Nowadays, fighting for freedom is a feeling that most people in the Western World know at best from television. Living in our heated up houses, we have the opportunity to choose for ourselves what we want to believe in, without being persecuted. When you compare the life of previous generations with today’s life, it is considerably easier now. In the lecture “Ideen- und Sozialgeschichte der USA” I heard about people fighting for their own lives, for their families and values. I have been fascinated by the civilians’ problems and their ways to solve them. The lecture did not offer so much time to study this special issue in particular, so for my great interest in people’s rebellions, I decided to study the role of civilians in the long struggle for independence - from the frustrating acts up to war and beyond. The result is what you are just holding in your hands today. I hope it will help you to understand the enormous pain, anger, and fear the people in the “New World” suffered from in the second half of the 18th century. At this time, America had been colonised by the British for almost two hundred years (the first Anglican settlement was Jamestown, Virginia, founded in 1607 by Captain John Smith ). At the beginning of the paper’s main part, I give a short summary of the important progresses up to the 1760s. In this period of time, I want to go in detail with the people’s sorrows upraised by the Crown and its provoking acts. I want to describe two of the deep-cutting acts passed by the English Crown in detail. I chose the so-called Townshend Program, the Tea Act, and the colonist’s reactions to them, to arrive in the following part at the beginning of the war, always paying attention to the role of civilians in special. The last part of my paper is meant to show the changes in daily life caused by the revolution, and its results. It should also show us what today’s society can learn from previous struggles for freedom and peace. Throughout the paper I proceed in a chronological way. The deepening sections - which are meant to specialise on the most illustrating events and processes involving the common people, or rather on the deeper backgrounds of historical events - must not be necessarily sequential.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Burdened by the British up to the brink of war
2.1 The first acts aggravating civilians
2.2 The Crown under pressure
2.3 Escalating irritations – The road to war
2.3.1 The Townshend Program
2.3.2 Symbols of resistance
2.3.3 A view on the Boston Massacre from both sides
2.3.4 The Tea Act
2.3.5 The Boston Tea Party
3 Looking in the face of war
3.1 How civilians got involved in military actions
3.1.1 The Battles of Lexington and Concord
3.1.2 The Second Continental Congress and the Continental Army
3.1.3 The arming farmers
3.1.4 Warmongering civilians – the militia
3.2 Civil life in times of war
3.2.1 Important publications and how the people assessed it
3.2.2 The people’s suffering
3.2.3 Economic mobs
4 The beginning of the post-war-era
4.1 The Rebellion of Daniel Shays
4.2 Final results of the revolution
5. While writing this paper
Objectives and Research Themes
The primary objective of this paper is to examine the role and experiences of common civilians during the American struggle for independence, tracing the transition from initial frustration with British policies to active participation in the conflict and the subsequent post-war challenges. The research questions the extent to which everyday people—farmers, women, and the broader colonial society—shaped and were shaped by the revolutionary process.
- Analysis of British colonial policies, specifically the Townshend Program and the Tea Act.
- The evolution of grassroots resistance and symbolic acts of defiance, such as the Boston Tea Party.
- Civic participation in military actions, including the role of the militia and the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
- The social and economic impact of the war on daily life, covering food shortages, inflation, and internal civil unrest.
- Evaluation of post-revolutionary societal shifts, including the Rebellion of Daniel Shays and the search for national identity.
Excerpt from the Book
2.3.3 A view on the Boston Massacre from both sides
The new customs commissioners had been harassed in such a vehement way that the Crown saw no other solution than stationing “four regiments of regular troops” in the city of Boston. There were many clashes between British soldiers and inhabitants for a period of time, until finally - on the 5th of March 1770 - a fight between them broadened to a street battle. Up to now, nobody has discovered what really happened on that evening. Five citizens were killed.
The Boston Gazette wrote on the 12th of March from the civilians’ point of view that some soldiers had been bothering inhabitants with their bayonets and also injuring some of them, when some young men came around the corner and put up resistance with some small sticks. This was answered by more soldiers appearing on the scene, and besieging the partly unarmed young people with their sabres and bayonets, till they recognised their small chances to win and finally ran away. The soldiers went through the streets, pursuing and hurting unarmed civilians - even children. In front of the commissioner’s house, the situation escalated when some soldiers answered snowballs with shots from their rifles, and killed five inhabitants of the city of Boston.
A British officer, who apparently gave the order to shoot, made a different statement concerning this incident. He said that the soldiers had been attacked by inhabitants and that they had just tried to prevent the violence spreading like wildfire, by taking up a position with their fixed bayonets and their rifles with put-up safety catches. In addition to this, he claimed that he had never thought of giving an order to shoot. Following his explanations, the first shot fell without his permission, after a soldier had been attacked with some sticks.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter introduces the motivation behind the research, focusing on the civilian perspective of the American Revolution and outlining the historical scope of the study.
2 Burdened by the British up to the brink of war: This section details the restrictive trade policies and taxation imposed by the British Crown, which acted as catalysts for colonial discontent.
3 Looking in the face of war: This chapter analyzes the escalation from civil protest to armed conflict, examining the role of militias and the harsh realities of wartime life for the average citizen.
4 The beginning of the post-war-era: This part addresses the immediate socio-economic aftermath of the war and the challenges of nation-building, highlighted by events like the Rebellion of Daniel Shays.
5. While writing this paper: The concluding reflections discuss the author’s learning process and emphasize the importance of viewing historical events from diverse perspectives.
Keywords
American Revolution, Civil Society, British Colonialism, Townshend Program, Tea Act, Boston Massacre, Militia, Guerrilla warfare, Daniel Shays, Independence, Taxation without Representation, Social history, Continental Army, Revolutionary War, Post-war era.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this research paper?
The paper examines the American Revolution from the perspective of the common civilian, analyzing how ordinary people navigated and participated in the struggle for independence.
What are the central thematic areas covered?
The central themes include British taxation policies, the rise of colonial resistance movements, the transition to organized armed conflict, and the social and economic hardships faced by civilians during the war.
What is the primary goal of this study?
The goal is to understand how the "New World" population was affected by British provocations and how they actively shaped the long struggle toward independence.
Which historical research methods are utilized?
The author employs a chronological approach, using historical documentation, primary reports, and academic secondary literature to analyze events from multiple viewpoints.
What does the main body of the paper address?
It covers the progression from trade restrictions and symbolic protests (like the Boston Tea Party) to the outbreak of war, the involvement of the militia, and the civil challenges during the post-war era.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The paper is characterized by terms such as American Revolution, colonial resistance, civilian participation, and the socioeconomic impact of the war on the American populace.
How does the paper interpret the Boston Massacre?
The paper presents the event as a pivotal, highly disputed incident that became a powerful symbol for colonial resistance, providing both the civilian and the British officer's perspective.
What role did the militia play according to this text?
The militia is described as a significant force composed of farmers and families, which, despite participating in war crimes and internal violence, was essential to the broader revolutionary movement.
- Quote paper
- Marc Kemper (Author), 2002, Riots and Revolutionaries - How did civil America make progress on its Road to Independence?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/118488
