American Revolution
The years preceding the American Revolution were filled with differing points of view on numerous issues, chief among them whether America should be an independent nation from Britain. The differences shifted over time as the debate grew and the war started. This paper explores various texts that offer differing religious, political, social, and economic views on the American Revolution and what it meant to most people.
Religious Perspective
Jacob Cushing, a minister of Waltham, Massachusetts wrote a sermon in which he denounces the inhumane acts of some British soldiers in Lexington, Massachusetts. Cushing argues against tyrannical rule, alluding to Moses and the Israelites’ torture and subsequent flight from Egypt. The suffering of the American people under the tyrannical British is a punishment from God for their degeneracy. He calls upon the people to trust in the Lord as He is the almighty, and in the meantime perform their duties diligently[1]. Samuel Sherwood, on the other hand, drew parallels between the Antichrist and the British and urged the American Christians to defeat the beast[2]. He made the people believe that fighting the war would hasten the coming of the millennial messiah.
Loyalist Perspective
The loyalists were divided on whom to give their loyalty. In The Volunteers of Augusta, brave lads are called upon to draw their swords and fight for troop, country, and king. The song supports the British crown and warns against the rebels who are plunderers and murdering villains[3]. The song is clearly a call for loyalty to the King as well as his elected leaders in the colony. Some of the loyalists were, however, modest and did not want to take up arms against their fellow countrymen who had rebelled, nor did they want to side with these rebels[4].
Rebel Perspective
The rebels were a bit unified than the loyalists as well as the religious group. Paine, a rebel, argued that human beings have an inalienable right to freedom and liberty under any circumstances, and thus when faced with oppression man had the obligation to fight against it[5]. Since oppression was a global issue, Americans had an obligation not only to fight for their land but also for the whole of humanity. Henry also called for the taking up of arms against oppression and critiques those who are adamant to take up arms in the guise of patriotism and maintaining peace. Americans would thus be better dying off in the pursuit of their liberty than living under oppression by British tyrants[6].
African American Perspectives
The African Americans were divided on their approach to the whole rebellion issue largely because they perceived both sides of the divide as being oppressive. There were those, however, who did not look at the history of slavery and saw no need to fight the colonists. This group of people is represented by Felix, who states that he does not see the need to fight the colonists as living amicably would work just fine[7]. These are the African Americans who had resigned to slavery and who just wanted peace and nothing more. On the other hand were a group of African Americans who advocated for war believing that everyone was born free and should thus fight for their freedom[8]. Their belief was that in the war for independence from Britain, the African slaves would also be set free.
Official and Legal Perspectives
The second congressional debate convened when the battles of Lexington and Concord had been fought, and it was declared that a document supporting those who had taken up arms should be drafted. The document would argue that America was a free nation and should thus be governed by Americans and not British colonists who were not justified to be in America. In the document, the struggles of the forefathers of the American people as they left Great Britain in search of civil and religious freedoms are enounced; freedom which is then taken away by tyrannical rulers in the Kingdom[9]. Only when the oppressors lay down their arms and the threat of further oppression is removed shall the American sovereigns lay down their weapons. In another document drafted and passed during the 1775 Charlotte Town Resolves, the Americans declared themselves free from any dominance by the British colony[10]. They further annul the powers given to the colonialists by the King and the British parliament, in essence declaring themselves sovereign.
In conclusion, the American Revolution was filled with many sentiments and points of view regarding whether to support the loyalists or not. While many were on either side of the dialogue, some chose to sit on the fence and were undecided on which side to take. The Christians were divided with some calling for support for the King and Country as the King was a messenger of God while others opined that the King’s atrocities linked him to the Antichrist who was to be fought by all Christians. The loyalists either called for people to take up arms against the rebels or did not want to fight against their countrymen. The rebels, however, were more united as they called for the taking up of arms against the colonists to gain liberty. The African Americans, however, were not united; some called for peaceful coexistence while others called for war as it would free them from slavery. Ultimately, the official perspective was that the Americans should be allowed to govern themselves away from the oppression of the British.
Works Cited
Augusta. 1781. The Volunteers of Augusta. Prod. The Royal Georgia Gazette. Savannah, October 4.
Bailyn, Bernard. 1965. Pamphlets of the American Revolution 1750-1776. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
Cushing, Jacob. 1998. “Divine Judgments Upon Tyrants.” In Political Sermons of the American Founding Era, by Ellis Sandoz, 611-26. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund.
Felix. 1773. “Felix’s petition.” pbs.org 1.
Henry, Patrick. 1775. Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death . March 23. Accessed May 06, 2016. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/patrick.asp.
Let. 1775. Second Continental Congress Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms July 6 1775. July 6. Accessed May 06, 2016. http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/documents/1751-1775/second-continental-congress-declaration-of-the-causes-and-necessity-of-taking-up-arms-july-6-1775.php.
—. 1775. The Charlotte Town Resolves 1775. May 31. Accessed May 06, 2016. http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/documents/1751-1775/the-charlotte-town-resolves-1775.php.
Paine, Thomas. 1776. “Common Sense.” let.rug.nl 1.
[1]Cushing, Jacob. 1998. “Divine Judgments Upon Tyrants.” In Political Sermons of the American Founding Era, by Ellis Sandoz, 611-26. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund.
[2]Sherwood, Samuel. 1998. “The Church’s Flight Into The Wilderness: An Address On The Times.” In Political Sermons of the American Founding Era, by Ellis Sandoz., 497-527. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund.
[3]Augusta. 1781. The Volunteers of Augusta. Prod. The Royal Georgia Gazette. Savannah, October 4.
[4]Unknown. 1776. “The Pausing American Loyalist.” Middlesex Journal 1.
[5]Paine, Thomas. 1776. “Common Sense.” let.rug.nl 1.
[6]Henry, Patrick. 1775. Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death . March 23. Accessed May 06, 2016. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/patrick.asp.
[7]Felix. 1773. “Felix’s petition.” pbs.org 1.
[8]Bailyn, Bernard. 1965. Pamphlets of the American Revolution 1750-1776. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
[9]Let. 1775. Second Continental Congress Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms July 6 1775. July 6. Accessed May 06, 2016. http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/documents/1751-1775/second-continental-congress-declaration-of-the-causes-and-necessity-of-taking-up-arms-july-6-1775.php.
[10]—. 1775. The Charlotte Town Resolves 1775. May 31. Accessed May 06, 2016. http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/documents/1751-1775/the-charlotte-town-resolves-1775.php