Colonies came together, creating a much more powerful force in fighting for their independence than individual regions. This new American identity created a general sense of belonging and pride among Americans, who were now all the more ready and capable to separate themselves from England. Technically, Americans were no longer Englishmen. Ironically, this is what they had originally wanted to be recognized as- they sought the Rights of Englishmen but that was no longer necessary.

The “Stars and Stripes” quickly became a national symbol, reminding people of the values America has, what it represents as a country, and what it truly means to be an American. Pretty much anywhere you look today, there are American flags flying all year round. These flags are constant reminders of the independence America fought for in the Revolution.

One important phrase is represented in the American flag is E Pluribus Unum. This latin saying translates to “out of many, one”! This suggests that the flag is a metaphor for America, not only in its fight for independence, but the continuation of a free and prosperous country within the world. The formerly separate and distinct colonies, with their own individual priorities and desires, came together in a time of need in order to fight for what they knew was right. Out of these many states, one new, united nation was created.

Furthermore, the Declaration stresses that “unailienable rights” are inherent to humans. God gives these rights to all people, bestowing permanent natural rights in them that no other human has the power to take away. Because of this standard, governments have a bar that they must meet in protecting these rights (they are not theirs to take away).

The unalienable rights that Jefferson showcases in the Declaration are “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. Life is a right which all humans have; they also have the duty to respect the lives of others. Only self-defense is an exception to this universal rule. Liberty is a right in which humans have the opportunity and duty to make their own decisions- another person or official cannot rightly make a decision that affects someone else. Personal decisions are a big contributor to the status of American citizens today. The Pursuit of Happiness is a new right that failed to appear anywhere else in the world prior to American independence. With this right in place, society no longer constrains individual identities to certain molds. An individual now has the responsibility to make their own choices, guiding their life to places they chose for themselves; deciding this path without outside interference now becomes a fundamental right of humans. Now a person is automatically the founder of their own destiny. It is also recognized though, that with this choice comes the risk of failing; but people are willing to take this chance if it means their life can be their own!

This particular quality of freedom, the pursuit of happiness, is a main part of what it means to be an American today. It also helps to define American Exceptionalism, in which The United States likes to think of itself as a nation free from the standards and societal qualifications of traditional countries- a truly independent America.

King George, on the other hand, saw the colonies and deemed them to be in a state of uncontrollable rebellion. He probably wondered why they still expected his respect when they clearly did not obey British law. England sent the largest naval force in history to occupy the colonies. But this enormous British effort to suppress the beginnings of American revolution was not sufficient. England largely underestimated the geographic size of America. For this reason, Thomas Paine’s argument was so powerful, and made so much sense to the American people. Why should a tiny island be able to rule over an entire continent? The established system was simply insane and could not continue.

The Declaration of Independence is known throughout the world as the best statement of American ideals- it describes what America represents as a country. When this infamous document was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, America made a move that was irreversible; after this date, America could not have gone back to the way things used to be, with respects to their relationship with England. This was a huge risk for colonial leaders to take. If the British won the war, American leaders would be captured and killed, while “slavery” would become the fate of America; the country would no longer be able to live freely. Overall, the Declaration of Independence was the American declaration of war, based on claims of self-defense.

One main point that is stressed in the first paragraph of the Declaration is that this desired independence is Natural. The two countries have been artificially connected since America’s birth, and the relationship must “dissolve”. This particular word implies the sense of a chemical reaction or a natural process; some external force other than the will of the people caused the separation. The “Laws of Nature”, linked to enlightenment and naturalist thinking, connect the demand for independence to a moral sense of right and wrong. America should not be free because the people want to be free of England’s rule, but because the bond is fundamentally wrong and unnatural. Also, the God mentioned in the Declaration is not one of a certain religion, yet “Nature’s God”. This is a more universal term that can be applied anywhere, to any similar situation.

Globally, the Declaration of Independence was a revolutionary document that sparked many other revolutions all over the world in the following years: the French Revolution (1789), revolts in Spanish South America, Nationalist movements in nineteenth century Europe, and the student-led protest in Tianemen Square (1989). In these revolutions, like in America, the Declaration of Independence gave countries the agency, or power, to initiate action in the world to create change.

The Atlantic World connected many parts of the world: North and South America, Caribbean Islands, Europe and Africa. These ties created international political and economic relationships. These connections became so valuable and profitable for each location, that if one element were to fail, the entire system would follow. The Triangle Trade is a well known example of these important relationships. In reality, there were actually many different “triangular trades”. The most famous one however, European manufactured goods and weapons were brought to African coastal chiefs, slaves were imported to the colonies, and colonial goods that the slaves produced (sugar, tobacco, and later cotton) were then shipped back to Europe.

It is obvious to us today that this system was wrong. Although this feeling was strong among the few abolitionists in the colonies and England, other Americans rarely cared, or even noticed. Their own self interest was more important than the morality of the system which they were supporting. Only powerful motives for profit and personal economic betterment can tie people to a system they know is not right. The risk of abandoning the well-established system was too great a chance for most individuals in colonial America to take. People in the middle colonies and New England, for example, made a huge profit by selling their surplus crops to slave societies. Even though they did not “own” slaves, they were directly dependent on slavery, thus furthering the persistence of slavery in their own society.

The basic idea is that white people got really rich from slavery. That’s it. America could not have survived economically without slavery. Everyone in America was somehow complicit towards the system. Nobody’s hands were clean of slavery.The economic system at the time was rigid, tight, ad highly integrated. White people in general became extremely rich from the benefits of slavery. And once cotton was introduced to America’s deep south at the start of the nineteenth century, everyone in the country became even more complicit.

Slavery was a National Institution in America. No person living in the country could rightfully say that they had no connection to the slave system. If they bought British manufactured goods, or even rum, which was a byproduct of slave-produced sugar cane, Americans were directly supporting the slave system. You didn’t have to be a captain on a slave ship to contribute to the continuance of slavery in the British Empire.

In 1727, when Franklin was 21, he formed Junto, a discussion group for issues of the day, which eventually gave rise to other like-minded institutions in Philadelphia. Franklin considered the Junto to be a “club of mutual improvement” (45), improving the members while also improving the community as a whole. They talked about public, social, and political issues, debating with limited amounts of dispute. The spirit of the club was based on the “inquiry after truth” (45). Reading in this club was very important, which furthured Franklin’s earlier passion of reading to improve his education. This club, and later the library that Franklin establishes as an extension of the Junto, extends Franklin’s belief that education was a core American value.

Franklin lived his life on a basis of self-improvement, both physically and morally. The goal was to move from a specified state of inexperience or bad decision, into that of refined truth and judgment. Franklin created a life goal of “moral perfection. [He] wish’d to live without committing any fault at any time” (63). This lofty standard led him to a method of living by the guidance of thirteen virtues: temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility. He attempted to tackle one of these at a time, so to as acquire the true habitude of all the virtues. This rigorous moral code led Franklin to be the best person he could be, while also setting a prime example for others in his society, not to mention us students reading it today who feel intimidated by Franklin’s expectations to be perfect.

Franklin was a rational man, but he was more importantly reasonable! While conversing with others, he conveyed a sense of open-mindedness, avoiding words like certainly undoubtedly, which conveyed a sense of a fixed opinion . He found that these methods of speech were unsuccessful because they filled the opposing party with disgust and opposition, and ultimately defeat. He stated provisional opinions: they could be changed, even though Franklin never doubted his own falseness. Using phrases like “it appears to me at present”, or “I imagine a think to be so”, Franklin realized that this method of communication was valuable. People would think he was worth listening to, making him a much more persuasive figure in society.

Not only was Franklin fixed on a goal of self-improvement, but he also strove to achieve public betterment as well. Philadelphia had a problem in the streets- they were muddy, and inefficient when it came to transportation, not to mention cleanliness. Seeing a problem that needed to be fixed in his community, Franklin was “instrumental in getting the street pav’d with stone between teh market and the brick’d foot-pavement” (98). He saw a large problem, and created a workable solution. Because of this, Franklin noted that the citizens were happier, as they noticed the cleanliness of the streets surrounding them. They were now willing to pay money to pave more streets, which I’m assuming led to the entire pavement of Philadelphia. This is an example, among countless others, that portrays Franklin’s desire to improve American society, however simple an improvement it may be.

Predestination. Puritans believed that their “fate” had been decided by God since before they were born. A person was already desetined to be sent to heaven or hell, and there was nothing they could do to change that throughout the course of their life. Only “the Elect” were predestined by God for salvation. There was no guarantee for salvation, just a desire to live a successful and productive life. Worldly success and wealth were signs of God’s favor towards a person. But what was the point in being morally outstanding and working hard if you’re already predestined? (Thats what I’m thinking…) Puritans saw it the other way around. Sccess was God’s blessing upon a person. One must prove their success in the world and in their lives in order to show that God had placed them in his favor.

This mentality led to the Puritan work ethic, which became a form of religion for the Puritans. Most of us have heard this term many other times before in history classes; we as Americans still follow this ideal in our lives today. This strong virtue in which hard work leads to wealth and success has outlasted the Puritans, becoming a core American value and way of thinking. As juniors, we are all starting to get a little nervous about the college process, and what the rest of our lives will be like. My parents always tell me, do your best, be great. The countless times I have heard this phrase leave me with a feeling of responsibility to work hard. For the Puritans, a person’s parents were almost insignificant when compared to someone else much more important in their lives. God. Replace God with the parent figures in the lives of us teenagers. Puritans led their entire lives striving to live up to the standards of God, creating worldly success inorder to confirm his blessing upon them. This feeling has lastedfor more than the past three hundred years; I think the value and virtue of hard work will remain a core American value. The “city on a hill” has grown into a country that sets a standard for the rest of the world.

We have talked a lot recently about how the Eurpeans viewed the expansive land in America. Arriving on a ship after being at sea for several weeks, these travelers saw more land than they had ever had the chance to experience in their home country.

For example, England was a country that celarly demonstrated how owning land gave a person rights or privileges in society. In England, the compact country did not offer nearly enough land to its rapidly expanding population. This led to a dramatic economic imbalance. Only a small percent of people were fortunate enough to own their own land. Others had to settle working for something else, succumbing to the power of authority. As the economy in England changed, a social crisis evolved quickly. People started to make economic decisions based on their own self-interests and in order to gain profit.This led to the eventual English colonization of America, almost a century after the Spanish began to make their mark on the New World.

Colonists that England sent across the ocean were theoreticaly killing two birds with one stone — the outcasts of England, the poor non-landowners that formed the rejected surplus population, could be sent away. They could then form the workforce in America that would produce England’s desired profit. So this idea seemed pretty beneficial to the English.

In comparison to England, America possessed the same basic standard for personal success- whether it be social or economical. Persons who owned their own land were “free”, liberated from over-powering masters, and able to lead a decent life. Being in control of your own living is a basic human desire. What person wants to constantly bow down to a master who only gains profit from your labor-intensive days? The difference in America was that land, and the ownership of it, was seemingly infinite, and was made accessible to a much bigger cut of the population. More than half of the colonists living in America owned their own land, however small that portion of land may have been. This was a drastic change for people arriving from England. In England, there was basically no chance of a person acquiring personal land ownership in their lifetime- all the land was already controlled. Nothing was “for sale”. This opportunity was so appealing to the English that many people sold themselves as indentured servants, struggling through the formidable crossing and long years of servitude, just to live for the promise of land in America. Eventually, American society began to question its definitions of freedom.

Thinking about the concept of sailing out on the open ocean scared me- no land in sight, and no knowledge of where you are going. You only know that somewhere out there is your destination…somewhere to be found. In my sailing experience (New Hampshire lakes)- land was always in sight and boats were small. No storms or sharks to deal with.

As we discussed today, there were numerous scholars in both the ancient world and in this “new” world of exploration that studied geography intensely. These experts developed many systems that would allow for further unknown global explorations to come in the future. For example, a grid was placed on “the inside of the beach ball” (the skies and heavens) in order to map the stars. This same grid was eventually placed on the surface of the earth, measuring latitude and longitude.

Christopher Columbus set out on his journey- attempting to find a direct western trade route with Asia. At first, I thought it was a huge mistake of his in underestimating the circumference of the earth by almost 10,000 miles. Ironically, this huge miscalculation ended up saving Columbus. If North and South America had not been in his path to Asia, his crews would have perished out on the open sea. By a momentous act of serendipity, Columbus’ fleet “discovered” America.

Just to think about what motives Columbus had to set out on this journey is amazing! I don’t think I could ever take on an adventure that large, not to mention dangerous and unpredictable. But then again, I guess someone has to- Christopher Columbus did, even if it was a lucky accident. But if he hadn’t, no one would even be remembering Columbus, not to mention living in America.

But did Europeans actually commit wrong or even sinful acts against the Native Americans? This fact can be argued continuously, if the many related perspectives are considered, including the spread of Catholicism and the extreme European views of “noble” and “brutal” savages. It is an obvious fact that Native American civilizations and cities were ruined at the expense of European conquest; America would never be the same again. I know that this drastic and rapid intermixing of continents and cultures left a severe impact upon Native American civilizations, but it is hard for me to blame Europeans for it all.

The goal of a Spanish explorer coming to the “New World” in the 16th and 17th centuries was “Gold! God! Glory!”. When I think about one of these said European adventurists coming to America, I see the amazing accomplishment and opportunity Europe has created. Yes, I recognize the consequences and bad decisions of these fearless and reckless men, yet I cannot keep from noticing what a great feat had just occurred. Life in Europe was rough, having little land and too many people- America was a fresh start!! Though discovered erroneously, I cannot ignore how rapidly and efficiently Europeans took advantage of this new land.

Others may find the above comments to be too sympathetic towards Europeans and failing to recognize the consequent struggles and “great misfortunes” of the over-exploited Native Americans. But I have a hard time holding up blame against Europeans when I see that because of these “great benefits”, America has become what it is today, however shortsighted that may be.