Colony example essay topic

"The writings of Thomas Paine had a greater impact on the winning of American independence than any other single event, including the Battle of Saratoga". Agree or disagree with this statement. Although there is some validity in this quote, I disagree with this statement. There were other impacts that helped win American independence.

The inspiration from previous literature and political cartoons helped motivate people to achieve freedom. Also, radicals and their boycotts emerged long before Common Sense. However, the Battle of Saratoga did lift the spirits of the colonists to take up arms because the colonists did have a chance to defeat the "parent" country. Thomas Paine was one of the major factors that inspired the colonists to achieve independence. Paine immigrated to America in late 1774, after Ben Franklin persuaded him to move.

He became wrapped up in American political life and wrote various political articles for the Pennsylvania Gazette. After the Boston Tea Party and realizing that the colonists were fighting for unfair taxation, Paine wrote his opinions and feelings down. On January of 1776, his pamphlet was published and was popularly read throughout the colonists. He said that the colonies should fight for complete independence and can survive by itself. He made calculations based on the economy of the colonies and stated that the colonies can be self-dependent without any help from the crown. The evolution of the colonies has progressed to a point where Britain is no longer needed.

He states that in order for the colonies to grow prosperous, they need to absolve their ties and create good alliances with other European nations. He mentions that government should protect life, liberty and property and the king and Parliament haven't done so. This pamphlet aroused people, mostly moderates to fight alongside the radicals that were already pro-independence. Radicals originated back to the First Continental Congress.

Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams were advocates to destroy English supremacy over the colonies. They tried to convince the delegates to take action against the British but the moderate majority initiated a plan, created by Joseph Galloway. When the plan failed and stricter enforcement of the acts and the intolerable acts, the Second Continental Congress met a year later. Outraged because of the Intolerable Acts, nine out of thirteen colonies turned to a more radical view. A smack in the face was the metaphor to how the colonists felt when the king rejected the plan. James Otis and Samuel Adams devised a "terrorist" group called the Sons of Liberty that would protest against anything British and tar and feather tax collectors.

The radicals inspired the people to start looking at freedom. They were the ones on the frontline during the Revolutionary War. They were also the ones to create the propaganda needed to heighten anti-British sentiments. Back in 1754, Ben Franklin, editor of the Pennsylvania Gazette, created the first political cartoon that had a snake cut up in pieces.

Each piece represented a colony separated. His message was to unite the colonies against Indian threats and provide colonial unity. Even though this was a reaction to the King Phillip's War, it was still in effect during the time of the revolution. When the British redcoats killed six in the crowd after a night of harassment, radicals used this event to create more anti-British sentiment by naming the event the Boston Massacre.

After the first attempt to colonial unity with Great Britain, the Second Continental Congress was proposed a new plan, the Declaration of Causes and Necessity of taking up arms. John Dickinson, former Moderate, co-wrote this declaration, asking the colonies to arm themselves for the inevitable war. This was the second installment of the declarations. Like the Declaration of Grievances, this time the tone emitted a pissed off manner, telling Britain that the colonies have been civil but now its time to depart. Thomas Paine added more fuel to the people by publishing his pamphlet.

Then an important document was written by Thomas Jefferson that officially declared independence and that was the Declaration of Independence. These documents helped further light the fire of freedom which may have been the cause of the turning point at the Battle of Saratoga. During the early battles of the Revolutionary War, the British were dominating the militias of each colony. From 1775 through 1777, Washington and his poorly trained and equipped escaped destruction in New York City and Philadelphia. The colonies would have lost the war without the help with the French. The French secretly made an alliance with the colonists and they offered them food and arms.

Then in Saratoga, New York, on October of 1777, a miracle happened. General Burgoyne and his troops were marching from Canada to reunite with other British troops in the South. American generals Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold attacked the troops. The American troops were too much for the British and they had to surrender. This motivated not only the semi moderates to finally convert to radicals, but it gave hope that freedom was just a step away. Thomas Paine was a great man that did inspire people that it's time for revolution and go for the big goal: total independence.

But he wasn't the only one that helped the colonists gain independence. The radicals, the petitions and Thomas Paine combined to uniform the colonies to fight for the rights they had been used to for over 100 years.