The Creation of U.S. Democracy
The democracy of the United States was created as a response to political and social struggles both in the colonies and across Europe. The Founding Fathers – the key players in the creation of American democracy, like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson – aimed to build a system of government based on liberty, equality, and popular sovereignty – the theory that government is created by and subject to the desires, or will, of the people.
“No Taxation Without Representation!”
As we discovered earlier, colonists, now far from their “mother land”, did not govern themselves. They were governed by the British. To make matters worse, colonists had little representation in the British Parliament and were often taxed, or forced to pay money to, the British. They were angered by this “Taxation with Representation”: being forced to pay taxes to a government that they had no voice in. This lack of power and fairness led to growing resentment and a desire for independence. Colonists wanted not just freedom from Britain, but also a new government that would be based on the desires of the people it governed.
Ultimately, anger over having to pay taxes without governmental representation, along with other frustrations with the British government, led to a breaking point. The War of Independence, or Revolutionary War, broke out in April of 1775, with the American colonists fighting against the British for their independence. They no longer wanted to be a colony: they wanted to have their own country and their own government in which their voices would be heard.
Read this article from PBS, below, for a better idea of the emotions and events that led to the American Revolution:
The War of Independence
In 1776, the War of Independence was won by the United States, and the Declaration of Independence marked the colonies’ freedom from British rule. It expressed the desire for a government that respected individual rights—such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It also introduced the idea that governments should get their power from the consent of the governed, and that people have the right to change or abolish – get rid of – governments that fail to protect their rights.
