American Revolution and Early Government
Reflection Analysis 2
Joseph Casale
PLCY 702: The Founding Era and Constituion
April 4, 2021
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Introduction
American Revolution and Early Government
The control and governance approach that the American government currently adopts
originates from the colonial and postcolonial eras. Precisely, the US government is an
accumulation and a transformation of systems, beliefs, and practices that stemmed from the
philosophical, political, and religious ideologies from the colonial and postcolonial periods. The
American Revolution marked the genesis of a transformed system of governance that deviated
from the unwritten British constitution to a documented and definite constitution to govern
different states. In the 18th century, the founding fathers established a comprehensive system of
governance with republican ideologies, which was fostered by the commitment to liberty and
promoted the complete abolishment of aristocracy that stagnated the country's progress. This
paper will discuss the compounding factors leading to the rejection of British rule, the key
characteristics of republican constitutionalism, and how they were idealized in the declaration of
independence and manifested in the United States Article of Confederation.
American Revolution: Ideas and Influences
The American Revolution resulted from different factors that steered the thirteen colonies
to rebel against British rule, which they thought had begun to infringe some of their fundamental
rights and freedoms. First, the Age of Enlightenment propagated ideologies that encouraged the
colonies to revolt against British rule. The Age of Enlightenment was a philosophical movement
in the 18th century that emphasized the people's rights and the power vested in them.
Philosophers such as John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Thomas Hobbes introduced
revolutionary ideas such as the governed's social contract and consent (Clark, 2020). They
emphasized that the King did not have the divine right to rule and that society should play an
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integral role in determining who their leaders or rulers should be. This notion gave rise to
republican constitutionalism that encourages people to participate in forming their respective
governments. Second, the self-governance principle inherent in the British colonies played a
crucial role in the American revolution.
All the American colonies wanted independence from the British government's
interference in their matters (Bonwick, 2017). The legislatures of the respective colonies could
muster troops, levy taxes, and pass laws. As such, this culture of self-governance and entitlement
prompted the colonies to rebel against that British hierarchy that wanted to control the American
colonies' activities and resources. This action adheres to the republican ideology of sovereignty,
which mandates a state to operate without external parties' interferences or influences. Third, the
unfair taxes and legislations imposed on the American colonies stimulated the revolution
(Samuelson, 2017). For example, the Navigation Act forbade Americans from participating in
trade with foreign nations. Also, the Stamp Act imposed direct taxes on the American colonies
for the first time. The colonies cooperated to revolt against the increasing control that the British
government was trying to achieve. The colonies fought for their rights and freedom to participate
in free and fair trade, one of the fundamental provisions of republican constitutionalism. Other
factors that played a role in promoting the American revolution are the Townshend Acts, the
Boston Massacre, the Intolerable Acts, the Boston Tea Party, and the Sons of Liberty
(Samuelson, 2017). All these factors compounded to drive the British rule out of the country and
replace it with a republican constitution.
Republicanism
The post-revolution constitution adhered to the fundamental republican ideologies that
are still applicable in the modern context. Republicanism is a hybrid of different governance
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structures from different territories in the ancient period. Precisely, the founding fathers deviated
from the centralized and skewed British system of governance to use various approaches adopted
by some of the successful regimes such as ancient Greece, the Renaissance, and ancient Rome.
The founding fathers took time to study the historical governments and establish a system that
would suit the American colonies' model and principles, which thrived on self-governance using
a system with numerous players. Republican constitutionalism has certain unique features, as
discussed below.
Most importantly, republican constitutionalism or ideology emphasizes the criticality of
liberty and the people's unalienable rights. Precisely, the republican philosophy commands the
leaders to prioritize the natural rights of their citizens. As envisioned in the constitution,
Republicanism supports conditions where citizens have the right to follow their wills and make
decisions that they deem to be suitable. This provision allows the residents in the country to
question the government, vote, and possess properties. However, Barnett & Abrams (2016)
advise people not to confuse the republican ideology of "the Will of the People" and the
government. The author reiterates that the government officials are not the people. They are
simply the agents of the people who must exercise their discretion in line with the citizens'
demands. However, cases might occur where this social contract is breached. Besides, Barnett &
Abrams (2016) mention that a complete democracy has certain deficiencies that the republican
system tends to address. In a pure democracy, the majority rules. However, this presents a leeway
that the majority can use to infringe the rights of the minority groups in the country. As such,
republican constitutionalism incorporates provisions that protect the people's unalienable rights
from being infringed through elections and other legal channels that can be exploited. Also, the
republican constitution protects liberty by incorporating the rule of law that the government
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cannot entirely and legally ignore. These republican provisions adhere to some of the bible
verses. For example, Psalms 82:3 encourages Christians to give justice to the weak and
oppressed. Via adopting an approach that prioritizes the natural rights of the citizens, the US
government promotes fairness.
Second, republican constitutionalism promotes the decentralization of power to meet the
needs of everyday citizens. Precisely, it opposes governance systems, such as aristocracy,
dictatorship, and monarchy, which centralize power to the few. The British rule was based on the
Monarchy system, where the King had absolute authority to make most of the critical decisions
without consulting his subjects. The American colonies opposed this system of governance,
which largely contributed to the famous revolution. Consequently, the founding fathers decided
to develop a "Country Party" form of governance that incorporated the citizens in the
government's development. Precisely, the system allowed the citizens to vote for their preferred
politicians in the Senate and Congress. Thus, republican constitutionalism led to a rotation-based
governance structure that distributed power based on the people's will. This republican provision
aligns with biblical principles. Precisely, the bible mentions the need to rotate leadership and
ensure that the power is distributed evenly in the society. Precisely, Daniel 2: 21 mentions that
the Lord removes kings and set-up kings, thus indicating the throne's seasonality. Currently, the
US implements a four-year term system of governance.
Third, republican constitutionalism emphasizes or is based on the principle of sovereignty
of the citizen. Precisely, the residents of a specific country should be sovereign. As such, they
should have the power or authority to determine their leaders and participate in determining the
governance structure within the country. Thus, with time, republican constitutionalism
introduced provisions that allowed all the people, including the women, to vote. Before
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independence, only property-owning males were allowed to vote. This practice eroded the
people's sovereignty, and it allowed the elite members of the society to take advantage of the
system and legislate laws that would solely benefit them.
Declaration of Independence
Declaration of Independence is a document or statement approved by the Continental
Congress in 1776 to actualize the dissolution of the thirteen British colonies (North American
colonies) from Great Britain's rule. With the exemption of New York, the twelve colonies
resolved that the states ought to be free and independent from the control of the British regime
(Gagne, 2019). The document was written mainly by Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the
US. The declaration of independence propagates three main ideas or philosophies, all of which
adhere to republican constitutionalism, as discussed below.
First, the declaration of independence was based on the idea that US citizens have
specific inalienable rights that the government or its agencies should not contravene. Precisely,
the declaration of independence warrants the government to set limits in the regulatory
frameworks to ensure that citizens' natural rights, including liberty, life, and pursuit of happiness,
are safeguarded against possible infringement (Jefferson, 2019). As seen in the prior section of
the paper, this idea originates from republican constitutionalism, which categorically states the
need for the government to respect the natural and God-given rights of the people, including the
right and freedom to life and ownership of properties.
Second, the Declaration of Independence was based on the idea that all men are created
equal. This assertion adheres to biblical principles. Precisely, it aligns with the sentiments
documented in Genesis 1:27; the scripture states that God created man in his image and likeness.
As such, we are all equal in the eyes of the Lord. This idea translates to the historical political
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scene to mean that all citizens should be treated equally by the government and its statutes. This
statement also adheres to republican constitutionalism, which gives all the citizens the liberty to
participate in the governments' formation through elections. Precisely, the republican
constitutionalism ideology redistributes power from the elite to all the citizens. As such, the
public members are involved, either directly or indirectly, in the formulation of public policies.
The state of Virginia initiated this transformation by including a comprehensive declaration or
bills of rights in their constitutions to protect their residents' fundamental rights and circumscribe
the prerogative of the government. Pennsylvania was among the first territories to include a
provision in their constitution that allowed all the free men to vote, including those who did not
own property.
Finally, the declaration of independence was based on the idea that individuals have the
civic duty to defend themselves and others' natural rights. Precisely, people are required to
participate in initiatives that would safeguard humans' fundamental rights in the US (Lutz, 1980).
Republican constitutionalism vests power in the people, which is well explained in the principle
of sovereignty. As such, the citizens have the power and authority to amend some of the
constitutional provisions to ensure that they promote citizens' natural rights.
Article of Confederation
The Article of Confederation served as the first constitution of the original states of the
US. It was an official agreement between the thirteen states that was ratified on March 1, 1781,
to create a loose confederation of sovereign states. The Article of Confederation created a system
that entailed a weak central government, thus decentralizing power to the local authorities
(Graebner et a., 2011). This approach adheres to the principle of Republicanism, which
prioritizes the decentralization of power to avoid absolute authority cases. The provision is
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evident in the government's checks and balance system incorporated in the federalism system,
where the different arms of the government limit each other's power. Also, the Articles of
Confederation brought to an end a series of oppressions and control witnessed during the
colonial period, which infringed some of the citizens' fundamental rights. The Article of
Confederation increased participation in politics and governance through fair and partially
inclusive elections (as women were still not allowed to vote) (Chet, 2019). For example,
Pennsylvania's state allowed all the free men to vote, including those who did not own property.
As such, it is clear that the Article of Confederation aligns with the republican ideologies.
However, the document had several shortcomings, such as vote limitation, not allowing Congress
to influence tax policies and the absence of the executive and judicial branches.
Summary
To summarize, the revolutionary government aligned most of its operations with the
principles of republican constitutionalism. Notably, the declaration of independence and the
Articles of Confederation reiterate the need to safeguard the natural rights of the US citizens,
decentralize power and control, and protect the people's sovereignty. Later on, federalism
realigned this structure but maintained the core principles of the founding fathers.
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Bibliography
Barnett, Randy E., and Barry Abrams. Our republican constitution: Securing the liberty and
sovereignty of we the people. Broadside Books, 2016.
Bonwick, Colin. English radicals and the American revolution. UNC Press Books, 2017.
Chet, Guy. "We Have Not a Government: The Articles of Confederation and the Road to the
Constitution." (2019): 1000-1001.
Clark, J. C. D. "How Did the American Revolution Relate to the French? Richard Price, the Age
of Revolutions, and the Enlightenment." Modern Intellectual History (2020): 1-23.
Gagne, Tammy. Who Were the Signers of the Declaration of Independence?. Mitchell Lane,
2019.
Graebner, Norman A., Richard Dean Burns, and Joseph M. Siracusa. Foreign affairs and the
founding fathers: from Confederation to constitution, 1776-1787. ABC-CLIO, 2011.
Jefferson, Thomas. The declaration of independence. Verso, 2019.
Lutz, Donald S. "From covenant to constitution in American political thought." Publius 10, no. 4
(1980): 101-133.
Samuelson, Richard. "The American Revolution, State Sovereignty, and the American
Constitutional Settlement, 1765–1800." (2017): 475-476.
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