Impacts on The Modern World: Was The American Revolution Revolutionary

In this essay we will research the important question - was the American revolution revolutionary? The American Revolution is without a doubt the most important event in American history, where colonists separated from Great Britain, overthrowing an imperial monarchy and replacing it with a government that didn’t have a king, forming the independent United States. This was unheard of at the time when most of the world was ruled over by monarchs. The ideals of liberalism introduced during the American Revolution significantly shaped and influenced the political and social spheres of modern American culture. The revolution brought many benefits, such as the introduction of democracy and human rights. However, the revolution also brought a few drawbacks - including problems with certain rights like gun rights, and also inequality and racism.

The American revolution spread the ideals of liberalism throughout the country, and with it was the introduction of democratic principles. The United States today is not a direct democracy where citizens vote for themselves, but rather a representative democracy, or republic, where citizens vote for representatives to do it instead. The modern republican U.S. could only be how it is now as a result of the revolution. In the declaration of independence, Thomas Jefferson notes that the government’s power comes from the “consent of the governed”, a revolutionary ideal. Also, as George Washington stated in his farewell address: “The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their Constitutions of Government.” The act of a peaceful transfer of power was unheard of at the time, as anyone in power would stay in office until they died. This act cemented the country’s status as democratic. George Washington advocated for the rights of the people and the importance of a unified national government. His actions were greatly significant towards the shaping of modern America. Additionally, the issues targeted in his farewell address, such as ideas about political rivalry and mixing with foreign affairs are still relevant and debated in the modern world. The ideals of liberalism introduced during the American revolution allowed democracy to flourish, significantly shaping the political sphere in modern America.

Human rights were another ideal that sprouted from the American Revolution, also heavily influencing the modern United States. Becoming a republic nation was beneficial from even the perspective of a normal citizen, where the status wouldn’t be determined by lineage. The expansion of rights began during the American Revolution and went on to influence much more modern events, such as the civil rights movement. Specifically, rights pushed through the American Revolution are still apparent today - rights such as the right to life, liberty, property, etc. It was argued by John Locke, commonly known as the founder of liberalism that no government should violate these rights. These ideas about rights from liberalism were pushed through the American Revolution to establish the modern U.S., while also influencing the freedom of American citizen to think about both themselves and the government. Modern America, where freedom is perhaps the biggest aspect of life, was heavily influenced by the ideas of liberty and human rights from the American Revolution. The most notable being the right to life, where a being has the right to not be killed unlawfully or randomly, the right the liberty, where a being cannot be arrested or detained unlawfully, and the right the property, where people didn’t have to pay for rights to own a property. These human rights which sparked from the American Revolution significantly impacted the modern U.S.

Despite the myriad of benefits, the American Revolution brought to both the citizens and the government, there are without a doubt many drawbacks it brought. One of the most commonly seen being problems with certain civil rights, specifically gun rights. Gun rights are a prime example that the ideals of the American Revolution continue to play a role in modern American society. As written in the declaration of independence: “That whenever any form of government becomes destructive in these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it.” In modern American society, gun rights are protected by the people for both self defense and protection against the government should they attempt to take away their rights of the living. However, there seems to be more harm done than good with guns in America. Especially in our modern society, the idea of guns being available to almost anyone is extremely impractical as innocent civilians are at a greater risk of gun-related violence, threatening one of the most important human rights - the right to life. Since it was heavily influenced by the American Revolution, the ability for anyone to own a gun is an outdated and dangerous solution to the problem of a tyrannical government. While the American Revolution brought on many benefits to modern America, gun rights should have stronger restrictions or just be abolished.

Despite the American Revolution being mainly about freedom and equality, this wasn’t the case for a lot of people, specifically the African American people who were used as slaves. Even George Washington, who advocated for the rights of the people was a slave owner himself. Following Dunmore’s Proclamation of 1775, which promised freedom to any slaves who abandoned their masters to join Britain. An estimated 30,000 to 100,000 slaves ran from their masters to join the British, in hopes that the English would win, rewarding them with freedom from slavery and allowing protection of their land rights. The Treaty of Paris ended the revolutionary war, and the British monarch accepted American independence. However, the treaty also demanded that any runaway slaves who joined the British were to be left behind. Despite this, military commanders still transported them to Canada, Great Britain, or the Caribbean, upholding their promise. After the revolution, racism towards African American people increased as a result of them abandoning their masters. Again, this event further influenced the modern world, as it eventually encouraged antislavery movements in America. The “revolutionary generation” of slaves significantly impacted the modern world, encouraging antislavery movements.

The American Revolution signified the separation of American colonies from Great Britain, serving as the building blocks of the modern American society that we recognize today. The revolution significantly impacted America’s political and social spheres and brought with it many benefits for the people, including the introduction of democracy and greater enforcement of human rights. However, it also came with many drawbacks, such as certain rights being problematic along with inequality and racism. Nevertheless, the American Revolution greatly impacted the world through the new ideals of liberalism, and the movements it inspired in our modern world.