The Effect Of The American Revolution On Colonists And Slaves

Before the United States was the United States, America had to gain its independence from Great Britain. They did this through the American Revolution. America was deeply divided on the issue of whether or not America should cut ties with its mother country and become its own nation or if it should reconcile and try again under Great Britain’s rule. The American Revolution greatly impacted colonists and slaves in extremely different ways. Colonists had everything to gain by winning the war but sometimes at a cost to their lives but slaves were no better off if America won. The colonists were gaining their freedom form an oppressive ruler if they succeeded but slaves only had their chance at freedom if they fled to the British. Thomas Paine, …show more content…
He countered those of the opinion that America needed Great Britain in order to thrive with the argument that America would have probably succeeded much better without the interference of Britain. He also argued that Britain’s interest in America was purely selfish and for its own gain (“Reading the American Past” 121). He believed that the only way America could truly flourish was by gaining its own independence and creating a “continental form of government” (“Reading the American Past” 122). Ultimately, colonists like Thomas Paine viewed the American Revolution as a means to a better end. They saw the atrocities Great Britain had committed against them, such as families being killed and property destroyed, and decided the only option was to cut ties with Britain (“Reading the American Past” 122). These colonists were, in the end, positively affected by the American Revolution as they gained the independence they fought so hard for. However, other colonists, like J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur, were negatively affected by the American …show more content…
While the colonists for America’s independence from Great Britain, like Thomas Paine, faced hardships, they ultimately succeeded in their goals and solidified their freedom from Britain. The undecided colonists, like J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur, were negatively impacted by the war itself as they possibly faced terrible consequences because of the choices they had to make but the end of the war positively affected them by giving them independence. Finally, slaves who decided to flee and fight for the British army, like Boston King, gained their freedom from their masters and arguably were impacted by the end of the war just as positively as the