American Revolution
American Revolution
Introduction
Prior to late 18th century, United States was under the rule of the British Empire which had established colonies on different parts of the American land. In the 18th century thirteen colonies that were under British rule teamed up and mounted a strong opposition to the continued rule by the British Empire. This was what came to be known as the American Revolution. During this revolution the colonies used both peaceful and violent methods to oppose British policies. This paper is going to discuss the one violent method and one peaceful method used by the colonies in their fight for independence.
Peaceful Method
One peaceful strategy used by the colonist in the opposition to British rule was boycott. The American colonies were important part of the British Empire in terms of economy and influence (Lancaster & Plumb, 2001). The British economy benefited immensely from taxes levied from the colonies and from conducive trade relations with the colonies enabled by Britain’s influence on these colonies. This dependence of the empire provided a nice base for colonies to mount opposition to the British rule. The 13 colonies that had united to form an opposition against the monarch boycotted the remittance of taxes to the colonial masters. This had tremendous effect on the Empires economy. The tax boycotts also diminished Britain powers as the financial strength to sustain it military base was reduced. The colonies also removed most trade relations with Britain (Lancaster & Plumb, 2001). This included boycotting import goods from Britain and other activities that supported the British Empire. This also became a big blow to the Empire as the economy was affected and it financial position reduced significantly. The British parliament began to face internal opposition from British merchants who were suffering from this boycott. To further reduce the British Empire influence, the colonies also reject the authority of the British parliament (Lancaster & Plumb, 2001). This implied that Britain no longer influenced policies within the United States.
Violent Method
In response to the rebellion mounted by the 13 American colonists, the British Empire launched military attacks in several American territories (Valis, 2002). During this period the British Empire had developed the largest and most powerful military force in the world. Due to its might it was able to invade and capture most of the UnitedState’s coastal cities. The colonist had to respond to this attack by organizing militias to fight the British army (Valis, 2002). Events degenerated into a war which came to be termed as the American Revolutionary War. The American colonies convinced the French, Dutch and the Spanish governments to join the war, which helped to counter the power of the British army. The war ended with the signing of the Paris treaty which saw Britain acknowledging the United States as a sovereign state.
The more Effective Strategy
The violent opposition was the more effective strategies of the two. While Boycotts were effective means of reducing the influence on the British Empire on the American colonies, they did not achieve the desired effect, which was complete independence. The colonist has to go war with colonial master in order to break free from them. The American Revolution is an important event in the American history. It is during this event that the United States was able to gain independence from the British Empire and become a sovereign state. During the revolution, 13 American colonist came together to appose British rule. This colonist used both peaceful and violent methods in their fight for independence.
References
Lancaster B. & Plumb J. (2001). The American Revolution. USA. American Heritage Inc
Valis G. (2002). Tactics and Weapons of the Revolutionary War. June 17, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.doublegv.com/ggv/battles/tactics.html
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