How Did The British Colonists Contribute To The Birth Of American Identity

Riots, anger, and chaos were all prevalent in the pre-revolution colonies. Not only did the English Colonists rise up against the British, they managed to do so in a relatively short amount of time. Developments that took place over the course of a little less than 200 years all had an incredibly important role in leading to the Revolutionary War. As time passed, the colonists political independence, economic desires, and social identities developed, leading to the birth of an American identity separate from their British colonizers.
To start, the colonists practiced power long before British rule became tyrannical. In 1619, the first colonial government was formed, the House of Burgesses. For over 150 years before the Revolutionary War,
In the new land, they expected a fresh start where their dreams could come true—a lot of which meant that they would make a lot of money. The American economy was established early on through the introduction of enslaved peoples in 1619, the formation of the tobacco trade and selling of cash crops, and through heavy trade with other nations. In addition, the colonists smuggled tea, fur, and other goods as to increase income. Unfortunately, after the Seven Years War, the British fell heavily into debt, and increased taxation on colonists significantly. In turn, the colonists went from being the least taxed nation in the modern era to a colony that was heavily taxed as to pay for the losses. Furthermore, the colonists favored capitalism over mercantilism, the crown’s primary economic system. Because the colonists were allowed to only trade with England, their economic opportunities were restricted to a great extent. Mercantilism was too aggressive, and the colonists simply had different economic interests. Due to acts such as the Navigation Act which restricted the land colonists could move into, the Sugar Act which taxed sugar and other goods, and Stamp Act that put a tax on paper made it hard to get access to, colonists found that their economic pursuits were limited. In turn, the colonists furthered their illegal activity: they smuggled goods, rioted, tarred and feathered tax collectors, and refused to pay
From the beginning, the colonists had a certain detachment from Britain that was more influential than the physical distance from Britain. Many were “undesirables” that were sent to the Americas, while others were fleeing religious persecution. The Puritans, for example, valued God more than their allegiance to England and viewed themselves as better than those in England because they had a covenant with God. Later, in New York, fresh ideas arose—diversity was accepted and separation of church and state became a prominent ideal that survives in our constitution today. While there were still colonists who supported the crown, many colonists’ views evolved to a point where they found themselves detesting the British. Colonial ideology was spread rapidly through political cartoons and propaganda, and through the idea that they were not simply colonists anymore—they were now American. Other than printed publications, the American identity and view was spread through groups such as the Sons of Liberty, who would provoke the British in an attempt to get other colonists to join their cause. In fact, they would not just irritate the British, they would go to extreme efforts in order to elicit a response from them and proceed to spread the American version of the story—even if it wasn’t always veritable. Their radical actions, such as the Gaspee incident and the Boston