Questions & Answers

In the Category: Colonies, Revolution, and Union

#REV16 Was America always a Republic? No, she was once a collection of colonies.
#REV17 What do you mean by colonies? A colony is a group of citizens of a nation, who settle themselves in a different land under the auspices of their home nation, and hence continue to be ultimately governed by that home nation.
#REV18 By what nation were the American colonies governed? The colonies that first created the United States by their union were governed by Great Britain.
#REV19 From where did the laws come that governed the colonies from Great Britain? The laws inherited by the colonists came from what is called English Common Law and Social Compact Theory.
#REV20 Were these laws good and wise? Many of them were; and for a time the colonies were blessed by their relationship with Great Britain. But over time, unjust laws were passed upon these colonies which threatened their reasonable liber...
#REV21 What was the colonies' response to these unjust laws? They issued complaints, and for a time reasoned with Great Britain, in an attempt to persuade her to see her error and govern more justly.
#REV22 Did Great Britain heed their complaints and repeal these unjust laws? No, but instead she deployed her navy and army threatening the colonies with confiscation of their wealth and violence toward their persons if their compliance was not forthcoming.
#REV23 And did they obey? No; the people of the colonies consulted with each other what was to be done, and at length took up arms, raised such armies as they could, and though they had few soldiers, no experienced officers, a...
#REV24 Did the colonists sin against God by rebelling against Great Britain? No, not at all. Great Britain surrendered the colonists as their citizens when they denied them representation in Parliament. The colonists were citizens where they were represented, which was in thei...
#REV25 When the citizens of the colonies declared their independence, what was Great Britain's response? Great Britain continued to confiscate the wealth and commit violence upon the citizens of the colonies, and thus provoke a state of war.
#REV26 When we speak of this war, what do we call it? We call it the American Revolution.
#REV27 What do you mean by Revolution? A revolution means to revolt with the aim of securing a great change of government.
#REV28 When and where did the war of the revolution begin? At Lexington and Concord, villages near Boston in Massachusetts, on the 19th of April, 1775.
#REV29 How long did the struggle continue? More than seven years.
#REV30 When did it end? On the 21st of January, 1783 when a treaty was signed at Paris acknowledging the independence of the United States.
#REV31 Why is the 4th of July kept with such public rejoicing through all parts of the United States? Because it was on the 4th of July, 1776, that the Colonies first declared themselves free and independent.
#REV32 What was the change produced by the Revolution? The different Colonies became each a free state, having power to govern itself in any way it should think proper.
#REV33 Had not one state any power over the other? Legally, each state was an independent, autonomous and sovereign entity.
#REV34 Why did the states decide to create the Union? The states discovered that they could better accomplish several vitally important tasks by working together, creating a general and central government to help the states achieve this cooperation.
#REV35 What approach to government and law did the states first create in order to work together? They drafted the Articles of Confederation.
#REV36 What were the Articles of Confederation? The Articles of Confederation were a broad precursor to what would become the Constitution of the United States.
#REV37 What were the problems with the Articles of Confederation? The problems with the Articles of Confederation were mostly due to their lack of specificity and the resulting deficiency they provided for governing a nation such as the United States hoped to become...
#REV38 Who makes laws in both the states and in the Union? Laws which concern only one of the states are made by persons chosen by the people of that state by representatives they have selected, called the legislature. Laws which concern all the states or mor...