An American sense of identity and unity by the revoulution essays

An American sense of identity and unity by the revoulution essays Much was going on around the colonies throughout the eve of the Revolution. The extent to which the colonists had developed a sense of an American identity was strong, however, their unity was weak. An American identity was becoming stronger and stronger as the days went by leading up to the eve of the Revolution. One example that can be used to show this is the French and Indian War. After the British and the colonists victory in the war, France was no longer an enemy or a threat and the colonies showed that their militia could fight. An increased confidence emerged among the American army after they fought courageously along the British regulars. However, the British did not pay any recognition to the American militia commission above the rank of captain. This insulted the army and led to a different identity than that of a British one. Also, many of the immigrants that fled from Europe werent from England so they didnt feel at all loyal to the British crown. America had melted into a new race of men... and would one day cause great changes in the world... (Document H). The Stamp Act also contributed to this new American identity. After this tax was imposed, many colonists were outraged and felt a great deal separated from Britain. In contrast to this, unity among the colonies was weak. In 1754 an intercolonial congress meeting was held in Albany, New York knows as the Albany Congress. Ben Franklin wanted the colonies to unite tremendously, even writing one of the first cartoons in American history saying that the colonies needed to join or they would die (Document A). However, that attempt failed. Also, in the South there were many Loyalists whom did not want to unite at all. Some said they would rather be ruled by one tyrant three thousand miles away rather than three thousand tyrants not a mile away (Document D). In addition to this...