The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution, Research Paper Example

The Treaty of  Paris was signed on September 3rd 1978 formally ending the American Revolutionary War. It was ratified in 1784 by the King of Great Britain and exchanged in Paris on May 12th 1784. The remaining combatant nations of Holland, France and Spain had separate treaties.  (R.Middlekauff, 1985) The treaty took 3 years of intense negotiations in order to end the 7 year war. ” Britain had acquired a large empire and France was still able to challenge British naval supremacy, but Spain achieved none of her war aims.”  (JAENEN, 2009).

The French efforts to weaken the settlements became frustrated by American diplomacy. The early charters had enabled the settlements to be relatively self-governing and because they were so widely scattered communications took a long time to ratify.  During this time the British and French were still at war and involved with running their respective empires  (Bailyn, 1967)

The American revolution changed 13 British Colonies and bound them into a new nation.  The revolution was in essence a political one with the Americans gaining virtually all of their demands with the exclusion of Canada.  ” The most important consequences of the war itself, in addition to the precedent of civil control, were two in number. First, the treaty of peace in 1783 not only recognized America’s independence but acknowledged its claims to the Mississippi River as the country’s western boundary.”  (Anon, 2009) ” Great Britain could not govern all of her newly acquired territories. In what Winston Churchill would later term a policy of appeasement, Bute returned many French and Spanish colonies. Despite a desire for peace, many in the British parliament opposed the return of hard-fought gains. Notable among the opposition was former Prime Minister William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, who warned that the terms of the treaty would only lead to further conflicts once France and Spain had time to rebuild. The peace was insecure, he would later say, because it restored the enemy to her former greatness. The peace was inadequate, because the places gained were no equivalent for the places surrendered. Members of parliament known to oppose the treaty were dismissed from offices, until it was certain to pass.”  (Churchill, 1956).  In conclusion the native indians were not consulted by the British in the final treaty negotiations ” Britain negotiated the Paris peace treaty without consulting her Native American allies and ceded all Native American territory between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River to the United States”  (R, 2000)

References

Anon. (2009). American Revolution. Retrieved October 10, 2009, from Ask.com: http://www.answers.com/topic/american-revolution

Bailyn, B. (1967). The ideological origins of the American Revolution. In B. Bailyn, The ideological origins of the American Revolution. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.

Churchill, W. (1956). The Great Republic : A History of America. In W. Churchill, The Great Republic : A History of America. London: Random House.

JAENEN, C. J. (2009). Paris (1763) Treaty of. Retrieved October 10, 2009, from The Canadian Encyclopedia: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0006083

R, Brown  (2000). Major problems in the era of the American revolution 163-1789. In B. R, Major problems in the era of the American revolution 163-1789. Boston: Houghton Mifflin .

R.Middlekauff. (1985). The Glorious Cause the American Revolution, 1763-1789. In R.Middlekauff, The Glorious Cause the American Revolution, 1763-1789. New York: Oxford University Press.