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American Revolution Dbq

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During 1775-1783, the United States Colonies did not go through a revolution. A revolution is repudiation and the thorough replacement of an established government, social, or political system by the people governed (Merriam-Webster). This indicates that the American Revolution was more of an evolution than a revolution. It was not a revolution because it did not completely revolutionize the government system, the social system, and it was more of a conquest for power than a revolution. The government system was not changed drastically and completely because the revolution before and after 1776 was self-governed. The American colonies were also struggling for power and independence, which is why it was more of a conquest for power. Lastly, …show more content…

Prior to the revolution, the American Colonies consisted of several self-governing structures. The first “miniature parliament” was the House of Burgesses, which was the first assembly of settlers that formed a legislative. It could create laws and levy taxes, but ultimately was not centralized to all the colonies. After the revolution, Congress established the Articles of Confederation. According to the US Department of State, “the Articles of Confederation served as the written document that established the functions of the national government of the United States. It established a weak central government that mostly, but not entirely, prevented the individual states from conducting their own foreign policy (Articles of Confederation, 1777–1781, 1). The Articles of Confederation was also not yet ratified in all 13 of the colonies. Similarly, both bodies were self-governed and did not govern all of the colonies. Contrastingly, some might argue that the House of Burgesses differs from the Articles of Confederation because England could veto any laws or taxes, but the definition of revolution refers to a complete change in government. The government system was not revolutionized because they were still democratically

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