How Did The Revolutionary War Change The Meaning of Freedom?
| Answer In Short: The Revolutionary War Properly Established The Foundation of The Democratic Socio-Economic & Political System In The 13 Colonies of North America.
This Establishment Gave Its People The Freedom To Participate In Their Own Administration System To Protect Human Rights’ Values; Such As Life, Liberty, Equality, And The Ways To Pursue Happiness. All These Were Not Possible For The People of The 13 Colonies Until The Revolutionary War Broke Out. Read The Following To Understand Better. |
The Revolutionary War of America’s independence was one of the world’s greatest events that happened in the late 18th century.
This event entirely changed the meaning of freedom for the people of the country.
It not only influenced the polity and socio-economic structure of the 13 colonies of America, but it started influencing globally over time.
So, how did it change the meaning of freedom more than ever before?
Let’s discuss it in the following.
Description – How Did The Revolutionary War Change The Meaning of Freedom?
Before the Revolutionary War broke out between the colonial British Empire and 13 North American colonies, people of any country in the world had no actual power and rights to participate in their ruling system.
Due to the dominance of monarchy, only the King and Church had control over the countries’ administration system.
At that time, people couldn’t even demand their rulers to provide them a better life, where they could enjoy a life with liberty, equality, and full of happiness.
For these reasons, democracy had no proper existence in the world and so rulers didn’t care for their people’s good.
For the first time, through the American Revolutionary War, the common people of a country came further on such a large scale to fight some big battles to achieve their birthright.
As described in the Declaration of Independence, those rights were Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
In other words, they fought for democracy, where they could participate in the ruling system of their country.
This ideology of the Revolutionary War later inspired & spread all over Europe and changed its people’s mentality over freedom.
It also inspired them, causing some big revolutions there.
One of its examples was the immediate French Revolution.
[Fact: The development of freedom caused by this war was the practical form of the thinking of some of the great Enlightenment philosophers of Europe and America. Especially, we can see the impact of John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Rousseau]
How The Revolutionary War Changed People’s Mentality?
It made people understand that the King or ruler of a country is not the representative of God.
God didn’t send them to the world to protect human beings.
It is the people who are the actual source of the power of a country.
People choose their rulers to protect them and provide a good life with liberty and happiness.
But sometimes, when the rulers become tyrants and start destructing people’s rights – at that point in time, it becomes people’s right to abolish that ruler from his power.
So, this was how all started changing after the great Revolutionary War.
Some Important Facts Related With The Revolutionary War
1. Before the Revolutionary War, people throughout the world considered their Kings as the representative of God.
They followed their King’s decision without any question as the order of God, but the revolution entirely changed this belief of common people.
Through the Declaration of Independence, the Revolution widely spread the truth that the King of a nation is not the representative of God; but he is the representative of his country’s people.
Especially in Europe, this truth caused the death of monarchies. Such as, it immediately caused French Revolution.
Till the 20th century, this belief almost ended monarchies’ power from the European continent.
2. Did you know? American Revolution is the first major event in the world, where a nation’s common people largely came out and bore up arms for protecting their natural rights from the attack of rulers.
This one is the world’s greatest event that has happened to this date for the development of the democratic order.
Even, in the 21st century, it is inspiring millions of people throughout the world to protect their democratic rights from the abolishment of autocracy.
For example, in Hong Kong (China), Myanmar, Russia, Libya, Syria, thousands and millions of people are fighting and even giving up their lives for democracy.
