Prior to the War of Independence, America was not yet a set of united states. Everyone had different aims and there was not one cohesive group. But what is Americanness? There can be no answer to the question until this has been defined. I believe that Americanness relates to a large group of people having a sense of belonging to an area and being prepared to fight for their country. This feeling should be shared among populations. In relation to the War of Independence, I believe that there was no sense of Americanness – the country was too fractured. In this essay I will attempt to explain why there was a lack of Americanness based upon a fractured society and that only after war broke out and the Declaration of Independence was published did these feelings arise.
Fight Against Taxation
How could there be a sense of Americanness when most members of the colonies were still loyal to the British? It is important to remember that war did not break out because American’s wanted to be independent; rather they opposed the taxation they were facing. As the British began to rigorously enforce the Navigation Acts, the colonists quickly began to realize that they were still under British control and the independence they had experienced under Walpole’s neglect was quickly disappearing; policies regarding limiting expansion also created resentment. Had the British not enacted the despised Townshend Acts and Sugar Tax then there may not have been the tensions between Britain and America. These taxes led to petitions from people from all classes, yet the majority of their aims were not yet for independence, instead they wanted to return to the same levels of taxation prior to 1763. Even when war broke out and as late as 1775, most colonists were remaining loyal to Britain. The idea of Americanness was still in its infancy among small proportions of the country. The fight for independence stemmed from the British reaction to the call for representation. The popular phrase “no taxation without representation” highlights how taxation was the primary reason for Americans uprising rather than the demand for independence. It was not a great belief in America and feeling patriotic towards their country that led to independence, rather they were feeling used by the British. Even during uprisings against taxation, such as the Boston Massacre, neither side believed a war would break out and independence achieved; there did not seem to be the unity needed. Even though the Boston Tea Party was an act against British rule, it was more against the taxation remaining on tea rather than an act against the British government for independence; they only wanted to have fair representation in return for paying the high taxes. Despite such hatred for the taxes, many still thought of themselves as British and even once the revolution broke out, many wanted to remain British. Very few called themselves American – they still had the feelings of patriotism and connection to Britain. Only when the British retaliated and war broke out did many colonists start wanting independence and the sense of Americanness finally started to develop.
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Divisions in Groups
Prior to the Revolution, America was far too fragmented for a sense of Americanness to occur; there was no unity or sense of cohesion between the thirteen colonies. With different groups having conflicting ideas, it made it increasingly difficult for a sense of mutual connection to the land to arise. These colonies were not part of a united America in which a sense of Americanness could develop – each state had different interests which prevented a cohesive group from forming. If the thirteen colonies had been united from the beginning, then there would have been that sense of Americanness rather than each colony having a different connection to America with some feeling more British than others. This fragmentation of the colonies helped to cement a sense of Britishness rather than Americanness as it became easier to communicate with Britain than between each other. Only once these colonies became united during the War of Independence did that sense of Americanness appear and the demand to be independent began. That said, there were still divisions within the states as the war continued. The nation became close to a civil war as different factions were created. The nation became split into loyalists who made up 20% and patriots who made up the remaining 80%. Even once independence was achieved and a sense of Americanness had developed, there were still proportions of the population who thought of themselves as British. However, can it be claimed that there was a distinctive sense of Americanness before the war when there were people fighting to prevent independence and who strained loyalty to the British. The fact that the American government had to offer financial enticements to encourage people to fight the British indicates that there was no sense of Americanness and that the colonists felt little loyalty to their land to fight for it.
Role of Slaves and Native Americans
The role played by Native Americans and slaves in the war of independence is of vital important in explaining how and why there was no sense of distinctive Americanness. These groups were completely split between fighting for the British, the Americans or not fighting at all. These three factions all prevented Americanness from developing. Those who fought on the side of the British prevented a united America from forming – when large proportions of your country are fighting against you, then there cannot be that unified feeling of belonging to America. The main reason why slaves supported the British was they offered freedom after the war; had the colonists treated their slaves better, they could have supported them instead. Those who refused to fight on either the British or the Americans are prime examples of how the country was divided and a sense of Americanness would never develop. It would be impossible to have a distinctive sense of Americanness if large proportions of the population were either kept as slaves in poor condition or were being screwed over and having their land taken from them. In fact, the Second Continental Congress issued a statement to Native Americas that “This is a family quarrel between us and Old England. We do not wish you to take up the hatchet against the king’s troops. We desire you to remain at home and not join either side, but keep the hatchet buried deep”. This implies that Native Americans are not seen as part of America and they should remain passive. This would prevent Americanness from developing as they’re clearing marking a difference between them and us. Furthermore, the majority of slaves and Native Americans were fighting more for their own independence rather than that of America; even those which fought on one side or the other were mainly trying to guarantee their freedom.
An Indistinctive Sense of Americanness
It can be argued that there was a sense of Americanness prior to the War of Independence. Certain groups were beginning to claim that they were no longer Englishmen and should not be called so. Following the Stamp Act, the Virginia Resolves were passed which generally claimed that only if the colonists had the same representation as Englishmen could they be taxed the same. Whilst in direct relation to taxation, this implies that they no longer saw themselves as English otherwise they would be being taxed themselves. Prominent figures such as Patrick Henry claimed, “I am not a Virginian but an American”, highlighting the fact that the colonies were beginning to come together into one united group rather than separate factions. As the war progressed, more colonists began to adopt this view that being an American and that all the colonies could work together was better and made America stronger than if they were working independently. Even prior to the war, there were still some people who wanted independence rather than just reduced taxation. These people, such as Liberty Boys and the Sons of Liberty, had already adopted being American rather than British. These groups actively fought against British colonial rule and were the founders of Americanness – they helped define it as loyalty and patriotism towards America over Britain. That being said, these were only a small percentage of the population and even though they adopted Americanness, the majority of the country had not yet done do. Not until the war had begun and colonists were beginning to be killed did this sense of Americanness spread to the rest of the colonists.
The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was the turning point in the development in a distinctive sense of Americanness; highlighting to the people that they were in fact one nation, rather than made up of individual colonies. It was the first step towards independence where the majority of people relinquished their loyalty to the British and began to believe the people were united under the banner of being an American. This was the turning point, following attacks against Americans, in which people realized that in order to be successful in gaining independence, there needed to be a united America – rather than 13 single colonies. Had the fighting continued without independence then perhaps the colonists would not have developed that feeling of connection to America rather than Britain. The declaration itself listed 27 charges against King George III and demanded American independence. Finally, there was enough support to become united; the idea of Americanness was beginning to form. No longer were people feeling patriotic to Britain – reading about how they had suffered under the British turned public opinion towards the idea of being a united nation. That said, it can be argued that even though this was signed and there was a more distinctive sense of Americanness there were still divisions within America. Even following the end of the war, there were still divisions in society with groups continuing to support the minority. However, loyalty to America was now the majority.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there was distinctive sense of Americanness before the War of Independence. In fact, it was only during the war that any sense developed, and it only became more cohesive following independence. America was too fractured prior to the war and all the opposing groups prevented that distinctive sense of belonging and patriotism to the county from developing. Whilst there were groups which shared a sense of Americanness, it was not reflective in the rest of the country; there was still a sense of loyalty towards the British that only failed once the fighting broke out. It can be said that had the war not broken out, then people’s opinions towards the British would have remained positive and Americanness would never have developed. It relied on a dramatic shift in people’s ideas towards loyalty to the new America for a nation, unified feeling of Americanness to occur. In order for all Americans to be united under one name, they needed to act as one cohesive group.
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