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Generations whose childhoods coincided with the 80s or 90s will definitely remember watching cowboy movies on Sundays on private television channels which were just starting to be established at that time. Additionally, especially on Sundays, we might also remember most of the movies were related to the founding period of America and the American Revolution on the television channels. In these films, we also remember the emotional and American nationalist scenes with lots of American flags. (mmm propaganda time) The subject of many of the most famous movies of a period is the struggle between evil (!) and unfair (!) Indians and superior (!) cowboys. Of course, the most righteous and powerful American character in these films usually fights America’s famous struggle for founding and independence.
In this context, today we are writing about the American Revolution and the US Independence War which we believe will contribute to your general culture and personal development. We should approach this issue objectively, without taking sides, and grasp the historical facts as they are, just as we would like every issue to be.
War of Independence
When you type American War of Independence or American Independence Day to search engines, you will see almost identical results. Contrarily, we will try to explain the American War of Independence, also called the American Revolution in detail, in our own style and impartially, as we always try to do here. We all know that with the discovery of the American continent, the number of the Indians, the natives of the continent, was reduced by being killed or exiled as time went on. As we have just mentioned, there are many films that deal with these issues and generally portray Native Americans as bogeymen.
Briefly, the American War of Independence is the war in which the American colonies (basically 13 colonies) which were British colonies at that time, gained their independence by rebelling against heavy taxes (especially the latest stamp tax) and oppression.
The war, which started in 1775, lasted about 8 years and ended in 1883 when England recognized the independence of the USA.
The US War of Independence basically took place between the British colonies (namely the 13 English colonies) and Great Britain. However, although they were few in number, countries such as the kingdoms of France, the Netherlands and Spain also had small colonies in American territory at that time. Then, these small colonies joined the other 13 larger colonies when the war started. On the other hand, in its simplest sense, the war took place between England and the American colonies seeking independence. As we have stated before, this war which has been the subject of many books and films, accelerated the idea of American Nationalism and the process of America’s nationalization.
American Revolution War
After the discovery of the American continent in the wake of geographical discoveries, people from Europe began to migrate to this new continent in tens of thousands in the hope of exploiting natural resources and finding gold. At the same time, the kingdoms of continental Europe were in a great race to exploit and benefit from this new and rich colonial area. Accordingly, countries such as England, Spain, Netherlands and France, which were colonial powers at the time, were in a great colonial competition in the new America continent.
As a result of this competition, especially after the Seven Years’ War, which ended with the great victory of Britain in the year of 1763, France had to give up its colonies in America and hand them over to Britain. In the wake of Seven Years’ War victory, England/Great Britain, which became the dominant and imperial power of almost all of the colonies, tried to cover the increasing costs with tax increases and placed a great burden on the people of the colonies. At this stage, Townshend’s law, which includes taxes that increase tea prices, is of critical importance. After this law, pro-independence rebels secretly infiltrated the tea ships in Boston Harbour and spilled the tea inside the ship into the sea. This event, known as the Boston Tea Party, was the beginning of the war.
As we can see from here, even though Boston Tea Party was an important sign for start of the war, the American War of Independence was not a short process that started and lasted in one day and then ended.
When US Declare Independence?
The American Revolution, known as “The Civil War” that started with the rebellion of the British colonies upon this incident, turned into a great fire with the participation of the Dutch and Spanish colonies. At this point, France’s position in this war is very important and critical. France, which fought against the colonies at the beginning of the war, later positioned itself against England and on the side of the colonies. Then, France, which secretly supplied soldiers and weapons to the colonies, was financially weakened in this process. In this concept, it would not be wrong to say that the American War of Independence triggered the French Revolution in this aspect.
Apart from that we should say the American Declaration of Independence, published by the colonies on July 4, 1776, is also a symbol of independence.
During this process, France also declared war on England in 1778. Furthermore, France’s main aim here is to weaken England and take back some of its colonies which it has given up before. However, the process proceeded differently and the British colonies ultimately defeated England and established the independent United States of America on November 25, 1783, under the leadership of George Washington. With the victory of the war, we cannot say that the conflict environment and civil war in America is completely over. However, after the war, the new government gathered the power to focus on the unrest and turmoil within the country.
To sum up and in line with all this information, it can be said briefly that the most important events in the history of the American state are the publication of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 and the victory of the American War of Independence on November 25, 1783.
Causes of the American Revolution
When the American Revolution is evaluated together with the way it took place and its results, it will be understood that; this event is one of the rare events that changed the course of world history. It is obvious that geographical discoveries, the Renaissance, reform movements and intellectual and philosophical movements in Europe triggered the feelings of independence in every country, just like the colonies in America. However, many events or ideas, large or small, can be counted among the reasons for this war of independence additionally.
If we summarize the causes of the American Revolution and the War of Independence in items;
- England put financial pressure on and overwhelmed its colonies by imposing heavy taxes,
- Philosophical and intellectual movements that emerged especially in 17th century Europe created the idea of independence in the colonies,
- The notorious Townshend’s law
It could be listed as it is shown above.
Results of the Revolution
The most important and impressive result of the US War of Independence or simply the American Revolution, was the establishment of the United States of America. As a result of this war, the colonies led by George Washington defeated the British state and gained their freedom. Afterwards, the impacts of this war were also seen in France. In other words, it could be said that the US War of Independence contributed, albeit indirectly, to the French Revolution. Along with this, it is clear that after the Revolution, the Kingdom of Spain suffered a great blow and lost its colonies.
Generally speaking, although it had many consequences or impacts, the brief results of the American War of Independence can be listed as follows;
- The United States of America is officially established.
- Ideas of independence spread and influenced the French Revolution.
- After this process, the kingdoms and empires in Europe entered the process of disintegration.
- Countries such as the Kingdom of Spain, England and France are in economic difficulties.
- The idea of colonies and the colonial mentality have suffered a great blow.
If we consider world history as a whole, we can easily see that there are certain important periods such as the modern era and the new era. The beginning and ending of these periods occur with important events such as the collapse of the Roman Empire, the invention of steam engines or the French Revolution etc. According to historians, the American Revolution or the American War of Independence is not event that close an era and open another. However, in our opinion, the establishment of the United States of America, although it has not been named yet, is an important historical event that almost opened an era.
Whats Next for Democracy
Even we cannot know what will happen in the future, today it is very clear that the United States, which achieved economic power shortly after its establishment and then became a world superpower as a result of the world wars, left its mark deeply on world political and social history.
As the famous historian and philosopher Yuval Noah Harari stated in his books named Sapiens and Homo Deus, especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the only dominant force left behind from fascism and communism was liberal democracy, led by the USA. On the other hand, in the wake of the severe global financial crisis of 2008, liberal democracy began to be discussed all over the world. Everyone started to ask questions like “We wonder if this thing called liberal democracy was America imposing its hegemony on other states in the world? Or is it the end of liberal democracy?” If we look at it from this perspective, as Professor Yuval Noah Harari stated, although it has some flaws and problems, we still believe that liberal democracy is the most correct governance system globally in the world.
In other words, international organizations around the world and state groups such as the G20 should come together and look for ways to renew and revise liberal democracy rather than destroying it.(if they do not want to fight another world war in the near future of course!)
