America is often characterized by an unfailing national pride. This patriotism is viewed as a foundational cornerstone which our nation was built on; however, this is not entirely the case. Although many people think of the American Revolution as a strong, unified effort by a people united in their cause with shared goals, values, and identity, on the eve of the Revolution the America we know today was still in its infancy. Despite the ideas of Revolution in the minds of the population, the colonies remained largely divided by loyalties and varying degrees of outrage or agreement with British actions throughout the Revolution. By the 1750s, the American identity had certainly been born, but despite the newly emerging idea of Americanism, the colonies struggled to unite due to varying personal views and a lack of connection between the colonies.
Despite colonists' objections to British policies like the Stamp and Sugar Acts along with various other forms of taxation implemented by the British during the 1750s, many colonists remained loyal to the crown. This created three relatively equal factions among the colonists: Patriots, Loyalists and those who remained neutral. In 1781, Peter Oliver recorded a history of Massachusetts which recounts “The Origin and Progress of the American Revolution to the year 1776.” In this history, he details that the rebellion did not occur because of consensus “but to gratify the Pride, Ambition & Resentment, of a few abandoned Demagogues.” In fact “the generality of the People were not of this Stamp, but they were [weak] & unversed in the Arts of Deception” (Document F). Oliver’s words provide an interesting insight into the dissension among the colonists regarding British sovereignty, society was split. As Oliver suggests, the Revolution was even viewed by some people as a war led by a very small population who influenced the public. Much of the public remained divided by opinion throughout the 1700s. Mathers Byles noted in his writings that although British rule was tyrannical, American rule was similar to being governed by “three thousand tyrants not a mile away” (Document D). His comparison was not inaccurate, and lack of consensus proved to be a huge obstacle of an early autonomous America.
In addition to the range of personal patriotism or lack thereof, young America was also faced with disunity between the individual colonies. Unlike post-constitutional America where the 50 states combine to make one nation, the colonies had no connection to each other besides that of physical proximity and a shared mother country. In 1754, Benjamin Franklin, a patriot, respected inventor, and politician published a powerful piece of propaganda through his newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette. The image illustrated the disconnection between the colonies using a chopped up snake. Each labeled segment of the snake was representative of at least one part of the Thirteen Colonies. The Gazette illustrated their message with the help of a popular myth that if you put the pieces of a snake back together before sundown, the snake would come back to life. The large text “Join, or Die” across the bottom powerfully conveyed the message that the colonies needed to unite or risk falling individually. The illustration was published the same year as Franklin released the Albany Plan, a plan to join the 13 colonies through a unified government. Unfortunately, the Gazette’s propaganda was not as effective as Franklin might have hoped. The Albany Plan failed to be effective and eventually fell apart due to conflicting interests and values between the colonies. Although Franklin may have been an early proponent of an autonomous America, he was not alone in his observations about the disconnect between colonies. Parliament also recognized that the colonies were completely separated leading up to the eve of their Revolution. In 1766, in his notes for his speech to Parliament, Edmund Burke expressed that the notion of governing the disconnected American colonies from across the ocean was ridiculous (Document B). Burke’s acknowledgment of the disconnect between the American colonies is important because it supports Franklin’s observations from a British perspective. Both the works of Franklin and Burke are helpful in illustrating how dysfunctional America was leading up to the eve of its Revolution, because they both corroborate the same fact: America was anything but united.
Although the colonists had serious disagreements about British sovereignty and possessed no autonomy between the colonies, they all possessed one thing in common. All the colonists were immigrants or descendants of immigrants who gave up European society to be part of America and were thus Americans. This gave the colonies a central trait in common which allowed colonies to band together when the British enforced things such as the Coercive Acts. A bond between the colonies is clear when examining the list of “Contributors of Donations for the Relief of Boston” of 1774 and 1775, which was recorded by the Massachusetts Historical Society. The donations displayed in the list were sent to Boston by other colonies after the Boston Tea Party triggered England to implement “the intolerable acts” (Document G). These donations illuminate an undeniable bond between the colonies. The donations were not sent because the other colonies were required to do so. They were sent from Americans to fellow Americans in need. The idea of the American identity was a key unifying factor among colonists. As Hector St Crevecoeur states in his “ Letters from an American Farmer, composed in the 1770’s” A man “Becomes an American by being received in the brand lap of our great Alma Mater. Here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men” (Document H). These two documents reveal that although the colonies were not unified, they were united under the American identity to some extent by the eve of their Revolution.
Although somewhat lacking in unity, Americans had clearly developed an undeniable bond through their mutual American identities. The “lack of unity” and yet simultaneous ability to maintain the American bond is a powerful aspect of America. The ability for the two to be mutually exclusive is what made America so successful throughout history. Even though the citizens may not be united in supporting an unpopular war effort such as the Vietnam war, the bond between fellow Americans and pride as an American citizen almost never disappears.
