before 1865 essays

before 1865 essays Nationalism first emerged as the Colonists became more and more Democratic. Some argue that Democracy had always existed in the colonies, but didnt begin to emerge until around the beginning of The Enlightenment. I believe that Nationalism was present during the Revolutionary Era, but then faded again, adding fuel to the fire during the Civil War. Colonists exhibited all the aspects of Nationalism. They had a shared sense of cultural identity, a goal of political self determination, and the overwhelming majority shared a loyalty to a single national Colonists were thousands of miles from the king, the parliament, and Great Britain, this led to a new way of life. While many aspects of colonial society were taken directly from that of England society, they also formed new beliefs and customs as they saw fit. The Enlightenment Helped produce a growing interest in education and a heightened concern with politics and government. (Brinkley pg. 85) With this rise of intellectual curiosity also came the rise of literacy and technology within the colonies. The literacy rates rose and more and more people had readily avaliable texts. The invention of the printing press led to an influx of printed material, much of which delt with politics. Books, pamphlets, and almanacs all were used in expressing the political ideas of many of our great early politicians. One reason the Stamp Act created such a furor in the colonies was because printing technology-and thus print itself-had by then become central to colonial life. The colonies, like any nation, wanted to be self-sufficient, but due to the fixed amount of wealth, this was impossible unless they obtained an outside source of income. Mercantilism was a essential part of colonial society, the demand for impor ...