It is common to think that the American Revolution was a war for impendence fought by American colonies against the rule of the British Crown. Both the government and society were dominated by wealthy merchants and landowners, as well as prominent colonists who have acquired wealth through the smuggling of goods, below which there were free workers and slaves. Most of the colonists respected individual businesses and had a shared value based on the sense that their country should become independent from Britain. It can be argued that the American Revolution was not only a political process but also a social one because it led to significant and almost immediate changes in the social makeup of the country that shaped America as it is today.
Some changes brought about by the American Revolution were felt instantly by society. While slavery would not be abolished even a century after the Revolution, there was an emergence of an organized movement for ending slavery. In addition, such British traditions as inheritance lands laws were eliminated almost immediately. States began experimenting with Republican ideas when developing their state constitutions, emphasizing the virtue of the new political movement over the limitations of the Monarchy and aristocracy, as suggested by Paine in “Common Sense.” Besides, the Anglican church in America would no longer survive, which led to significant changes in the social values of society. The Revolution inflicted substantial wounds on the Church of England, the official head of which was the British Monarch.
The dependence of America on Britain was strongly tooted in the taxation issue, which gave the latter legal power to tax the citizens of America. This contributed to the increased discontent of society toward such dependence. The colonial representatives began working on their initiative to mobilize colonial opinion against the parliamentary interference in the American political, economic, and social affairs, all of which were covered in Jefferson’s “Declaration of Independence.” From that point, the events began to reach the point of no return, which encouraged local organizations assuming leadership in the states to end the authority of the British Crown with the help of Associations. Many people started joining such Associations, mobilizing both troops and society, in general, to unify in the pursuit of independence from the Crown.
The American Revolution was a social process that encouraged the development of a new outlook among the population that would have further ramifications long into the future, associated with changes for the better. For example, groups excluded from immediate equality, such as women or slaves, drew their later social justice movements from the principles of the Revolution. Americans began to feel that the fight for their liberty and emancipation was international, and later, democracies would model their system after the framework established in America.
While the American Revolution signified a break from the British authority and the shaping of the unique political and economic environment in the country, it encouraged new social movements and sentiments that shaped the society throughout history. Ranging from breaking free from the Anglican church under the rule of the Monarch to the first signs of the slavery abolitionist movement, the American society would make significant steps away from dependence and toward independence. Therefore, the American Revolution was not only a political process of abolishing ties with Britain but also a social one because it led to significant and almost immediate changes in the social makeup of the country.
Bibliography
Gorn, Elliott, Roberts, Randy, Schulten, Susan, and Terry Bilhartz. Constructing the American Past: A Sourcebook of a People’s History, Volume 1 to 1877. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2018.