By Jesse Boucher
Young America
Patriots of America seemed to be fighting for preservation of their way of life as well as
change and reform. Some patriots were sick of dealing with the ways of the king and (as many
saw it) corrupt governing. People of Great Britain had “, left their native land, to seek on these
shores a residence for civil and religious freedom.” (Jefferson and Dickinson 1775,
online) America was young and needed not really change or reform, but law and to accomplish
that, governance. Independence was another key to a new nation. This would most certainly
bring about war with Great Britain in order to cut ties of dependency. They didn’t know that
they would eventually be part of the Great American Revolution.
Although some individuals knew history was in the making. “Thomas Jefferson responsible for
drafting a declaration of independence, a document that Congress needed almost
immediately.” (Ferling 2004, online) Jefferson had assumed this task knowing it would be a
crucial part of separation from the crown. The idea of the Declaration of Independence was that
the “United Colonies are, and, of right, ought to be, free and independent.” (Brinkley, 2010,
118) While there were a lot of people who wanted to be independent, there were also a lot of
people who did not want to, and were scared to defy the British crown.
Some people took a softer approach such as John Dickinson. He and Jefferson would go on to
write the “Declaration of Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms”. One statement included in
this declaration stands out to be most powerful and explains very well what the Patriots were
fighting for. “With hearts fortified with these animating reflections, we most solemnly, before
God and the world, declare, that, exerting the utmost energy of those powers, which our
1
By Jesse Boucher
beneficent Creator hath graciously bestowed upon us, the arms we have been compelled by our
enemies to assume, we will, in defiance of every hazard, with unabating firmness and
perseverance, employ for the preservation of our liberties; being with one mind resolved to die
freemen rather than to live slaves.” (Jefferson and Dickinson 1775, online)
Americans new that war was on the horizon with declaring independence, but they had little or
no money to pay for it. The only soldiers were rebels but they were not many and to win a war
you would need a great leader. “But Congress recognized the need for a centralized military
command, and it created a Continental army with a single commander in chief: George
Washington.” (Brinkley, 2010, 119) With a great commander such as Washington, patrons of
America felt they stood a chance against the British armies. All they needed was a little faith;
after all, Washington has “military experience”. (Brinkley, 2010, 121) The Patriots never had
real military men among them; they were normally lead by your regular ordinary farmer or city
worker. Although Washington brought about a presence of experience, Patriots and Congress
knew they would need help from abroad, like France.
When the Patriots first heard or was read the Declaration of Independence they knew they were
fighting for a just cause. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” (Declaration of Independence 1776, para. 2) The
meaning of these words being held true would set America apart from all other nations.
The war was revolutionary because the Patriots wanted their lives to change from how the
2
By Jesse Boucher
British crown ruled. In America they learned and realized that there wouldn’t be just one great
ruler of all people, but that they could be represented more equally from government. When one
seeks out such freedom and change its hard to give that up, easily. Patriots will fight in any way
necessary to win. They learn the way the British army fights and they revolutionize how to
defeat them and declare their independence.
3
By Jesse Boucher
Works Cited
Brinkley's, A. (2010). The Unfinished Nation: A Consise History of the American People, 6th
edition. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Dikinson, Jefferson (1775, July 6). Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms.
Retrieved October 30, 2010, from The National Center:
http://www.nationalcenter.org/1775DeclarationofArms.html
Ferling, J. (2004, July). The Rocky Road to Revolution. Retrieved October 30, 2010, from
Smithsonian: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/revolution.html
The Declaration of Independence. (1776, July 4). Retrieved October 29, 2010, from The U.S.
National Archives & Records Administration:
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/print_friendly.html?page=declaration_transcri
pt_content.html&title=NARA | The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription
4