EconAir

Happy Birthday America! Democracy and individual liberties have survived for 250 years. Slavery was eliminated. The right to vote was extended to all Americans. America innovated the Industrial/Information Revolution and made the country the largest and most technologically-advanced economy in the world. In the 20 th   century, America helped defeat totalitarian regimes. America was an inspiration to all people who wanted to fight tyranny and oppression. From 1607 onwards, America was a special country built by immigrants and their descendants.   The foundation of this remarkable democratic edifice is the Constitution. The basic rules and political institutions were set out. Having denounced King George of England in the Declaration of Independence, the founders were particularly sensitive to the threat of an imperial president. The powers of the president in Madison’s first draft of the Constitution were weakened in subsequent revisions.    The founders, especially ...

  This was an existential war for the rebellious Americans. If they lost, leaders would be hung, Tories (loyalists) would retaliate, English rule would be harsh and revengeful. On the other hand, England could sail away and still remain a global power. The Americans did not have to win battles to win the war. They just had to continue to exist until the British decided that the war could not be won and had become too expensive. Opposition to the war in England rose rapidly after 1780. King George’s cabinet was forced to resign and Parliament passed a bill trying to limit George’s unilateral power to fight wars (sound familiar?). England had an average of over 30,000 troops but they had to fight in an area of about 100,000 square miles. England gave up Boston early. Later in the war, English troops could not hold Philadelphia after defeating the Americans and occupying the city. England also could not hold isolated garrisons throughout the colonies, which were exposed to attacks by ...

  The Causes of the American Revolution How the Colonials Won Creating a New Nation   Prologue:  America on the Brink of Revolution America in 1775 was a very different English colony than in 1700. In 1700, America was a poor "country" compared to England. By 1775, America's total output was about 40% of England's. About one-third of England's total trade (imports plus exports) was with the American colonies. America's total output and population were growing faster than England's. Besides providing raw material imports that England taxed and exported to other countries, primarily tobacco, America was becoming an important market for English manufactured goods. America also provided ships, shipbuilding, and sailors augmented the British merchant marine in times of peace  and the English navy in times of war. About one-fourth of England's merchant marine was American. But England had to be careful. Again,  America  was a very different colony in 1775 th...