American Revolution Dbq Analysis

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Although the American Revolution on a large scale was either supported by the Patriots or opposed by the Loyalists, individual people that are in both of those two categories had many personal reasons for either agreeing or disagreeing with the idea of the revolution. The main reasons that led people to either support or oppose consisted of economics, politics, religious, and/or social issues. People in three individual groups, women, New England Farmers and Virginia Slave owners, had reasons to support or oppose the American Revolution.

The average women in the middle 1700s, which were mostly from poor families, had multiple arguments for the support of the American Revolution due to social class issues. Women during that time period
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The acts permitted any foreign with trade between any foreign countries and the colonies, which led to many benefits for the New England farmers. New England farmers were able to take advantage of the monopoly in the shipbuilding and shipping industries. Due to the closeness of forests in upper England, shipyards in Massachusetts were able to benefit from lower costs than those in Britain. They produced many ships for British merchants. The colonial ships fared well in the imperial trade, specifically on trade routes between New England and the West Indies. The Navigation Acts helped the New England farmers economically in various ways leading to the opposition of the American Revolution.

The Virginia slave owner had few reasons to support the revolution, but due to Britain’s scare tactics they gained one specific reason to support the issue. In 1780, a campaign was launched to scare the Americans back to the crown. The campaign was used to create a fear of potential, massive slave revolts. The country of Britain encouraged slaves to leave their masters, promising them ultimate freedom. The devious strategy made by the British backfired. The slave owners joined the patriot cause for the American Revolution as a way to maintain order and the plantation
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For example, slavery was crucial to the prosperity of the colonies. Slave labor on plantations produced exports crops of tobacco, indigo, naval stores, and rice. Slaves brought from the West Indies and Africa is what made the settlement of the New World possible and highly profitable. The question of what would happen to the slaves if a revolution were to occur began to raise Virginia slave owner’s caution. The owners feared losing all workforce on their plantations, which would cause a financial crisis for them. In addition to the fear of financial crisis, Lord Dunmore, British Governor of Virginia, illustrated a more alarming fear. In 1755, Dunmore presented a proclamation promising any slave who could make it to British lines would become a free man. Although Dunmore was removed from Virginia, the idea of having armed former slaves among the British army led scared slave owners to oppose the overall idea of a revolution even