Sociology Essay: Patriots and the American Revolution

This sociology essay examines the ethics and civics employed by American patriots during the American Revolution. It begins by highlighting the significance of the 18th century and the Great Awakening, framing the context of the revolution. The essay defines "patriots" and their motivations, emphasizing their rejection of British rule and advocacy for republicanism. It explores key events like the Stamp Act Congress and the Declaration of Rights and Grievances, detailing the colonists' grievances and the concept of salutary neglect. The essay further discusses the patriots' actions, including resistance to British policies and the role of the Sons of Liberty. It analyzes the ethical considerations, such as colonists' rights and the rejection of unjust taxation, and references the United States Declaration of Independence. The essay details the First and Second Continental Congresses, the Coercive Acts, and the "Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms." It concludes by summarizing the American Revolution's outcome, the defeat of the British, and the establishment of the United States of America.

Running head: SOCIOLOGY
Sociology
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The 18th century can been considered to be one of the most important parts in the American
history since it covers the concept of the great awakening period since during the period the USA
become independent from British rule. The mentioned revolution included intellectual as well as
social shift that occurs in the early American Society. The American shifted to republicanism
and created the ethics which formed the core of the American political Values. In this paper,
analysis of the ethics and civics that are used by the patriots and how they had tacked the
situation will be performed (Newmann, 2018).
The term “patriots” can be referred as the colonists who resided the thirteen colonies who had
rejected the British rule during the time of American Revolution and eventually declared the
United States of America to be an independent nation in the year 1776, July. The decision was
taken by the patriots on the basis of the political philosophy of republicanism as being expressed
by the spokesmen that include Thomas Jefferson, john Adams as well as Thomas Paine (Smith,
2017). The patriots wanted the American colonies to gain freedom from the Britain. Individuals
in America felt that they were not being treated by the British government in a fair way. While
they were under taxation, they possessed no representation in the government powered by
British..
Before the independence was declared, in the year 1765, October 14th, the Stamp act congress
wrote the Declaration of Rights and Grievances in which 14 points as a form of colonial protest
has been raised. The United States Declaration act declared that without taking consent from the
colonies the taxes would be considered as unconstitutional (Wood, 2018). A good number of
assirtations had been mentioned in the Stamp Act of 1769. Thy severely rejected the lack of
representation of the colonists in the British Constitution. After the French and Indian War, the
colonies were able to obtain higher independence as a result of the salutary neglect. The salutary

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neglect includes the British policy of allowing the colonies for violating trade restriction for
encouraging economic growth. At the time of the revolutionary war, the patriots sough to obtain
formal acknowledgement of this policy with the help of independence (Plant, 2017). The
consistence defeat of the British signified their weaknesses and hence enhanced the confidence
of the patriots that their independence was approaching. The patriots alienated a good number of
fellow colonists with the help of resorting to violence against tax collectors along with
pressurizing others for declaring a position in this conflict. According to historians, not all the
colonists decided to be by the side of the patriots. Where more than 50 percents of the white
people decided to support the patriots, 15 percent decided to select the British crown (Rouleau,
2017). The remaining percentage of individuals decided not to express any vocal position in the
conflict. Why the margins from City sports trying to tie up with a lead class of great Britain to
remain royal to the crown a large number of Patriots war women farmers. By unfollowing
political as well as formal organisational constitutions the American colonies registered the
British impositions of stamp act while striking out against British rules protesting and boy
cutting British goods (Mason, 2017).
The Sons of Liberty refers to a covert organization which was created including the thirteen
colonies in order to demand the right of the European Colonists along with fighting taxation. The
son of Liberty played a role in majority of the colonies in battling the stamp Act in the year 1765.
The group officially got disbanded after the repel of the Stamp act. However, the name “Soon of
liberty” was applied to other local groups of the separates during the years of the American
Revolution (Esbeck, 2017).
While seeking to redress of their grievances, the ethical consideration that was considered by the
patriots are as follows:

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1. Colonists owe to the crown named the “the same allegiance” that is owned by the
“subjects born within the realm".
2. Colonists possessed all the right s of Englishmen
3. The colonists owe to the parliament “all due subordination".
4. The trial conducted by the jury will always be right.
5. The usage of the admiralty counts was highly abusive
6. In order to represents the colonists, it is highly crucial to provide them with voting rights
7. Until and unless the parliament is representing the colonists, no taxation should be
imposed on the same.
8. Only the colonial assemblies possess the right to tax the colonies.
The United States Declaration of Independence was consists of 27 grievances that were against
the decisions as well as actions of British King George III. In the year 1774, the First continental
congress was send a respectful petition to King George III in order to inform is majesty in case
it is not been for the operational acts imposed upon the colonists, the American individuals
would be standing behind the British rule. In spite of the emerging anger of the common people
of America against the British government, the coercive acts was established by British
parliament that include the intolerable acts by the colonists (Carter, 2019). The congress was
enthusiastic about asserting its faithfulness to the British reign. In return to their loyalty, the
congress asked for addressing as well as resolving the specific grievances associated with the
colonies. This petition chiefly included the unethical as well as unlawful actions taken by the
government by imposing the coercive acts that is 4 acts that were designed too punish the
colonists along with restoring their the power of the British emperor in Massachusetts following
the Boston the party.

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However, the king did not responded to the petition submitted to him by the Congress. Eight
month after the first potion, in the year 1775, July 6th, the second continental congress adopted a
resolution that is popularly known as “declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up
Arms.” The declaration clearly described the view of the colonists about the unconventional
effort of the British extending its jurisdiction into the colonies following the war of seven years,
some of the mention worthy policies that were highly objectionable from the end of the colonists
included taxation that took place without representation, comprehensive use of vice admiralty
courts, the several Coercive Acts, and the Declaratory Act (Esbeck, 2017). The mentioned
resolution had clearly explained the chief reason behind taking up arms by the thirteen colonies
and this initiated thee American Revolutionary war. John Dickinson wrote this final declaration
draft. When the British government refused to fulfil the grievances, the colonists initiated the
American Revolution. Finally, in the year 1781 the British government was defeated by
American patriots of the thirteen colonies defeated with the assistance of France. In October
1781, the war came to an end and General Cornwallis was attacked by the colonists an
eventually surrounded as well as forced to surrender the position at Yorktown, Virginia. After 2
years, eventually, the United States of America got separated from great Britain and established
themselves as an independent nation.
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Reference List
Carter, K. M. (2019). American Honor: The Creation of the Nation's Ideals during the
Revolutionary Era by Craig Bruce Smith. The William and Mary Quarterly, 76(1), 190-
193.
Esbeck, C. H. (2017). Religion During the American Revolution and the Early Republic. In Law
and Religion, An Overview (pp. 57-77). Routledge.
Mason, M. (2017). Robert G. Parkinson. The Common Cause: Creating Race and Nation in the
American Revolution.
Newmann, F. M. (2018). The American revolution. Constructivism and the New Social Studies:
A Collection of Classic Inquiry Lessons, 193.
Plant, R. (2017). Boy Soldiers of the American Revolution by Caroline Cox, and: Becoming
Men of Some Consequence: Youth and Military Service in the Revolutionary War by
John A. Ruddiman. The Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth, 10(2), 275-279.
Rouleau, B. (2017). Privateers of the Americas: Spanish American Privateering from the United
States in the Early Republic by David Head, and: Privateering: Patriots and Profits in the
War of 1812 by Faye M. Kert. Journal of the Early Republic, 37(2), 363-366.
Smith, B. C. (2017). Food rioters and the American Revolution. In Colonial America and the
Early Republic (pp. 253-286). Routledge.
Wood, G. S. (2018). Reassessing Bernard Bailyn's The Ideological Origins of the American
Revolution on the Occasion of its Jubilee. The New England Quarterly, 91(1), 78-109.

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