American Revolution

BEFORETHEREVOLUTION
Sociallyandeconomically,thethirteenBritishcoloniesinNorthAmericafellintotwo
groups.Thesoutherncolonies,Virginiathelargestamongthem,hadlargelyplantation
basedagrarianeconomiesdominatedbyaplantereliteandworkedbyAfricanand
AfricanAmericanslavelaborers.Theseplantationsfocusedoncashcropproductionfor
theAtlanticeconomy.Thenortherncolonieshadrelativelylargecommercialand
handicraftsectors,dominatedbymercantilecapitalistsandworkedbyindentured
servantsandfreeartisanlabor.Northernagriculturefeaturedalargepopulationofsmall,
independentfarmers,anditsscalewasmuchsmallerthaninthesoutherncolonies.
Slaverywaspartofthenortherneconomybutnottothesameextentasinthesouth.Also
presentinthecoloniesweretwogroupsthatformeddirectlinkswithotherworld
societies:theBritishcolonialgovernment,consistingofbothadministratorsandsoldiers,
andmembersofIndiannationslivingbothoutsideandwithintheboundariesofthe
coloniesthemselves.
CAUSES
Intheseventeenthandeighteenthcenturies,Europeanstatespassedlawstoprotecttheir
owncommercialinterests.Theselaws,takentogether,formedaneconomicsystemcalled
mercantilism.Themercantilistsystemoftheseventeenthandeighteenthcenturies
benefitedcolonialeliteswhileenrichingEuropeangovernments.Butbythesecondhalf
oftheeighteenthcentury,manycolonistsbegantoresenttherestrictionsthemercantilist
systemplacedontheireconomicactivity.Thiswastrueamongboththeincreasingly
wealthyelitesandthelaboringclasses.ResentmentintensifiedinBritishNorthAmerica
afterthe1763BritishvictoryintheSevenYearsWar,whichthecolonistscalledthe
FrenchandIndianWar.TheBritishimposedaseriesoftaxesandpoliciesonthecolonies
tooffsetthecostofdefenseduringthewarandtomaintainanarmyof10,000inthe
colonies.Takentogether,theseexactionsbegantoswingpublicopinionagainstthe
British.TensionscametoaheadafteracolonialmilitiaandBritishtroopsexchanged
shotsintheMassachusettstownsofLexingtonandConcordin1775.
ThecausesoftheAmericanrevolutionwerenotonlyeconomic.TheEnlightenment
protestagainstabsolutism,expressedinacallforlibertyandequality,foundfertilesoilin
NorthAmerica.Differentgroups,however,haddifferinginterpretationsoftheseideas.
Tothemerchantandplanterelites,freedomwastakenprimarilytomeanfreedomfrom
Britishmercantilisteconomicrestrictions.Equalitywastakentomeanequalitybeforethe
law,noteconomicorpoliticalequalityamongclassesorraces.Manypeopleinthose
groupswhowerenotinadominantsocialposition,suchasslaves,indenturedservants,
artisanlaborers,mariners,andsmallfarmers,wantedrealsocialandeconomicequality.
Manywerereadytoattempttogainitbyrevolution,whichgavethemovementasecond
dimensionastruggletoreformsocietyandtoriditofantidemocraticfeatures.

RESULTS
TheAmericanrevolutionproducedfreedomandequalitybutintermsmostfavorableto
elitegroups.Immediatelyaftertherevolutionariesvictoryinthewar,theBritisharmy
departed,andthenewUnitedStatesfounditselfoutsideoftheBritishmercantilist
system.Afterabriefexperimentinadecentralizedconfederation,theConstitutional
Conventionof1787createdafederationwithastrongcentralgovernment,shiftingpower
fromindividualstatestothenationalgovernment.Thatnationalgovernment,however,
wasanEnlightenmentproject,withseparatelegislative,executive,andjudicialbranches
andelectionsbuiltintothesystem.Racialinequalitywasbuiltintothesystemaswell.
Despitetheinitialobjectionsofsomedelegatestotheconventions,acompromise
allowedslavestobecountedasthreefifthsofapersontodeterminethesizeofastates
representationintheHouseofRepresentativeswithoutallowingslavestovote. However,
northern states, through legislative and judicial decisions, gradually abolished slavery,
and all but two states halted the importation of African slaves.
ThenewUnitedStatesshortlybegantoexpanditsborders.Fromtheadministrationof
GeorgeWashingtonforward,theUnitedStatesmovedtoacquireIndianlands.Thisledto
aseriesoftreaties,brokentreaties,andwarsthatwouldseetheUnitedStatesoccupying
NorthAmericafromtheEasternseaboardtotheWestCoastbythemidnineteenth
century.Indiannationswerepushedoffancestrallandsandontoreservations,atthecost
ofmanylives.