Significance of the People of the American Revolution

It took many different people, and different kinds of people for that matter, to make the American Revolution possible. Some you have probably heard of but others you may have not. These people made separate contributions that impacted the revolution differently and created what history is known for, which is cause and effect. An example of a few of the various acts that people did to support the revolution includes fighting in the war, boycotting goods, creating awareness towards specific topics, and plenty more. Even after hundreds of years, there are people today that resemble the ideas and influences of people from the American Revolution including athletes and political leaders.

John Adams was a Massachusetts-born lawyer that played a huge part in the upbringing of the American Revolution. It was during the 1760s when Adam first starting criticizing the British government and his belief that the king was not keeping the colonists’ interests in mind. He was a critic of the Stamp Act of 1765 and he spoke out multiple times about the Townshend Acts of 1767. Before the war had even started, Adams was already feeling the tension growing strong and he was preparing for the worst. Adams attended the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia as a Massachusetts delegate in 1774 and at the Second Continental Congress, he nominated George Washington to serve as the Commander of the Continental Army. Adams would also be the man to nominate Thomas Jefferson to write the draft of the Declaration of Independence. Towards the end of the Revolutionary War, John Adams traveled over to France to discuss the Treaty of Paris which signified the end of the war.

James Monroe was a Virginia born political leader that helped fight during the Revolutionary War. The future 5th president of the United States started his college career at the College of William and Mary in Virginia. A year after he had started school there, the Revolutionary war started. Being the Patriot that he was, Monroe was among the men that raided the Royale Palace of Lord Dunmore. They prevailed with catching 200 guns and 300 swords which were given to the Virginia Militia. In 1776, Monroe joined the Continental Army and moved up north to New York to help General George Washington. James Monroe was a part of multiple major battles during the Revolutionary War including the Battle of Long Island which after the defeat, forced his regiment to move to Pennsylvania. Another major battle he was a part of was the Battle of Trenton where he crossed the Deleware river ahead of George Washington’s main force. He was wounded in that fight after he was struck by a musket ball charging a group of Hessian soldiers with George Washington. Monroe was also with the Continental Army when they had to stay at Valley Forge. During the winter of 1777-78, the Continental Army stayed in Pennsylvania where resources were scarce and disease and malnutrition were everywhere. James Monroe did not participate in a few of the battles towards the end of the war because he started pursuing his career in law in the early 1780s. James Monroe supported the Revolution greatly by helping lead in major battles and acting as an assistant general to George Washington.

Thomas Paine was an English born political activist that helped support the American Revolution. Paine moved to Pennsylvania on November 30, 1774, and immediately found employment at the Pennsylvania Magazine. After the battles of Lexington and Concord occurred just five months after arriving in America, Paine printed a 50-page pamphlet called ‘Common Sense’. The main idea behind ‘Common Sense’ is that America should not just revolt against taxation but should demand independence from Britain altogether. The pamphlet relied on biblical references to get its point across as most average Americans could interpret it as a Sermon talking to them. Though it is unlikely ‘Common Sense’ influenced the Declaration of Independence, it was still a huge step in the right direction. During the American Revolution, Paine served as a volunteer personal assistant in the Continental Army. He did not fight but he did take the time to write his 16 “Crisis’ papers which were used to be read to the Continental Army by George Washington in hopes of inspiring them to victory. Thomas Paine returned to England in 1787 and became interested in the French Revolution and did not return to the United States until 1802 where he found his reputation dead. Thomas Paine was a huge influencer in the short time he participated in the Revolution and his ideas led to America’s Independence.

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Robert Morris was an English born merchant that almost paid for most of the Revolutionary War on the side of the Patriots. Robert first got involved in the revolts against the British when the Stamp Act was instituted as he was a merchant apprentice at the time. Morris was elected to the Continental Congress in 1775 and in ‘76 he was given the authority to solicit money for the operation of the Revolutionary War. During the war, Morris also solicited money to the operations of ships that ran the British Blockades to get supplies to the colonists. In 1781, he submitted a plan to the United States government for a National Bank. His plan was approved and he was immediately appointed Secretary of the Treasury. Robert Morris was a merchant that helped support the colonist's effort during the Revolutionary War by paying for and providing nearly all of the Continental Army’s supplies.

Finally, Henry Knox was a Boston born General during the Revolutionary War. He grew up being an avid reader which helped him later in his war career as he became very well informed about military science and artillery. In 1772, Knox joined a local militia group that was resisting British authority. Knox fought in some early battles of the Revolution including Bunker Hill in 1775. George Washington appointed Knox to a Colonel and Knox worked to defend the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island. After the British had forced Washington and Knox’s men to retreat across the Deleware River, the Continental Army made their famous return trip to surprise the British. Henry Knox played an important part in the Revolution as a courageous and inspiring leader of the Continental Army.

The three modern American activists whose actions are similar to the colonist's actions during the Revolution. They are Dr. Jim Withers, Andrew Yang, and Colin Kaepernick. Dr. Jim Withers is a modern activist that wore homeless clothes two to three times a week to try to see the world from the eyes of someone else and bring attention to the homeless community. Withers is trying to change how the average person views the homeless while also trying to help them himself. Withers knows that medical needs are expensive for the homeless so he works to treat the homeless for free. Dr. Jim Withers relates to the people of the American Revolution because he is trying to shed light on a serious topic. Multiple people from the American Revolution made public protests and other gestures to bring attention to Britain's unlawful rule over the colonies.

Andrew Yang is a democratic candidate for the 2020 election that is trying to fix certain issues in today's American society. One of the policies that he is trying to gather support for is human-centered capitalism. His idea has 3 central points. One being that humans are more important than money. The other two are that the unit of a Human Capitalism economy is people, not money and that the markets exist to serve our common goals and values. Andrew Yang is trying to change the focus of our American economy. Andrew Yang relates to the people of the American Revolution because he is trying to improve the American economy along with the government. The Colonists were also focused on a change in the leaders of the government because their economy was being hurt due to British taxes.

The final modern activist is Colin Kaepernick. Colin Kaepernick was a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers when he decided to kneel on the sideline during the national anthem of a nationally televised game. He was immediately criticized by people for not standing because they saw it as unpatriotic and rude or disrespectful to United States Veterans and the country as a whole. In an interview after the game, Kapernick explained himself by saying, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color”. Kaepernick is trying to change the way American society treats black people. He used a very strong source to get his point across as thousands attended the game and others watched from their televisions at home. Colin Kaepernick is similar to people of the American Revolution because he was willing to put himself on the line to get his point across. Just like patriots during the Revolution, Kaepernick acted with bravery and courageousness for a cause he believed in.