Revolutionary American Revolution

The Revolutionary American Revolution

There were quite a few aspects of the American Revolution that were innovative and revolutionary during the last half of the 18th century. Three major characteristics that aided in the separation from British rule were: the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the adoption of guerilla warfare, and the birth of the democratic republic of the United States.

To begin with, the Declaration of Independence professed that the thirteen American colonies, who were still at war with Great Britain, regarded themselves as independent states and no longer a part of the British Empire. The concepts that Thomas Jefferson included in the Declaration of Independence were quite powerful. He specified that “all men are created equal,” and that the government derives its’ power from the “consent of the governed”. Jefferson wanted to summarize the philosophy of individual liberty in "self-evident truths" and set forth a list of grievances against the King in order to justify before the world the breaking of ties between the colonies and the mother country (National Archives).

Also, the use of guerilla warfare played a major role in the war for independence because it established a new method of battle that had not been seen before. Unlike the pitched battles of earlier periods, these guerilla bands managed to wear down British forces with hit-and-run tactics and the destruction of supplies. This proved to be the most effective tactic for the Continental Army during the siege of Yorktown.

Lastly, the birth of a new nation brought upon a new form of government for the colonies. At first, these newly self-governed states began to use democratic processes of government, but they came to see that there was a potential for mob rule. James Madison decided that a republic democracy was more attainable for the nation, and he made great strides to build a proper governmental entity. The concepts of both democracy and...