Development of Americanness after War of Independence

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