Overview
IntroIn 1765 the American Revolution took place between the Colonies and Great Britain. The thirteen colonies rejected the British monarchy and overthrew the authority of Great Britain and founded the United States. It all started when members of the American colonial society rejected the idea of the British parliament to tax them them using the Stamp Act. During the next 10 years the protests continued. The protesters were known as patriots and they continued to escalate shown in the Boston tea party. The reason Britain was taxing the colonies was because they were in debt and they needed the money. The colonists way of governing was much different from England's. They set up a new form of government called a direct democracy. This is the foundation of what the colonies were doing and why the revolution started. In all, they didn't like the fact that England wanted to tax them, so they rebelled.
Causes, Characteristics, and Consequences of the American and French RevolutionsThe American Revolution and the French Revolution where both effects of the enlightenment. America and France also wanted to be free from absolute monarchy and taxes. They wanted unalienable rights and equality for all the people. The differences where that the American Revolution was fought in way longer distances across the ocean but the French Revolution was fought very close by each other. Both where going against there tyranny.
Influence of the American Revolution on Latin America
The United States was able to win against Great Britain and gain independence apart from their leaders. They were able to defeat a major army with little amounts of men and skill. Since Great Britain was the most powerful country when Latin America found out about the United States victory they figured they could win against a smaller army for their independence.
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CharacteristicsThe American Revolution was a war of ideology unlike most other wars that were caused by territory or succession. The Americans were fighting for their own liberty, to establish their own rights, and the ability to create their own form of government.
The English had many more troops and ships than the Americans. Anyone would think that the English would have won by a long shot, but this wasn't the case. The Americans had a fire inside them, and a purpose to fight. They were fighting for their own liberty and freedom. Along the way France lent a hand to the colonists by attacking the English envaders by sea. The English on the other hand didn't have a reason to fight other than to control the Americans.
There are many ways that Enlightenment thought influenced the American Revolution and altered America's social and political structures. Without the ideas of the Enlightenment, the United States would have been very different since these ideas formed the country in it's early years. Ideas like freedom, natural rights, and new ways of thinking about government structure came from the Enlightenment philosopher John Locke. For one, the founders of the American Government used many ideas from the Enlightenment to form their new government. They used ideas such as separation of power and checks and balances. The Declaration of Independence is also based off of the concepts of Enlightenment philosophers. Later on when they started drafting the Constitution they used many ideas from the Enlightenment. They used Montesquieu’s idea about balance of power between three branches and also Rousseau’s idea about the power of democracy and agreement among the people in the making of a new government. These are just some of the examples of the ideas and concepts that were implemented into the new government of America. All of these ideas completely changed peoples minds about government, they were used to a monarchy like in England and for most it is a pleasant change. All of these ideas greatly impacted the social and political structure of the early America as well as the present day America. One can only imagine where we might be without the ideas of the Enlightenment philosophers.
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