43,000. This is the number of Revolutionary Soldiers who died from the American Independence War. This war remains important for Americans because it achieved the ideals and goals of America’s democracy. Colonist’s strong desire for independence from British rule resulted in America’s victory, and the war stands as the foundation of American societies that we face today. Though many casualties from the war arouse controversial perspectives about whether this war can be justified under the name of freedom, I believe that the American Independence War was the reasonable war for American citizens, as it allowed colonists to acquire political, and economical freedom. In my speech, I am going to talk about the cause, progress, and effect of the war with three literary works.
The main cause of this war was the British’s unreasonable taxation. In 1767, the British enforced Townshend Act to impose taxes on paper, glass, and other necessary goods that colonists needed for industrial development. In 1773, the British also enforced the Tea Act to levy a high tax on the importation of tea. Written in 1765, D. B. Jackson‘s book The Thief-Taker demonstrates how the innocent American printing companies suffered from the stamp act, which required them to pay tax on stamps before the publication. Moreover, The Common Sense was written by Thomas Paine in 1775 to advocate for the independence of America. Thomas Paine thought the British government was not fulfilling the duty, because the government failed to protect people’s life, liberty, and property. These literary works and historical evidence show that the colonist’s rights were threatened to revolt against the British for their own government that can protect themselves from unreasonable tax.
Now I am going to talk about the progress of the war. The war began when colonists protested against Tea Act and dumped all the British teas into the ocean near Boston Harbor. Also called the Boston Tea Party, this incident was punished by England’s Intolerable Act that coercively closed the Boston Harbor and further restricted colonist’s participation in politics. This provoked colonists and made them create a Continental Congress for war preparation. When the war broke, political leaders from Continental Congress built the Continental Army to fight against British soldiers. Book American Scripture, written by Pauline Maier, described the Declaration of Independence that was signed after the war broke out. The book praises Declaration as defining statement of national identity and moral standard. The fact that the author viewed the war as not just the fight for independence but rather an establishment of “national identity and moral standard” shows that this war was necessary for the strong democratic foundation of America’s society.
American Independence War had a large impact both on politics and the economy. America’s victory led to the Treaty of Paris, which required the British to formally acknowledge America as an independent nation. Some of the people opposed the independence and remained close to Britain. These people included elites who earned money and reputation from the British government. Besides them, most of the ordinary citizens were satisfied with the results. After the war, politicians wrote the Articles of Confederation to protect people’s rights that the British government failed to achieve. People’s political participation grew as they began to gain the right to vote. The independence also allowed America to open a new market and build trade relationship, which was restricted under British rule before. Considering these, the American Independence war definitely brought more than just freedom.
”Give me liberty, or give me death!” is a quotation attributed to Patrick Henry from his speech made to persuade people to fight against Britain. As mentioned earlier, this aspiration under the unreasonable British rule was well demonstrated by two literary works, The Thief-Taker, and The Common Sense. Declaration of Independence, the great part of the war, was described in the book “American Scripture”. Because this progress led America to build a national identity and achieve democratic goals by allowing political and economical freedom, I believe that this war was a reasonable war for American society.
Writer: Danielle Lee
(Picture: "The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis")
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