This chapter shows the progression of the colonists from a people\u00a0marginally dependent on the English to a unified group fully embracing the idea of independence. \u00a0The beginning of the chapter covers the expansionary efforts of the British government but then Taylor dives into explaining the underlying tensions between the colonists and the crown. \u00a0Citing examples such as the Paxton Boys slaughtering of Indians at Conestoga, Taylor elicits a general feeling of tension from this time period. \u00a0However, the tension between the groups led to a general feeling of unification within the groups. \u00a0As Max mentions in his post from February 15, the colonists were experiencing attitudes of unity while under the recently overbearing rule\u00a0of the British.<\/p>\n
John Adams\u2019 concerns about the precedent set by royal taxes, namely the Stamp Act, seems to have laid the groundwork for the American Dream that Max mentions in his post (442). \u00a0The American Dream in its most basic form is the hope and belief that anyone can\u00a0\u201cmake it\u201d if they work hard enough. \u00a0Although, this notion is constantly challenged in today\u2019s society, the British attempts to assert authority ultimately formed the American attitude of independence and embrace of the potential for social mobility.<\/p>\n
Starkly contrasting the British acceptance of inequality, the owning of lands by a large portion of the population (not including slaves) allowed the colonists to garner a newfound sense of independence. \u00a0Furthermore, \u00a0I found Taylor\u2019s perception of slavery as\u00a0\u201clabor for a master without reaping the rewards\u201d to be very interesting phrasing to describe the colonists and the British (442). \u00a0To broaden this definition of slavery to\u00a0include\u00a0\u201cindependent\u201d colonists as slaves if they did not own land seemed like a very novel idea. \u00a0As we have\u00a0discussed in previous posts, slavery was not necessarily along racial lines but developed into that\u00a0based on economic motivations.<\/p>\n
Without trying to oversimplify this idea, it seems necessary to mention that the colonists\u2019 embrace of this independence and lack of reliance on the British allowed them to begin the process of breaking away from the crown. \u00a0Many of the colonies to the north such as Nova Scotia and Quebec still relied on the British government to hold up their economies. \u00a0However, the thirteen colonies to the south were on the brink of civil war with the British. \u00a0Thomas Jefferson\u2019s quote at the end of this chapter describing America as an\u00a0“’empire of liberty,’ by and for the white citizenry\u201d was a mindset that setup the colonies for\u00a0success in\u00a0gaining the\u00a0initial freedom from Britain but also set the colonies up for a civil war nearly a hundred years later–a cost that we will soon see to be magnanimous.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This chapter shows the progression of the colonists from a people\u00a0marginally dependent on the English to a unified group fully embracing the idea of independence. \u00a0The beginning of the chapter covers the expansionary efforts of the British government but then Taylor dives into explaining the underlying tensions between the colonists and the crown. \u00a0Citing examples … <\/p>\n