The Emergence and Evolution of the American Identity Prior to the Civil War
Introduction
The American Identity is an abstract, multifaceted concept that has evolved over time throughout every period of American history. During the Colonial Era, distinct colonies, each with its own culture, values, and legislation, made up Colonial America. The colonies were largely disunited, leading to a dearth of a collective cultural identity. As a result, the American Identity at that period of time was solely based on a common area of residence in a newly discovered area of the world, and was completely devoid of a distinctive American culture. However, following the Revolution, the young nation began to solidify and a true American identity began to …show more content…
New York was a Dutch colony that was located in a geographically advantageous area for trade and shipbuilding. However, the Virginia colony was initially a joint-stock company with self-government, and was later made a royal British colony. The fertile soil of Virginia made it well suited for agriculture, and it eventually became a leading exporter of the tobacco cash crop. Although, these two colonies were established with similar motives, they greatly differed from each other in their lifestyles, cultures, and governments. This contrast was mainly a result of the fact that the two colonies had completely different ways of life due to their geographic locations, origins, and governmental structure. As a result, a common American Identity was not established. Therefore, individual settlers during this colonial era in American history were not connected by a common culture, but only by their proximity to one …show more content…
The Federalist Party, led by Alexander Hamilton, pushed for a strong central government, leadership by aristocrats, a national bank, and friendly relations with the British. The Federalist Party, on the other hand, led by Thomas Jefferson, held views that were exactly the opposite of those of the Federalists. The Republicans favored strong state governments, rule by the common man, no national bank, and an alliance with the French. This stark contrast made disaccord inevitable, and feelings of sectionalism arose. The majority of the South tended to support the Republicans, while the Federalists gained most of their following from the North. While these two political parties weren’t long lasting, new political parties eventually took their place, culminating before the Civil War into the Democratic Party of the South and the Republican Party of the North. These parties represented the essence of sectionalism during the era, as the Republicans favored the cession of the expansion of slavery, while the Southern Democrats wanted to protect their livelihood and continue practicing slavery throughout the
Introduction
The American Identity is an abstract, multifaceted concept that has evolved over time throughout every period of American history. During the Colonial Era, distinct colonies, each with its own culture, values, and legislation, made up Colonial America. The colonies were largely disunited, leading to a dearth of a collective cultural identity. As a result, the American Identity at that period of time was solely based on a common area of residence in a newly discovered area of the world, and was completely devoid of a distinctive American culture. However, following the Revolution, the young nation began to solidify and a true American identity began to …show more content…
New York was a Dutch colony that was located in a geographically advantageous area for trade and shipbuilding. However, the Virginia colony was initially a joint-stock company with self-government, and was later made a royal British colony. The fertile soil of Virginia made it well suited for agriculture, and it eventually became a leading exporter of the tobacco cash crop. Although, these two colonies were established with similar motives, they greatly differed from each other in their lifestyles, cultures, and governments. This contrast was mainly a result of the fact that the two colonies had completely different ways of life due to their geographic locations, origins, and governmental structure. As a result, a common American Identity was not established. Therefore, individual settlers during this colonial era in American history were not connected by a common culture, but only by their proximity to one …show more content…
The Federalist Party, led by Alexander Hamilton, pushed for a strong central government, leadership by aristocrats, a national bank, and friendly relations with the British. The Federalist Party, on the other hand, led by Thomas Jefferson, held views that were exactly the opposite of those of the Federalists. The Republicans favored strong state governments, rule by the common man, no national bank, and an alliance with the French. This stark contrast made disaccord inevitable, and feelings of sectionalism arose. The majority of the South tended to support the Republicans, while the Federalists gained most of their following from the North. While these two political parties weren’t long lasting, new political parties eventually took their place, culminating before the Civil War into the Democratic Party of the South and the Republican Party of the North. These parties represented the essence of sectionalism during the era, as the Republicans favored the cession of the expansion of slavery, while the Southern Democrats wanted to protect their livelihood and continue practicing slavery throughout the