Liberty The American Revolution - Essay Example

In 1765 English parliament required a new, small tax, to aid in compensating for the expenditures of the new colonies. This tax was not intended to anger anyone; it was the traditional and typical sort of tax that the King has always had the right to implement. They had no idea how the colonists would react, but they never assumed that it would lead to outright rebellion. This tax, called the Stamp Act, was perceived by the Colony leaders to be unjust. This disagreement would be the beginning of the end of the relationship that the Colonists had with Great Britain. The Stamp Act was repealed in 1766, but was replaced with another new law that allowed the British government to tax the colonies as they saw fit; and, indeed they did tax them. “The Boston Tea Party” was not this roaring attack by men hooting and screaming, while dressed as Native Americans, making a loud protest as we so often see in films and television; in fact, the “Tea Party” was rather covert, quiet, and over and done with quickly. Ultimately the episode concluded with the British response to the “The Boston Tea Party,” when armed warships surrounded the port city and were prepared to use force to gain obedience and order if necessary. This miniseries uses actors to speak the words that reflected the real concerns of the people who were living in these times. It makes it very interesting to learn history in this way.

Part 2
The second part of the miniseries, Liberty! The American Revolution covers the period between 1774-1776. This was the times when Americans took up arms and openly defied Britain. The British thought that the colonists were hardly a threat. Many colonists were still quite loyal to their homeland and were caught in the middle, and quite conflicted as to what they should do. It was a rebellion they thought could be put down quickly and then it would be over and forgotten. The famous skirmish at Lexington may have been by accident, in that to this day no one is absolutely certain who fired the first shot. However, it was Bunker Hill where British losses were significant, and the Americans proved they could be a threat. The Americans held their ground until they ran out of ammunition and were forced to retreat. If their supplies held out the American colonists may have had a chance of an actual victory over the British that day. This is the point when it became very clear that there was no going back. The episode concluded with the historical day, July 4th 1776, when Americans declared that they would forever be separate from England, the day that the Declaration of Independence was signed. I think the most interesting thing that I heard was the fact that that first shot in Lexington may have been accidental, which is fascinating. To think, how one little act can have such a memorable impact, and may never have been meant to be.


Part 3
The third instalment of the miniseries chronicles the major events between 1776 to 1777. It begins with New Yorkers, watching the ocean, fearing the arrival of British warships. The British did come in the numbers of tens of thousands. It did seem at this point that the American colonists had little chance of withstanding, let alone defeating, Great Britain’s forces. The episode detailed the efforts, ordeals, and frustrations of General George Washington as he attempted to maintain the American army’s existence in order to keep fighting. He was leading men who did not even have soles left to walk on.

They tell a wonderful story of how colonists exiting church saw soldiers improperly dressed; they took off their own shoes and gave them to the soldiers. It discussed the extreme disadvantages of the colonial forces, which were terribly our resources and outgunned. However, the American victories at Trenton and Princeton change the perspective of the war for many colonists. They now had hope that the success of the Revolution was truly possible and George Washington is declared a national hero. We all acknowledge that there was a revolutionary war but we often think of it as this far away thing that happened to people who lived and died a long time ago, but when you listen to real words, the hopes and fears of those that would help to create the country that we now call home are fascinating and important. I think that this miniseries effectively teaches the historical events, not just dates and places, but allows for the human element very well.
Conclusion
The 3 parts of this miniseries that I watched were very interesting, and as I said before, is a useful and effective way to teach these moments in history. It is fascinating to learn using the words of the actual people who lived makes it seem more real. It is interesting listening to how reluctant many colonists were, they didn’t want war.