Were They Radicals or Conservatives?
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Wolran Kim / Sep 2010
Were the Patriots who fought for American Independence fighting for change and reform or for a preservation of their way of life?
Generally, the cause of a fight is a conflict of opinion according to gain or loss. A cause of war is a clash between people who want to take and people who want to keep. Edward Abbey (1927~1989), American author and essayist said, "A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government." What's the difference between radical patriots and conservative patriots? I heard that radicals do something; conservatives just talk about doing something. Radicals are the people who pursue change and development of society according to legality of history and conservatives are the people who want to keep and protect tradition from alteration.
The American Revolutionary War (1775~1783) that won political independence for 13 of Britain's North American colonies, formed the United States of America. We can decide if the victims of this war were radicals or conservatives after considering the origin of the fight.
The biggest factor was excessive taxation of colonists by Britain. After the end of the costly French and Indian War (1763, Paris Conference), Britain imposed new taxes for import: sugar, treacle, salt, and iron. This was indirect taxation so it didn't cause much repulsion. The problem was the Stamp Act. The colonists were in opposition to heavy duties under the slogan "No taxation without representation." Britain wasn't convinced but they canceled the Stamp Act in a moment because the Stamp Act was unpopular.
The other cause was Indian Reservations which were built by Britain. Colonists supported Britain when they fought against the French union with Indians. After that, colonists wanted entry to fertile lands in the middle-west. But Britain established Indian Reservations on those areas and they had to shoulder the expense every time when there was trouble between colonists and Indians. Impedimenta Law was offended by colonists who had to bear the expenses of troops. In 1770, the Boston Massacre occurred between the British army and colonists and in 1773, the Boston Tea Party which gave rise to Revolutionary War. In 1778, an army for national independence gained a first victory at the Battle of Saratoga and the union of national independence and French won Battle of Yorktown after French participated in the war. In 1783, Britain government approved independence of America officially at the Treaty of Paris. (Cyber Hall for democracy and human rights information)
This war was one of the inevitabilities of history between colonists who didn't want to the plundered anymore and rulers who wanted to keep taking by force. The British Crown misunderstood that the colonists increasingly saw themselves as a separate people, due their own voice in their own affairs. A series of British political missteps, outright blunders, and heavy handedness stirred the colonists to become patriots. By 1776, a growing number of Americans, including George Washington, were convinced that Britain was embarked on a systematic plan to strip them of their property and reduce them to slavery.
“The Revolution was truly multifaceted.” There was a rebellion of the colonial gentry against British noble who refused to accept them as equals. There was also a rebellion by merchants and shippers who chafed at British trade controls and royal monopolies. There was a conservative revolution, which sought to defend traditional liberties against British outrages. And there was a radical revolution, inspired by the call for liberty and equality in the Declaration of Independence, which sought to create a society that could serve as a model of freedom for the rest of the world. (American Revolution)
They needed change. They wanted better life and society against their native country's encroachment which grew more serious. The process of sudden change is always written as WAR in history and the consequence of sacrifice is an exorbitant price. Colonists became an independent country. Servants became the masters. Radicals were much more common than conservatives even though it depends on who is doing the labeling.
------------------------------------
Wolran Kim / Sep 2010
Were the Patriots who fought for American Independence fighting for change and reform or for a preservation of their way of life?
Generally, the cause of a fight is a conflict of opinion according to gain or loss. A cause of war is a clash between people who want to take and people who want to keep. Edward Abbey (1927~1989), American author and essayist said, "A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government." What's the difference between radical patriots and conservative patriots? I heard that radicals do something; conservatives just talk about doing something. Radicals are the people who pursue change and development of society according to legality of history and conservatives are the people who want to keep and protect tradition from alteration.
The American Revolutionary War (1775~1783) that won political independence for 13 of Britain's North American colonies, formed the United States of America. We can decide if the victims of this war were radicals or conservatives after considering the origin of the fight.
The biggest factor was excessive taxation of colonists by Britain. After the end of the costly French and Indian War (1763, Paris Conference), Britain imposed new taxes for import: sugar, treacle, salt, and iron. This was indirect taxation so it didn't cause much repulsion. The problem was the Stamp Act. The colonists were in opposition to heavy duties under the slogan "No taxation without representation." Britain wasn't convinced but they canceled the Stamp Act in a moment because the Stamp Act was unpopular.
The other cause was Indian Reservations which were built by Britain. Colonists supported Britain when they fought against the French union with Indians. After that, colonists wanted entry to fertile lands in the middle-west. But Britain established Indian Reservations on those areas and they had to shoulder the expense every time when there was trouble between colonists and Indians. Impedimenta Law was offended by colonists who had to bear the expenses of troops. In 1770, the Boston Massacre occurred between the British army and colonists and in 1773, the Boston Tea Party which gave rise to Revolutionary War. In 1778, an army for national independence gained a first victory at the Battle of Saratoga and the union of national independence and French won Battle of Yorktown after French participated in the war. In 1783, Britain government approved independence of America officially at the Treaty of Paris. (Cyber Hall for democracy and human rights information)
This war was one of the inevitabilities of history between colonists who didn't want to the plundered anymore and rulers who wanted to keep taking by force. The British Crown misunderstood that the colonists increasingly saw themselves as a separate people, due their own voice in their own affairs. A series of British political missteps, outright blunders, and heavy handedness stirred the colonists to become patriots. By 1776, a growing number of Americans, including George Washington, were convinced that Britain was embarked on a systematic plan to strip them of their property and reduce them to slavery.
“The Revolution was truly multifaceted.” There was a rebellion of the colonial gentry against British noble who refused to accept them as equals. There was also a rebellion by merchants and shippers who chafed at British trade controls and royal monopolies. There was a conservative revolution, which sought to defend traditional liberties against British outrages. And there was a radical revolution, inspired by the call for liberty and equality in the Declaration of Independence, which sought to create a society that could serve as a model of freedom for the rest of the world. (American Revolution)
They needed change. They wanted better life and society against their native country's encroachment which grew more serious. The process of sudden change is always written as WAR in history and the consequence of sacrifice is an exorbitant price. Colonists became an independent country. Servants became the masters. Radicals were much more common than conservatives even though it depends on who is doing the labeling.
