AMERICAN REVOLUTION

 The American War of Independence was a war between the United Kingdom and the Thirteen Colonies in North America that lasted from 1775–1783, and continued with the completion of the United States in 1787. It is known as the American Revolution. In fact, the war did not begin as a complete conflict of intervals. The war begins when England imposes heavy taxes on the colonies in America in order to regain the money spent as a result of the Seven Years’ War.

 

In 1775, the Second American Congress convened in Philadelphia and the struggle for independence officially began with a declaration published.  

 

After nearly six years of difficult wars, the Americans won and declared their independence on July 4, 1776. After the struggle for independence, England banned commercial relations with America, and economic life became difficult for Americans due to the insufficient gold in circulation, the limited market areas where the peasants could sell their products, harsh climatic conditions and the lack of official currency of the newly established state.Although money was printed by some states during this period, success was not achieved due to the lack of sufficient support from merchants and bankers. In addition, these difficulties in economic life made state administration difficult, and repayment of the debts received due to The struggle for independence required the imposition of new taxes. This situation caused new rebellions. As a result of the administration imposing heavy taxes on the people, many tax rebellions started and these rebellion movements caused very important social transformations. When heavy, unfair and unjust taxes reached intolerable levels, the people’s active resistance against taxes began andAs in American history, it could form the basis of a state’s struggle for independence. Those living in the American continent were influenced by the enlightenment movement in Europe and wanted to establish their lives according to these new principles. In 1776, they declared that freedom and equality were inviolable and sacred human rights, and they based the state they founded on This foundation. However, they continued to employ black slaves in the large lands where they cultivated.115 American War of Independence; It brought the people of the south closer to the north, the people of the east closer to the west, and people got to know each other.A deeply fanatic person in Boston learned that a person in Virginia who remained loyal to the English church was not a human-faced devil.116 Americans had gained their independence without compromising their principles. Even in the darkest days of the struggle they refused to pay taxes to anyone. No one attempted to convert the paper money printed by the American Congress into gold, and in this atmosphere of trust, the expenses of the revolution were covered with this paper money. 117 Those living in the American Colonies before the revolution had adopted British history as their own history.After the revolution, it slowly became clear that a uniquely American history was needed to cement a national identity among the 13 colonies. The new textbooks represented the first attempt in this direction. In the works of historians such as George Bancroft, Americans were given the idea that they belonged to a nation that could be proud of what they had done: They had left the stinking old society in Europe and brought civilization to these wild lands; Their ancestors had developed values such as self-reliance, honesty, and freedom, and these were now the legacy of all Americans. What the next generation dismissed as “mindless patriotism” was then considered a valid and necessary expression of national İdentity118 In Europe, governments were constantly being overthrown, constitutions were changing, dictators were emerging, and unimaginable murders were being committed. The understanding of human rights and democracy of the French Revolution was constantly becoming a toy in the hands of various ambitions. We do not encounter such crises very often in the USA. On the contrary, as democracy in Europe becomes endangered, the USA rushes to save Europe from the swamp it has entered. Two great world wars bear witness to this.119 According to Ronald Steel; Some people have the belief that it is up to the United States to make the world happier, more orderly, and better for us. America is trying to change the face of humanity, to give it a new face and form. Already in 1765, John Adams said: “The founding of America was an intention of God to enlighten and free humanity, which was still in captivity like this.” Herman Melville said: “... and we, Americans, are a completely different nation, the Israel of our time, we hold the pillar of world freedom.”120 However, today, with the occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, America plunges humanity into wars and disasters. The fact that the Indians were too few in number and civilizationally backward to constitute a serious obstacle to the colonization movement was a fortunate opportunity for the white immigrants. Although they delayed colonization from time to time, they could never stop this movement.121 With the encouragement of the French, the natives revolted under Pontiac, the chief of the Ottowa Tribe.Outposts were captured, colonists were killed, and the intervention of regular British troops was required to suppress the uprising.122 The fact that Americans reduced their numbers by killing Indians and buying and selling blacks as slaves contradicts their words about human rights and freedoms. The constitutional process, which started in England in the

13th century, took different forms in the European continent and reached the North American continent by opening a huge ocean. Here, it both strengthened and took different forms, especially among people who emigrated from European countries and had enlightenment thoughts.Concepts such as independence, freedom and equality were well established in the 13 colonies. It returned to Western Europe in the late 18th century, leading to the French Revolution. The ideas of nationalism and democracy, fueled by the Industrial Revolution and Imperialism of the period, spread from the West to the East, passing through the Ottoman territory.123 Towards the end of the 18th century, while the United States of America emerged on the stage of history with the Treaty of Versailles signed in 1873 in the New World, the Ottoman Empire had long been in decline. 124 With the discovery of the American Continent, the world economy showed a significant development towards the intensification of cash exchange Precious metals, especially silver, were entering the market, increasing demand by supporting purchasing power and thus causing a movement in prices. The rising Purchasing power of the West and the tendency for prices to rise created a more severe money shortage in the Ottoman country, which faced significant bottlenecks in providing cash and lost gold and silver in the market to Egypt and the east due to the difference in price structures. This shortage strengthened the tendency towards cash flow in the economy with the intensification of financial pressures after 1683.125 One of the two institutions that played a role in the formation of the American influence on the Ottoman Empire, which gradually increased over time, in the 19th century was the “American navy” and the other was the “American missionaries”.For the Navy, it was his hard face and cold side. There was also the missionary, a warm-faced, sympathetic, humane-looking Mechanism. Missionary work was more advantageous than the navy in many respects. For example, in financial terms; While the annual cost of a frigate to sail in the Mediterranean was 80,000 dollars, the annual expense of a missionary family did not reach 1,000 dollars. 126 Since the main factor dominating the American ideology was to spread its Christian values to the world, missionary work was carried out by the state itself. In addition, the fact that the lands where Christianity was born were under Ottoman rule made the Ottoman Empire important in the eyes of the USA. With the establishment of the USA, a democratic regime was established by declaring the “Declaration of Human Rights” and became both an example for Europe and a balance against it.European culture And civilization has now found a new area of expansion. However, unfortunately, concepts such as human rights, equality, justice and freedom; It has never been valid for blacks, Indians and colonized peoples. We can summarize the results of the founding of the USA as follows: By declaring the Declaration of Human Rights, a democratic regime was established and became an example for Europe. European culture and civilization has found a new area of expansion. As a result of migration, unemployment decreased in Europe and political and religious conflicts lost their importance. The USA has now become a counterbalance to Europe. 

SOURCES

https://websitem.karatekin.edu.tr/user_files/cezikoglu/files/20191029_3f590d8cab4a45 f09c0aba253e395ba3.pdf 

https://search.app.goo.gl/qXidb7v 

https://search.app.goo.gl/FTXFy7Y 

https://search.app.goo.gl/rMWX6WU

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