the fullest. These liberties are guaranteed by their Constitution through their Bill of Rights (Shain 166). These rights, now enjoyed by the people of America, are the product of years of battle for independence and self-preservation. It is noteworthy to revisit the past and know how difficult it was for the people who shed their lives and blood to get the gift of liberty. Americans nowadays are special because they exercise their freedom to the fullest extent. With the help of the American government, the rights of people are being upheld and afforded protection from any oppression. They are now harvesting the gifts of the bloody American Revolution. This paper will briefly discuss the American Revolution and how they won battle which freed its people and its nation from the oppression of the British. It will also expound on how American people are special for having the gift of independence as quoted by Wood in his book The American Revolution. American Revolution It is worth remembering the past. It is a humble experience to realize what the Americans before did to have free country today. What they planted many years ago was the seed of courage and independence which the Americans nowadays reaped. They fought well not just to reprise from foreign oppression, but to assert their longing for independence. With that, Americans inherited a free nation. For 150 years, the Americans were able to resist the British rule. The American Revolution did not abruptly start. Different events which are cumulative in nature, lead to the eruption of the said war (Burg 3). It involves the global conflicts which affected Europe, Asia and North America (Lancaster and Plumb 7). The war broke out on 1754, when the French and American troops clashed in Pennsylvania causing the latter loss. Consequently, France and Great Britain declared war against North America. Americans grew mad upon the imposition of taxes because they knew that such imposts were discriminately applied. This policy was questioned by the Americans for being unconscionable and iniquitous (Bonwick 3). Because of this battle, the isolated groups came together as one. The States formed allies with one another to combat the predicament they were currently facing. These charters, through their meetings, were able to come up with liberal ideas that set the standard of today’s independent United States of America (Lancaster and Plumb Introduction). After the ruthless war and blood shed by the people of the America, George Washington and some of advocates aspired for total independence. Independence on the ways they are going to run the country, and that the people will be able to exercise their natural and moral rights without foreign influence. This means that the people of America may be afforded their full rights and shall be given a safeguard against those who oppressed them. On 2nd of July 1776, the United States of America is declared independent – a free nation. Consequently, Thomas Jefferson, one of the countries prominent statesmen, drafted the declaration of independence, which enforced the freedom to be asserted by every individual (Burg 5). Freedom and Americans The United States of America is called the land of the free, because of the success of conquest against foreign invasion. They are enjoying independence and democracy, which are being guarded and protected with its government. But what makes the American people special in terms of spreading the fruits of independence? In Wood’s (Preface) book, he stated that Americans created ingenious ideas about freedom, constitutionalism and the well-being of the ordinary people. It is through the experiences brought by the American Revolution that these were brought about. Americans were able to spread the bounty and blessings of liberty. Through their constant exercise of their rights and its fruits, other countries called for independence. They wanted change that will empower ordinary people, which composed of the majority of one’s nation. They wanted liberty from oppression, whether it may be foreign or domestic. Its liberal ideas are nowadays embraced by most of the countries in the world (Pederson 77). The liberty of the United States of America is being supported and guarded by its constitutional safeguards. These rights are accorded to its people and are embodied in a law, which is famously known as the Bill of Rights (Bodenhamer and Ely 147). The American Bill of Rights may be tagged as the standard of different nations, pertaining to individual rights of its people. Those enumerated in the Bill of Rights are so called unalienable rights which cannot be waived by any citizen and are safe guarded by its constitutional mandate. It is based in the natural law which transcends from generation to generation. These guarantees of liberty are grounded on the common good and on their happiness. These rights are not just founded due to foreign power but also as protection from arbitrary exercise of government power (Pederson 73). They were able to establish a set of rules which are founded on equality and respect. It created peace and order within the country and a balance between the rich and ordinary people. People in the United States are able to express their feelings without any mental reservation. They are not anymore suppressed to exercise such right. This gives the definition of true Americanismn (Hentoff 3). Americans are special not just in establishing and enforcing such rights, but also in spreading the ideas and principles of liberty. Every American knows what are their rights and how are they going to exercise it, without causing harm to another. These aspirations and safeguards are being used by most of the countries in the world. How they express their freedom is adored by the people around the world. This freedom creates a tie between every individual in America to bond as one and stand up together. The liberty they are experiencing, as said, influenced many countries which manifest through patterning their Bill of Rights to the Americans. It influenced most of the nations to revolt for their liberty, because of the positive effects it brought to the United States, such as social and economic development. Conclusion The American Revolution is one of the remarkable events in the history of the world. Americans realized the importance of having a free country, which is run by the people and for the people. The hardships were not futile, because they were ab le to give the next American generations the gift of freedom (Bodenhamer and Ely 9). Through the great efforts of their forefathers, they were able to generate advocacy that ensured that the rights of the people will not be breached once more (Lancaster and Plumb 37), rights which are made not only for the rich but also for the poor. Americans are perceived to be special in sharing the gifts of independence. They are special in the sense that they are able to make a mandate which guarantees its happiness and freedom. Though founded from the natural law, every principle and right it afforded to its citizens are manifestly reproduces by most of the countries around the world. Their exercise of freedom influenced other nations to seek liberty for the benefit of its people. Their efforts to empower people opened the eyes of the rest of the world on the effects of independence not just from foreign oppression, but also proactively towards the growth and development of one’s nation. Works Cited Bodenhamer, David J. and James W. Ely. The Bill of Rights in modern America. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2008 Bonwick, Colin. The American Revolution. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1991 Burg, David. The American Revolution. Infobase Publishing, 2007 Hentoff, Nat. Living the Bill of Rights. Berkley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1999 Lancaster, Bruce and John Harold Plumb. The American Revolution, Edition 001 Series. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2001 McDonald, Christine and Stanley Hoffman. Rousseau and Freedom. Cambridge University Press, 2010 Pederson, Charles. The U.S. Constitution & Bill of Rights. North Makato, Minnesota: ABDO, 2010 Shain, Barry Alan. The nature of rights at the American founding and beyond. University of Virginia Press, 2007 Wood, Gordon S. The American revolution: a history. Modern Library, 2002 Read More