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Introduction

The American Revolution, which was a result of many different taxes and acts passed by the

British parliament, began in 1775 with the Battle of Lexington, where British troops attacked

colonists. This war lasted until 1783, ending with the British surrender of Yorktown and the

signing of the Treaty of Paris. Even though the war had affected England greatly, in terms of

their amount of land, profit, and power, the war also greatly impacted the colonies causing

hatred. The colonies were altered politically, socially, and economically by this war.

During this war, the colonists wrote the Declaration of Independence, which stated, “that

whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people

to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government.” This quote, which was also quoted by

Howard Zinn in his work A People’s History of the United States, shows that the colonists

changed their government because they though it violated their human rights (Corbett et al,

2017). Because of their views, the colonists got rid of the English monarchy and changed their

government’s structure to a republic, as stated by Gordon S. Wood in his book, The Radicalism

of the American Revolution. Politics were also changed because of the American Revolution as

all offices now “lie open to men of merit, of whatever rank or condition”. This means that not

only rich men could be elected into an office, men with merit, meaning educated men, were now
able to run for office as well (Feagin et al., 2019). While this did not open the elections to all

white men, it did allow many more men to run for an office position.

In terms of economics, many things changed for the better for the colonists. After the

colonies separated from England due to the American Revolution, America gained a lot of land

from the British. This land made profit because of the resources and businesses on this land,

which now belonged to America. America could also tax this land and keep the money instead of

having to pay taxes to England. This new land allowed for great land expansion, as well as

economic expansion in the colonies (Feagin et al., 2019). The Revolution allowed for the

building of new industries and businesses and more entrepreneurs came about.

One of the biggest changes that came to the colonies because of the American Revolution

were the social changes. The American Revolution brought on the switch of the wealthy men

loyal to England to the wealthy colonial elite, but it did nothing in terms of helping the middle-

and lower-class colonists. This divided the social classes even further as the lower class were

angry about seeing little change for themselves. The American Revolution also brought about

social change by paving the way for abolitionist groups for women and slaves’ rights as well as

the current equality movements. This was due to the beliefs conflict about the institution of

slavery that was brought up during the political and social changes of the American Revolution.

The American Revolution did bring up another issue concerning social classes, which was the

freeman and slaves’ debate. This was brought on by the social view white men who were

dependent on another person in any way were slaves to those people. This ultimately led to white

men not willing to accept any dependent status. The American Revolution brought about big

political, economic, and social changes to the colonies (Corbett et al, 2017). These changes

would later be expanded on or abolished by future generations to form the United States we all
know today. The abolitionist movement, which started in this era, has changed many aspects of

the modern U.S. The switich from a monarchy to a republic has also stuck with this country and

remains the government of America to this day, highlighting the long-lasting impact of the

American Revolution.

The stamp crisis Act developed in 1765 aided the colonies to be independent, it generated the

hatred between the Americas and the England. This rivalry ended in beneficial for both where

the colonies had more time to worry about their country’s economy. This Stamp Act was a

taxation done on all federal documents that were used by the colonies. The stamp was meant to

protect the colony and gather for some debt from Indian and French war.

The Boston massacre occurred on March 5, 1770 tensions between the British and Colonists

were rising months before hand because of the Stamp Act, Townshend act and other laws the

British were passing. The fighting started in February when the patriots started attacking loyalists

and their property.  On that day, Private Hugh White was guarding the King's money.

Supposedly, colonists surrounded White and throwing ice and sticks at him. White hit a colonist

with his bayonet. Thomas Preston showed up with a group of soldiers to scare the colonists away

defending the Customs House. Five colonists were killed in this encounter. The patriots had John

Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Paul Revere spread propaganda urging colonists to keep fighting

the British. Colonist were determined to cause an uproar attacking, White ultimately resulting in

the deadly encounter between the parties resulting in 5 individuals losing their lives. My primary

source is an engraving made by Paul Revere right after the massacre called ‘The Bloody

Massacre’. It is an image of British soldiers shooting at crowd of colonists (Feagin et al., 2019).

This image is extremely bias favoring the colonists because it makes it look as if the colonist

were being ambushed out of nowhere and are helpless but as we learn that was not the case, they
provoked White initiating the interaction. My secondary source is less bias for the fact that it is

more focused on telling the whole story bringing more information about both sides. I think that

the British soldiers had a right to protect and defend themselves from the colonists. I also think

that there is not enough evidence to prove either side at fault or not. The whole thing could have

been avoided if the colonists did not approach white.

In the years from 1763 to 1774, strains between Great Britain and the American settlements were

expanding quickly. Expecting to recover their misfortunes from the French and Indian War and

force more noteworthy control over the frontier economy, Great Britain forced harsher and

harsher assessments and guidelines. Pressures arrived at their limit during occasions, for

example, those portrayed in the artwork, The Bostonians Paying the Excise-man, or Tarring and

Feathering. "The scene addresses the animosity toward the individuals who upheld regal position

and outlines the elevated tide of agitation in the settlements after the British government forced a

progression of supreme change measures during the years 763–1774." Painted in 1774 during the

tallness of the pilgrims' objection toward the British government and its allies, it shows the

degrees of actual brutality the pilgrims were able to focus on conveying their idea (Corbett et al,

2017). Considering this painting, it's no big surprise why the British pronounced battle against

the American provinces only a couple years after the fact

In conclusion, through transformation, Americans had pushed toward turning into the most

liberal, the most just and reasonable, the most fiscally disapproved, and the most present-day

people on earth. The Revolution not simply significantly changed the individual and social

relations of people yet moreover pounded nobility. The Revolution brought goodness and even

solidarity to basic people since a long time back held in disdain and offered pride to their

unobtrusive work in a manner amazing in history and to a degree not compared to elsewhere on
the planet. The Revolution didn't just discard government and make republics; it truly

reconstituted what Americans suggested by open or state control.

References

Corbett, P.S., Janssen, V., Lund, J.M., Pfannestiel, T.J., Vickery, P.S. and Roberts, O., 2017. US

history. OpenStax, Rice University.

Feagin, J., Long, B., Blankenship, S. and Callahan, J.S., 2019. Video Set for American History I

(The American Yawp).