Why did the americans rebel against england?

Essay by thightower1981University, Bachelor'sA+, February 2004

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Why did the Americans Rebel?

In short Bernard Bailyn's argument was based on the ideological lessons American schoolchildren have been taught. He argued that the early Americans had inherited a tradition of rebellion against English standards through the movements to the colonies by the Puritans, Quakers, etc. He also stated that the colonists were seeing a conspiracy against their way of life by the English to establish an aristocracy in the colonies by taking away the personal liberties of the common man. They also believed the English would eventually destroy the "unwritten" constitution that they lived by.

Gary Nash argued that the Revolution was not just based solely on the ideological vision that has been taught, but a combination of that and economic factors of the day. He stated that during that time the colonies were starting to resemble the aristocracy that was already present in England. Rich merchants were riding around town in expensive carts with an entourage of slaves while the average people were having a hard time making providing for themselves.

Gary Nash would most likely be correct is his assessment of the situation at those times. People were likely to see merchants getting richer and then look back to England, the country that they had left behind in search a better life. The social pressures of the Old World were coming into play in the new one and that would have been seen as unacceptable by anyone not residing in the upper echelon of society, (this would have consisted proportionally to today's middle class to today's upper class.) To further fears of a conspiracy, the Crown was sending troops into the colonies, increasing taxes, forcing people to build homes for them, etc. All of this would have felt like a giant boot stepping on...