American Revolution, Rise of Massachusetts and Virginia - Essay Example

American Revolution America consisted of thirteen colonies under the British colonial power before the revolution. The British colonial power oppressed the colonies in different ways. The British government had been continually imposing taxes and laws on the colonies. When the people could no longer take more of what the colonial government exposed to them, they rose to rebel against the colonial powers to get their freedom. The British colonial government imposed taxes on the people as they made efforts to survive in the economic hardships that had resulted from the war with France. This paper will highlight the causes of the revolution and how the changes brought about by the revolution affected freed black Americans. In addition, the paper will discuss the rise of Massachusetts and Virginia. The French and Indian war had negative effects on Britain. Although Britain went home with victory, the victory came at a prize. It had exhausted most of its finances. Consequently, in 1763, America had enormous debts to settle. Britain sought to formulate strategies that would help it settle the debts. It is at this time that they exposed the colonies to extremes of oppression. The government began a search of all trade routes identifying the smugglers who avoided the heavy taxes levied on the route. This affected American traders mostly. The sugar act also came into place requiring Americans to pay tax at a time when economic times were hard. The colonists worsened the situation with the banning of production of the American currency. Moreover, the colonists expected the Americans to provide the British troops with accommodation in act called the quartering act. The Americans opposed all these acts but the colonists multiplied them. In 1765, introduction of the stamps act that required Americans to pay tax on all paper products sold made their opposition fierce. Their opposition involved a boycott on all American goods. The colonies reasoned that it was unfair for them to suffer from the oppressive acts of a government in which they did not have a representative. However, the imperial government fueled their opposition by introducing an additional import tax and more boycotts resulted. In addition, other restrictions after the some colonial leaders attacked a vessel and interfered with tea on the Boston port after a monopoly allowed a tea company to dominate America. The thinking of American people was changing with time. Most of the people were reading literature that highlighted the making of social contracts and were slowly adopting liberalism and other schools of thought highlighted in the enlightenment literature. In addition, some revolutionary clergy had committed to teaching the truth about equality and this prompted the people to oppose any form of oppression from the colonial government. In 1794, the people formed an association that would tie them together to fight for their liberty. All these factors mentioned led to the rise of the revolution in 1775 (Frank 43-49). Rise of Massachusetts and Virginia These two colonies proved to have different structures by 1700. Background information reveals that the two colonies emerged through the efforts of English colonists who had left their home country due to unrest. Puritans who ran away from the different forms of harassment they faced in their country set up Massachusetts with its capital at Salem. The colony was independent of any rule or joint ventures with other colonies. The puritans introduced a hierarchical system that determined religious and family leaders. The colonists in Massachusetts emphasized sharing between the rich and poor. The colonists intended to create a society that promoted equity. In this colony, slave systems did not exist. Instead, the colony depended on children and members of the family structure to provide the necessary labor. Native American in this colony preferred to sell land and adopt the puritan lifestyle. In this colony, fathers assumed the role of managing and supervising the farm work as the other family members worked. The colonists were strict adherents of the puritan religion (Frank 44). On the other hand, Virginia colonies had a direct link with the England king. The king made appointments of the colony rulers. Often, he appointed the rich merchants who owned land to be in charge of the settlers. In 1634, the colony absorbed the court-council system from England. In this system were judges who managed the taxes, accounts, and payrolls and acted as managers of the works. Later, the colony was to adopt an assembly system as a representative government. 1650 saw the assembly splitting into two houses. These houses were the governor’s council and the House of Burgesses. The labor system made use of indentured servants from Europe who worked on the tobacco farms as part of their sentence. With time, there were only few servants and the colony required supplements from Africa. In the span of time between 1640 and 1660, blacks and Indians began working on the farms as slaves. With time, the colony only acquired black slaves. The colony found the slave system efficient because the slaves worked infinitely and at a very low price. Virginia colonists were Anglican Church adherents although they portrayed tolerance to other religions. The Revolution and its Effects on Slavery Many slaves responded in the fight for freedom with the implication that they deserved to be free from slavery just as the Americans wanted freedom from England. It was not an easy venture for the slaves because the Americans still undermined blacks. Most of the whites did not realize the irony in demanding for freedom while they held others captive. Most of the slaves took every opportunity to escape. The colonists realized the quest for freedom in the slaves and came up with a proposal. They would grant freedom to slaves who helped in the war. The blacks wanted freedom from slavery that had reduced their dignity to lesser humans. In 1777, they could join armies and use arms. Some slaves fought for the Americans while others fought for the colonists. The black’s objective in the war was to acquire freedom (Frank 47). The revolution served to unite blacks towards a common goal. The fight for freedom reignited the fire for an ethnicity. The blacks felt united and they gained an identity. From this identity and new self-image acquired, the blacks started indulging in activities that would make them feel equal. They initiated churches for the black. For example, some formed a church in Kentucky. Peter Durrett initiated and conceptualized the idea. Slaves received their freedom either through the amendment of laws of the state in which they served. Some whites who realized that slaves deserved better treatment freed some slaves and encouraged other slave owners to do the same. Other slaves organized political arenas to fight for equal freedom. Economically, they sought jobs that required skills that they had learned. Work Cited Frank, Andrew. American Revolution. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2007. Print. Read More