THE United States Independence was declared on the day July 4, 1776 and put an end to the colonial bond that existed between the thirteen colonies (name by which the region was known in this period) and England. With this achievement, the United States became the first nation on the American continent to gain its independence.
The new nation that emerged was built on a model republican and federalist and inspired by the Enlightenment ideals that defended individual freedoms and free trade, for example. In any case, US independence was headed by the colonial elite, dissatisfied with the way England treated the colonists.
The independence of the USA and the model of nation developed by the Americans in the 18th century served as an inspiration for other nations on the American continent. THE Republic established in Brazil from 1889 onwards, for example, it was clearly inspired by the North American model.
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Causes
US Independence was
direct result of divergence of interests that existed between the metropolis (England) and the Thirteen Colonies. In the second half of the 18th century, England's policy towards the Thirteen Colonies changed drastically, and this displeased the colonists, motivating them to rebel against England.The first relevant point to be addressed is that, during the 17th century, England had ceased to be a absolutist monarchy, becoming a constitutionalist parliamentary monarchy, in which the bourgeoisie, through Parliament, controlled the country. With the advent of Industrial Revolution, this bourgeoisie was interested in industry expansion and that's why I was looking for new sources of raw material and new consumer markets.
The colonies of England, naturally, were seen as “sources to feed the English industrial process”, as defined by the historian Leandro Karnal.|1| Furthermore, throughout the 18th century, England was involved in a series of conflicts what increased O tax burden for the settlers.
Throughout the 18th century, England was involved in the following wars: War of the League of Augsburg, WargivesSecessionSpanish, Wargives “EarinJenkins”, WarofKingJorge, WarFranc-India and Seven Years War. The sum of these conflicts, for England, was positive, as they contributed to weakening France in America and increasing the territorial possessions of the English.
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With the occurrence of so many wars, England chose to maintain a standing army in the Thirteen Colonies, which represented a cost of £400,000 a year for the colonists.|2| This increased the financial impact for the latter, creating a strain on the relationship. This attrition was heightened when King George III forbade settlers from occupying the newly conquered lands that lay between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. The king's measure was aimed at preventing new conflicts between settlers and indigenous happen.
The reaction between colony and metropolis really started to get bad when the policy of the English Crown, in relation to its colonies, changed. Until then, English colonization had been guided by the autonomy of the Thirteen Colonies and by the little interferencethe one of the Crown in internal affairs. Karnal states that the year of 1763 it is the starting point for modifying this posture.|3|
This transformation of English policy in relation to the Thirteen Colonies (through the entire scenario presented in need for industrial expansion and increased spending on wars and permanent troops) materialized, basically in tax increases. From the decade of 1760, one series of laws was decreed, by England, with the objective of increasing the collection of the Thirteen Colonies.
Among this series, the following can be highlighted:
LawofSugar: increased taxes on sugar and other items such as wine, coffee and silk;
LawgivesCoin: prohibited the issuance of credit papers in the Thirteen Colonies;
LawofStamp: stipulated that publications such as contracts, newspapers and public documents, in general, should contain a stamp that was paid to the Crown;
Lawgivesaccommodation: determined that settlers should house soldiers sent by the Crown.
actstownshed: increased taxes on glass, dyes and tea.
The impact of most of these laws on the settlers was great and generated a lot of dissatisfaction. Many settlers started to boycott the English goods, and protests they took place in different parts of the Thirteen Colonies. Some laws, such as the Stamp Law, needed to be revoked, such dissatisfaction they caused.
The trigger for the general revolt of the colonists came when the English decreed the LawofTea, which determined that tea in the Thirteen Colonies would only be sold by the East India Company. Dissatisfaction with the law led 150 settlers, disguised as Indians, to invade Boston harbor at dawn, attack three ships and toss 340 cases of tea overboard.|4| This event was known as Boston Tea Party.
The Boston Tea Party was a demonstration of the settlers' dissatisfaction with the metropolis.*
The colonists' rebellion resulted in harsh measures enacted by England. The measures determined by the Crown became known as Intolerable Laws. Among the measurements of the lawsintolerable, are the following:
Boston harbor was closed until damages were recouped.
The right to meetings has been suspended.
The Massachusetts colony was occupied by British troops.
The settlers were forced to shelter and feed the English troops that dominated the region.
The measures made it clear to the colonists that there was a great divergence of interests between colony and metropolis. Thus, the settlers, who until then had been reticent about the possibility of separation, began to consider independence. This idea was still very timid, and this became clear when the First Continental Congress of Philadelphia.
At this congress, representatives of the Thirteen Colonies (except Georgia) met to draft a document to the king English declaring their loyalty, but protesting against the measures required by the Intolerable Laws. The king's reaction, however, caused more dissatisfaction, as it was determined that the number of soldiers in the colony would increase. With this measure, the first armed conflicts between English colonists and troops took place.
United States Declaration of Independence
Location where the Second Continental Congress of Philadelphia was held.**
Then, the Second Continental Congress of Philadelphia which, this time, had representatives from all the colonies. At this congress, the settlers came to the conclusion that it was no longer possible to remain under their rule. English colonial, since they considered that the metropolis' actions were disrespectful to the interests of the settlers. From this congress, the United States Declaration of Independence, published July 4, 1776.
The settlers, gathered at the congress, established 27 causes that explain the Declaration of Independence, and the reasons why the settlers understood the situation are summarized by Leandro Karnal:
[…] the mercantilist laws, the wars that harmed the interests of the colonists, the existence of English troops that the colonists had to support, etc. The settlers' patience, calm and thoughtfulness are highlighted in opposition to the intransigent and authoritarian position of the King of England, in this case, George III.|5|
The United States Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson. With independence, the War of Independence, in which the colonists fought for five years against British troops.
United States War of Independence
The US War of Independence lasted for five years. The settlers defended their independence through the Continental Army, force created right after the declaration. After the break with the colony, a legal provision was developed in the United States that allowed citizens to arm themselves. This idea led to the possession of weapons in the United States being included in the Constitution from the country.
The British sent a number of important commanders to lead their troops in America. In addition, they had many traitorous colonists who provided them with important information. The colonists, in turn, united against the English, motivated mainly by the violence with which they were treated during the war.
In that, french and Spanish people entered the conflict providing vital support to the Americans. The first two had interests in weakening the British on the American continent and saw, in the support for the independence of the United States, a way to reach them. The final victory of the American colonists came after the Battle of Yorktown, which ran on October 19, 1781. The British recognized the independence of the USA, with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, in 1783.
Why did France help with US Independence?
French involvement in the US War of Independence happened because the French had an interest in weakening the British in America. Remembering that, during the 18th century, the two nations had entered into combat during the Seven Years War, in which the French, defeated, were forced to assign a series of territories.
The US War of Independence was seen by the French also as a possibility of recovering these lost territories. With the defeat, the British were forced to return Senegal, some islands in the Atlantic and some lands in America, to the French.
The Spaniards, who also fought alongside the settlers, were given back Minorca, an island in the Mediterranean, and territories in Florida.
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Consequences
The Independence of the United States is also known as American Revolution. From this process, the main consequences that can be highlighted are:
Consolidation of the United States as an Independent Nation.
The Enlightenment ideals espoused by the Americans inspired independence movements in other parts of America, including Brazil.
Republicanism was consolidated as a political alternative. In the nineteenth century, the Spanish colonies, for example, were converted into republics after gaining their independence.
Decline of England's colonial rule in continental America.
France and Spain regained part of their territories in America, after the British defeat in the war;
The US territorial expansion process began, after England ceded the land between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River.
|1| KARNAL, Leandro. The Formation of the Nation. In.: KARNAL, Leandro (ed.). History of the United States. São Paulo: Contexto, 2008, p. 75.
|2| Idem, p. 75.
|3| Idem, p. 76.
|4| Idem, p. 79.
|5| Idem, p. 88.
*Image credits: Chrisdorney and Shutterstock
**Image credits: Warasit Phothisuk and Shutterstock
By Daniel Neves
Graduated in History
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiag/independencia-estados-unidos.htm