Unit 1: The Colonial Era Chapter 3: The American Revolution Effects of the American Revolution

Effects on the United States

The United States Won it’s Independence from Britain Though the colonists declared their independence from Britain in 1776, it wasn’t recognized by the rest of the world until the end of the Revolution In the treaty of Paris (1783), Britain officially recognized the US as an independent country

A Generation of American Heroes was Created The political and military leaders who led the colonists to victory in the Revolution became the first truly American heroes These Founding Fathers like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams would lead the new nation for years to come

The United States Established a Democratic Government Once out from under the thumb of the British monarchy, the United States established a Republic Republic = a type of democracy (representative democracy) in which the citizens elect officials to represent them in government The world was watching to see if this “experiment” in democracy would actually work

Native Americans were Pushed West Without the British government protecting Native Americans’ lands, Americans were free to settle as far West as the Mississippi River Whenever, this westward migration led to conflict with the Native Americans, the US military would force the Native Americans to move further west

Democratic Ideals Inspired Reform Movements Some Americans saw a contradiction between their belief that “All men are created equal” and the way some Americans were being treated As a result, two important reform movements began The Abolition Movement fought against slavery The Women’s Rights Movement fought for women’s equality Both of these movements were slow to make progress

Effects on the World

The American Revolution Inspired Other Revolutions The French Revolution erupted in 1787 Revolutions against Spanish rule broke out in many Latin American countries in the 19th century

Britain Lost Some Status Britain losing the American Revolution was certainly a surprise It proved that Britain was not unbeatable Despite this, there was no doubt that Britain was still the most powerful nation in the world It would still be quite a while before Britain’s supremacy would be seriously threatened