1999 Dbq - the British and the American Colonists

In America after settlements had been made and were thriving, the people wanted to be free from British rule. The colonists developed their own sense of identity and unity by the eve of the Revolution as Americans but took longer to get full colonial unity. The colonies were very distinct and have proven to believe firmly on their set beliefs. Although the colonies put these differences aside when they began the revolution to gain independence from Great Britain.

In order to have colonial unity, which was a major struggle, was needed in order to win the war and leave the control of the British. It was very imperative to have the colonies unite into one heart and one mind. During the French and Indian War, Benjamin Franklin published his famous cartoon “Join or Die” in 1754 in the Pennsylvania Gazette (Document A). This famous cartoon shows all the colonies as separate parts of a cut up snake, advising the colonies to unify. He published this during the French and Indian War due to British and American colonists fighting side by side to defeat the French and Indian allies. The British and the American colonists won marked for a way for the colonists to form their own nation.

The vast ocean roughly three-thousand miles split Britain and the American colonies along side with a long absence of British rule allowed for colonists to experiment with ruling themselves and democracy. This gave the colonists the sense of identity as an American. The vast span of the ocean made it difficult for the British to have a firm handle and control over the colonists. This freedom resulted in the formation of the American identity as they had more freedom than any other British subject. A member of the British House of Commons, Edmund Burke was a supporter of the colonies, in 1766 noted “the eternal Barriers of Nature forbid that the colonies should be blended or coalesce into the Mass…of this Kingdom.” (Document B). Edmund was hinting that they colonies will never conform to British rule due to natural barriers. This is again seen when Mather Byles wrote about how the “tyrant three thousand miles away” attempted to have a stronger hold on the colonies by signing in the Sugar Act, Stamp Act, and the Quartering Act. These acts caused for quicker unification of those who felt like victims against the British, bringing together the colonies astonishingly fast. The colonies “happens not to be represented in Parliament” also angered the colonists,