American Revolution

Examples of American Revolution in the following topics:

• The Second American Revolution

  • Southerners viewed the Confederate States of America's claim to independence as heir to the American Revolution.
  • By attempting to secede from the perceived tyranny of the United States during the American Civil War, Confederates believed that they were invoking the Founding Fathers and the spirit of the American Revolution.
  • Ironically, the revolution that took place during the Civil War had little to do with the revolutionary goals of the Confederacy.
  • Explain why Southerners viewed the Confederate States of America's claim to independence as part of the tradition of the American Revolution

• The Status of Women

  • The American Revolution left the status of most American women largely unaltered.
  • These organizations were initially relatively rare, however, and patriot women adopted what is now commonly called "Republican Motherhood," which meant instilling in their children republican values and ideals that would prepare them to be good citizens, so that the new American Republic could continue to prosper and persevere.
  • Since women were dependent on men and did not own land, they were not considered political or economic equals after the Revolution.
  • Describe how the ideal of "Republican Motherhood" restricted women from the public arena during the American Revolution

• American Indians and the Revolution

  • American Indian tribes were divided over whether to support Great Britain or the Patriots during the American Revolution.
  • During the American Revolution, the newly proclaimed United States competed with the British for the allegiance of American Indian nations east of the Mississippi River.
  • For the Iroquois Confederacy, based in New York, the American Revolution resulted in civil war.
  • Frontier warfare during the American Revolution was particularly brutal and numerous atrocities were committed by settlers and native tribes alike.
  • The Northwest Indian War was led by American Indian tribes trying to repulse American colonists.

• Principles of Freedom

  • The republican and democratic ideology of the American Revolution grew out of the unique culture of the American colonies.
  • The American political culture is deeply rooted in the colonial experience and the American Revolution.
  • That deference declined sharply with the American Revolution.
  • Americans spent a great deal of time in court as private lawsuits were very common.
  • Evaluate the ideologies that shaped American political culture and influenced the American Revolution

• The American Revolution

  • The origins of the French involvement in the American Revolution go back to the British victory in the French and Indian War (1754–1763; the American theater in the Seven Years' War).
  • The outbreak of the American Revolution was thus seen in France as an opportunity to curb British ambitions.
  • France's material gains in the aftermath of the American Revolution were minimal but its financial losses huge.
  • The American Revolution also serves as an example of the transatlantic flow of ideas.
  • The American Revolution was a powerful example of overthrowing an old regime for many Europeans who were active during the era of the French Revolution and the American Declaration of Independence influenced the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen of 1789.

• Settlers and Native Americans

  • After the revolution, the national government initially sought to purchase Native American land by treaties.
  • During the American Revolution, the newly proclaimed United States competed with the British for the allegiance of Native American nations east of the Mississippi River.
  • The American Revolution caused civil war within the New York-based Iroquois Confederacy.
  • Frontier warfare during the American Revolution was particularly brutal, and numerous atrocities were committed by settlers and native tribes alike.
  • Native American tribes led the Northwest Indian War in an attempt to repulse American settlers.

• The Revolution and Churches

  • Nonetheless, the Revolution split some denominations.
  • Religion played a major role in the American Revolution by offering a moral sanction for opposition to the British—an assurance to the average American that revolution was justified in the sight of God.
  • The Revolution strengthened millennialist strains in American theology.
  • The American Revolution inflicted deeper wounds on the Church of England in America than on any other denomination.
  • Discuss the role that religious leaders played in the American Revolution.

• Slavery and the Revolution

  • Many African-Americans viewed the American Revolution as an opportunity to fight for their own liberty and freedom from slavery.
  • Some African Americans also saw the Revolution as a fight for liberty--their own liberty and freedom from slavery.
  • During the American Revolutionary War, African Americans served in both the Continental Army and the British Army.
  • Some motives for joining the American forces may have been a desire for adventure, belief in the justice and goals of the Revolution, and the possibility of receiving a bounty.
  • Some African Americans were captured from the Royal Navy and used by the Patriots on their vessels.

• The Changed Role of Women

  • Though the American Revolution brought hope for greater liberties to many, most of the gains made by women during the Revolution did not remain permanent or lead to further freedoms immediately following the Revolutionary period.
  • The American Revolution had a deep effect on the philosophical underpinnings of American society.
  • One such effect the Revolution and its democratic ideals had was on the roles of American women played within society.
  • The American Revolution was particularly disruptive to American Indian women who found themselves displaced from the traditional social roles as a result of war-related upheavals and American policy.
  • Describe how the Revolution changed the roles women played in Colonial society.

• A Market Society

  • The Market Revolution of the early nineteenth century saw advances in technology, transportation, communication, and manufacturing.
  • The new technologies and tools that arrived with the Industrial Revolution strengthened large-scale domestic manufacturing in the United States.
  • During this era, Americans began to experience the forces of supply and demand on a broader scale.
  • As American dependency on imports from Europe decreased, the importance of internal commerce increased dramatically.
  • American society became increasingly subject to broad market forces in the early nineteenth century.