The Psychological And Psychological Effects Of The American Revolution

While most certainly brutal and violent, the results of war can be either positive or negative. On one side, countless lives are lost; on the other side, principles are upheld or won, and a new country now has the opportunity to prosper. The American Revolution began around 1775 and ended in 1783, when the United States of America declared independence from Great Britain and became its own country. Like any other war, much of the damage and casualties resulted from civilian deaths when the raging armies swept through the colonies. The Loyalists- those who supported Great Britain and King George- and the Patriots- those who supported the principles of freedom and independence- alike were both hurt, killed, imprisoned, or otherwise dragged into …show more content…
After the news reaches Redding, Betsy Read, Tim, and Sarah Meeker gather at the tavern to muse, “‘... why imprison a ten-year-old boy?’... ‘What harm could he have done them? This war has turned men into animals… ‘They sunk his body in a weighted sack… so his parents can’t even get him back.’” (166). Jerry Sanford was only a boy, and he lived in a Tory town. This however, did not prevent the British troops from taking him and throwing him onto a prison ship and leaving him there to rot. Taken first by the British, and finally by cholera, the people of Redding–including Tim–never saw Jerry’s face again. After the war ended, his hometown of Redding finds out that after he dies on the ship, the Lobsterbacks had thrown his body overboard with stone, into the vast, deep sea. He could not be given a proper burial by his loved ones, who had to mourn over the only remnants of Jeremiah Sanford: his memory. There was no reason for the British to perform this heinous act; however, they did, and it affected Tim deeply. Jerry Sanford had been Tim’s best friend, and his death caused Tim loath war, no matter what the reasons were for fighting it in the first place. Tim learned that sometimes, people will do horrendous things just to show their power. Jerry’s death served as a reminder to Tim that war took away lives from everyone, no matter who they …show more content…
The injustice of everything struck the Meeker family at its heart, striking deep, especially in the heart of Sarah Meeker, Tim and Sam’s mother: “‘War turns men into animals’… ‘It’s just so unfair, he fought for them for three years, and now they’re going to shoot him for nothing’… ‘War is never fair.’”(174, 200). Irony is apparent here, in the illusion that war will win glory and great fame. There is no glory or fame in war, there is only violence and grief. War is fought to bring about justice, and yet, the most unjust things occur in its duration. Tim hated the world and the Patriots for tearing apart his once wonderful family life, and he hated that there was injustice in the world. Sam had not done anything, yet he was taken as a scapegoat and shot. Trials are held, like any other time, but the result is whatever the jury believes will please General Putnam. Though Tim never joined the Loyalists’ cause, he never joined the Patriots’, either. Sam’s execution showed Tim that the world was not a fair place; no matter which side he joined, there was going to be some form of injustice wrapped up in pretty paper. Sam’s death was said to be good and save soldiers in the long run, but at the moment, all it served to do was to kill Tim’s only brother, and rip apart his feelings. With his Loyalist beliefs proven false, and his Patriotic feelings burnt up in the flames that Sam suffered, Tim had nowhere