Reflection Essay on American Revolution

Between 1760 and 1800 the thirteen colonies rejected the British Monarchy and became the sovereign United States of America, The American revolution is a term used to describe the events that occurred during this time of political turmoil. It was characterized by a number of new social and intellectual ideals that lead to many debates and eventually formed the core values of the United States. This essay will discuss how the revolution affected women, African Americans and working class whites.

Before and after the American Revolution the concept of mothers instilling values of republicanism in children gave them the identity of the “Republican Motherhood. ” They would encourage their children to uphold the ideas of liberty and their daughters were held responsible of bringing these values to the next generation. This new role allowed a greater number of women to be educated. They also contributed by using ordinary domestic behaviors to influence the war. They boycotted British goods, spied on them, cared for the soldiers, followed armies into battle and cared for families (Berkin, 2006).

When speaking about slaves the British would often exploit fear of slave revolts to lower support of the colonists. Though the colonists refuted these claims the British continued making them and in order to still their calls of hypocrisy regarding the rights of those slaves, they abolished slavery altogether in all the northern territories by 1804 freeing their children. The southern states however upheld the slavery laws (Davis p. 148-150, 2006). Additionally the working/poor class situated mainly in the south gained great power after the American Revolution due to their sheer numbers.

This allowed them to not only control congress and the Supreme Court. Eventually certain citizens from the south also became president (Heer, 2008). References Berkin, C. (2006). Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America’s Independence. New York: Vintage . Davis, D. B. (2006). Inhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World p. 148-150. New York: Oxford University Press. Heer, J. (2008, March 24). The American Revolution: A Mistake? Retrieved May 20, 2009, from Word Press: http://sanseverything. wordpress. com/2008/03/24/the-american-revolution-a-mistake/