When the British and Hessian soldiers first stepped on Staten Island during the initial invasion in the battle of Long Island, these soldiers were amazed at the affluence they witnessed in the New World and wondered to themselves, how could the Americans want to rebel against a Government that allowed all this to transpire? To the average British soldier, it only reinforced in their own mind that the Americans not only profited from their relationship with British Empire, they profited at the expense of the average British citizen.
David McCullough 1776 brilliantly tells the story of the most crucial year in American history as United States struggled to free itself from the most powerful nation in the world. The story details the struggle of liberal-minded Americans fighting originally for their rights as English, and then later for their own independence. McCullough also gives the British side their due, and what occurred was a liberal revolution against a liberal Empire.
McCullough begins his saga in London as the British debate how to deal with their American cousins. With the opening salvos at Lexington and the blood bath at Bunker Hill, the British found themselves with an insurrection on their hands. For King George, there was but one option—make the Americans obey the crown. This was the prevailing opinion but not the only one. Whig leaders such as James Fox and Edmund Burke sought accommodation with the colonists and hoped to prevent any further bloodshed. As McCullough noted, neither the Whigs nor Tories supported an independent America nor did the colonists themselves demand independence in 1775.
For Americans, they were fighting for their liberties and rights as Englishmen but King George and his advisors viewed America demand as a step toward independence and the formation of a rival Empire. The King understood clearly that the path that the Americans were traveling would only lead to independence and he was not about to part with a land that was forged with the blood and capital of many British soldiers and civilians.
King George III approached Parliament in October of 1775 with the intention of committing the British Empire to war against the colonies. And Parliament by more than a two-to-one margin gave him that support. From this point, King George pushed the colonies into a war of Independence, but it could be argued that the Americans themselves were hurtling down that path, and the King forced the colonists to act on the logic of their own argument.
Meanwhile, British troops were hemmed in Boston by the Rebel forces outside the city, and a stalemate ensured. The soldiers on both sides suffered from a lack of supplies, and disease. It is here that the most crucial man in American history stepped in. George Washington took command of the rebel forces, and the Continental Congress picked the perfect man to lead the Army in the field.
Article comments
1 - Larry C Wilson
It is our current misfortune to be ruled by men and women who are not in the least modest.
2 - Dave Nalle
It was really a conservative revolution to preserve a tradition of liberalism.
Dave
3 - gonzo marx
..:::rolls eyes:::..
can someone explain to simple minded me how a Revolution can be considered "conservative" ??
bigger oxymorons are difficult to find
could just be me
Excelsior!
4 - tom donelson
Dave,
My defination of liberal in this case is being used in teh 18th and 19th century when liberalism actually meant less government and the pursuit of liberty. But I understand your point.
5 - Dave Nalle
Mine too, Tom. My use of conservative is in the sense of wishing to preserve desirable tradition. In this sense, since liberal government was the established norm in America, it was conservative to want to preserve it rather than accept a more statist government imposed from England.
I will say that I disagree that England was all that liberal at the time of the revolution. While it may have outshone the other European nations in this regard, it still had so many problems with dysfunctional, inequitable and regressive government that it couldn't be considered liberal in the sense of the times. The urge towards liberalism represented by people like Cornwallis and Burke was countered by the nature of the established institutions of government in England. The reason that liberal element of English government took hold in America is that there were no established governmental institutions to stop it from developing naturally. Thus, America enjoyed the free exercise of the English liberalism which was only a somewhat strangled part of the overall picture of English government at the time.
Dave
6 - Tan The Man
"Such as America severed its tie from England, so did India but it never gave up the one gift of the British left behind, an appreciation for Liberty."
India is a democracy right? Or maybe I'm just not getting it.
7 - DrPat
Tan, Tom's point is that India shares with the US the fact of revolt against the British Empire, and, like the US, also shares the conservation of the concept of liberty and democracy from her colonial association with that Empire.
In that sense, India is definitely part of the Anglosphere (neat concept, that!). I only wonder if any of the former African colonies (particularly the Republic of South Africa) will also be natural members of that alliance...
8 - tom donelson
Dr. Pat, you ask an interesting question about South Africa. My own opinion is that yes, it could become part of the anglosphere. While the present South African government is highly regulated, so was the white controlled government as well.
Depending upon present and future American policies, the answer could be yes. South Africa, like India, does share some feature of Anglosphere. And so far, despite the problems that have plagued that land, South Africa so far has shown that their commitment to democracy is still strong. There has been a changed in leaders and Nelson Mandella, for all his fault, has proven the perfect leader as he established the basis for a democratic South Africa. Now if South Africans can develop an appreciation for economic liberty, then the pieces will be set for an true Anglosphere presence in Africa. And a democratic and prosperous South African can influence rest of the Southern Africa.
9 - tommy
Umm, Great Britian has always been a Conservative empire. They defeated a liberal one at waterloo!!
Thats what the French proclaimed during the hundred days!
Conservative people can push 'liberal' policies, so there is no real hard understanding to it!