A Concise Overview of the Birth of The United States of America

The early English colonists who came to settle in what is today The United States of America in the early 1600s were under England’s control. The colonists had to follow mercantile laws- laws that regulated what the colonies could produce or not and how commerce was to take place. They worked hard to produce raw materials for England to manufacture and sell. England was using all the colonies’ profits to repay the debts they had accumulated. The colonists could not manufacture goods on their own, they had to buy them from England. What’s more, the English parliament started to impose high taxes on the goods they exported to the colonies.

As a result, conflict arose between the American colonists and the British empire. The colonists grew very resistant to the English because they continued to be taxed unfairly and they didn’t have any representatives in the British parliament to represent their needs and desires. They would protest: “NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!” The Americans felt they were powerful enough to resist the English.

During the same period of time, the Enlightenment movement (1680-1800) began to take hold. This movement brought on many revolutionists who opposed government by monarchy. One of these revolutionists who greatly influenced the separation between the Americans and the British crown was John Locke. John Locke did not believe in monarchies, he was concerned with the people. Locke argued that government should be chosen by the people and derive its authority from the people. His most important principal was the people’s right to pursue life, liberty & property (property was later changed to happiness). He believed that if the government failed to protect these natural rights of man, the government should be removed. This was the foundation of the American Constitution and became the basic principals for all American people.

John Locke and many other people believed that the British Government was unjust and had abused their tyrannical power over them. Thus, according to Locke, it was the people’s right and duty to thrown off this unjust government. In the minds of the American people, it was time for independence.

It was on July 4, 1776 The Declaration of Independence was signed, Thomas being it’s main author. The document was delivered to the King of Great Britain, outlining the grievance of the American people and their natural rights.

The Revolutionary War last about 6 years. The peace treaty was finally signed in 1783 after the British surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia. The peace settlement acknowledged the independence, freedom, and sovereignty of the 13 states existing at that time. Soon after, The Constitution of the United States of America was written and ratified in 1788. Some of the signers included George Washington, who became the first president of the new nation, James Madison, often named “the father of the U.S. Constitution,” Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton and others. The Constitution was a document defining the distribution of the powers of the U.S. Government and listing the natural human rights with the addition of The Bill of Rights in 1790.

A Concise Overview of the British Empire Loyalists

Among the colonists who came to settle in what is today, the United States of America, the majority wished to separate from the British monarchy and become an independent nation. However, there were about 15% or 50,000 who wanted to remain loyal to the British monarchy. These devoted ones were made up mostly of farmers and were known as the “British Empire Loyalists” or as “Torries” by their fellow countrymen.

During the War of Independence of the United States, which began in April of 1775, there were many Loyalists which helped the British Forces hold control of their North American territories. The British defeat was mainly due to the great distance separating Great Britain and the British forces in North America. There was a shortage of supplies because of the long delay it took to ship them from England.

After the war, many of the Loyalists started their lives afresh in Canada under the British crown in parts of Nova Scotia, above the St. Lawrence rapids and north of Lake Ontario. Some received land grants in the Niagara Peninsula, where the soil was very rich. Life was tough and in the beginning, people depended on the support and supplies from Britain before they could become self-sufficient. The coming of the colonists in Canada led to many developments. Canada became bilingual, land was cleared and farms were built, towns grew and industries began. All of these factors led to the growth and development of the Canadian economy.

American or Canadian English?

American English →

Soon after the birth of The United States of America, with The Declaration of Independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776 and The Constitution of the United States of America, in 1788, an American named Noah Webster proposed an institution for the American English Language Standard in 1789. Webster stated that it was “a matter of honour as an independent nation...to have a system of our own, in language as well as government.” Webster published his first dictionary in 1806 including new American vocabulary and spellings. This was then the beginning of language separation between American and British English.

Canadian English →

Canada, as The United States, was a former British Colony. The founding English colonies in Canada were of English, Scottish, and Irish origin. Canada, however, remained loyal to the British Crown. Their loyalty to Great Britain has manifested through their strong adherence to British English spellings. Canada’s first Prime Minister, John Macdonald insisted that Canadian English remain as close as possible to Britain’s. An example is in the British ‘our’ endings in words such as ‘colour’ and ‘favour,’ whereas in American English, it is shorten to ‘or’ as in ‘color’ and ‘favor.’

Created by Isabelle Green

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