Introduction
The Revolutionary War in America (1775-83) resulted from rising tensions between the colonial government and residents of Great Britain’s 13 North American colonies. Battles between the colonial militiamen in Concord and Lexington and British troops began in April 1775 (Hummel, 2018). Before the breaking of the war, there had been tensions between the British colonists and their US colonies. The colonists were against the move by the British government to raise revenue, the lack of representation in the parliament, and the mob killings of colonists. This study shall evaluate the American Revolutionary War by examining the conclusion of the war and how America was re-unified after the war.
The Conclusion of the American Revolutionary War
The USA was created during the American Revolution when 13 northern colonies fought against the British colonies. It was a risky move during this time since the British Empire was the strongest in the world. Although American success seems to be so obvious today, during those days, things were different. The war started in 1775 to 1783 when a peace treaty was signed with the British Empire (Hummel, 2018). Some Native American colonies, especially in the West, did not sign the treaty until 1795 as they continued to fight and struggle. This shows that the US was still divided as some fought for the colonialists.
The war was intense and claimed the lives of many Americans and British troops. It took 104 months for the war to end, and over 100,000 American men had borne arms (Gregory, 2020). No exact number of Americans died in the war, but scholars have agreed that the number is 25,000 (Gregory, 2020). During this time, the Americans or the Continental Army had no clear statistics recording. Except for the men who died on the battlefield during times of war, many causes of death make it difficult to approximate the number. For instance, some were struck by lightning, others crashed by heavy wagons, drowned while crossing rivers, shot themselves, and committed suicide (Gregory, 2020). This implies that at the war’s end, America had lost most of its young and robust population, which would be essential in rebuilding the nation.
Unlike in other wars where soldiers came back home with disabilities, only a few injured survived during the post-American revolutionary period. Most of those who were wounded seldom came home to their families. They died due to infections, blood loss, shock, and other causes because there was no good healthcare system. Those who survived had their lives occupied with partial or total vision loss, emotional scars, and disabilities (Gregory, 2020). Not only did the soldiers die, but also civilians perished from other causes, such as diseases, coastal raids, and siege operations.
How America Re-Unified After the Revolutionary War
The post-American revolutionary period was hard for American colonies as they learned to adapt to life without rulers. The land was facing much instability and change due to the departure of British rule. There was an evolution of new government structures, religious fragmentations, the end of monarchial rule, economic flux, challenges to the family systems, and a massive population shift (Gregory, 2020). Although the Articles of Confederation in 1777 had united the United States, they were still fragmented and did not live as a united nation (Gregory, 2020). All states wanted to keep their sovereignty and operate under their own rules and constitution (Gregory, 2020). This caused Congress to struggle op put the states together as sometimes their interests clashed.
During these clashes, the Articles of Confederation’s weaknesses quickly evolved and became so apparent. Congress required that the different states give revenue, but there were no limits as each state could give what they could afford (Willing, 2022). The states had so much inefficiency in collecting the tax that sometimes Congress lacked enough money to pay its military, service their war debts, and cater for other government costs (Willing, 2022). This created a weakness in the central government, which allowed towns, states, and federal jurisdiction to vie for power and authority.
Money was one of the main problems which proved to challenge the unity of the US. Before the country’s revolution, most people were conducting business at a personal level. However, in the early nineteenth century, the government had chartered hundreds of banks, financial institutions, and corporations (Willing, 2022). The ability for Americans to access and borrow money from these financial systems, which was readily available, boosted the entrepreneurial spirit in the country, and it later led to significant fortunes. However, due to inconsistency, many currencies lost their value while others made interstate trade very complicated. It led to the collapse of some business empires while others were coming up hence having a very unstable economy.
Thus, there was a need for a new constitution that would unify all the states and reduce the complications caused by the Articles of Confederation. In 1787, a group of delegates created a new constitution that strengthened the United States (Willing, 2022). The constitution gave the federal government authority to collect and raise revenue to maintain the military and coin money. All states were asked to surrender their sovereignty and could no longer come up with their armies or coin money. This move helped stabilize the economy and created a common interest among the states, although some were against the central concentration of power. They feared that the central government would become too strong and start oppressing them too (Rakove, 2020). A Bill of Rights was drafted and gave the people all the required liberties, then included in the document to avoid this. This guaranteed them that the government would never oppress the citizens again.
Due to the adoption of the new Human Rights, many social things changed in the US. Most British traditions that had been adopted were beginning to be abandoned in a move to create a new society. For instance, the word “gentleman” was used for men to work without pay. The word was quickly disappearing as men were now referred to as Mr, and finding an occupation became respectable in society (Hummel, 2018). However, not all citizens benefitted from this republican move because although all states had the power to elect the House of Representatives, the central government dictated those who could vote. For instance, enslaved African Americans were counted as 3/5 of an individual, so they did not have all the rights their counterparts had (Rakove, 2020). This shows that the new constitution still suppressed some of the marginalized communities, and they did not get equal rights.
Women were another group that was marginalized in the post-American revolution. In 1776-1807, women could not vote except in New Jersey, where they were given suffrage (Hannah-Jones, 2019). In addition, they were expected to study less than their male counterparts and only received basic skills. By 1780, only half of New England’s women could sign their names, showing a high level of illiteracy for women (Hannah-Jones, 2019). This is despite women being critical in making the revolution successful by running farms and conducting family business when the men were away at war. Other women had significantly taken the lead in advocating for a fair share of republican freedom.
Religious conflicts increased in the postwar period as new sects came with community-oriented churches. This went to the extent that states started placing religious requirements on officeholders to bring some sanity, and some sects endured persecution (Hannah-Jones, 2019). Although Congress had agreed that it would not interfere with religious freedom, local disagreements continued to sprout. Americans continued to fight for an equal society, although sometimes their efforts would not bear any fruits. American cities sometimes experienced labor strikes, ethnic and racial conflicts, and other revolutionary actions.
Conclusion
The American Revolutionary War, which took place in 1775-1783, was a major turning point for America. Although the country suffered the loss of many young people in the war, the effect of the war was very evident after a peace treaty was signed in France. However, following the war, there was much mistrust in the US states, and each state lived as a sovereign with its army and coins. The central government required them to give a percentage of their income as revenue. However, the federal government could not order a specific amount as each state was required to give what it could afford. The central government was unable to pay for its war debt and pay its military and other government services. In addition, the sovereignty of the states led to a conflict of interest and a very unstable economy as each state used its coins. In 1787, a delegate came up with the US Constitution aimed at unifying the states. This constitution came up with new rules, such as using a single currency, human rights, free trade within states, and other policies that helped significantly unify the United States.
References
Gregory, A. (2020). 2020:The American Revolution that wasn’t. JSTOR. Web.
Hannah-Jones, N. (2019). America wasn’t a democracy until Black Americans made it one. The New York Times. Web.
Hummel, J. (2018). Benefits of the American Revolution: An Exploration of positive externalities. Econlib. Web.
Rakove, J. (2020). How the meaning of the Declaration of Independence changed over time. Stanford News. Web.
Willing, R. (2022). Of life, liberty and the pursuit of “All persons found lurking within our lines”: the continental congress’ committee on spies and the path to American Independence. Intelligence and National Security, 13(2), 1–16. Web.