American Independance or British Civil war?

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Well I have debated the issue with many of my American cousins over the years.

I believe that at the time of the Uprising the British colonists were exactly that, BRITISH. Essentially the war of Independance was actually an uprising of a British colonists and therefore a British civil war. The actual country and the constitution was not made law until after this war, declared maybe, but in law certainly not.

anyone care to engage me?

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@Numpty,

but once we declared our independance we were officially "Americans"

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@Numpty,

If England had addressed the Colonies' grievances and compromised, history would have taken a much different course. England may not have lost her dominance in the world as soon as she did.
But, I think the American spirit would have brought us to independence in time anyway.

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@Fatal Freedoms,

Fatal_Freedoms;44190 wrote:

but once we declared our independance we were officially "Americans"

There was no 'we' as in the American people until your constitution was signed. Two sides of the same coin fought a war. What ever you believe, when war broke out it was British colonist against British Soldier. America as a viable Country in her own right did no come to pass until after the war.

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@Numpty,

True. I agreed with you that it was a civil war.

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@Numpty,

Numpty;44218 wrote:

There was no 'we' as in the American people until your constitution was signed. Two sides of the same coin fought a war. What ever you believe, when war broke out it was British colonist against British Soldier. America as a viable Country in her own right did no come to pass until after the war.

i have to disagree! Once the declaration of independance was signed we were officially americans, this would not be true had we of lost! America was in existance long before the signing of the constitution....

The declaration of Independance is what made this country exist, not the constitution. The constitution merely set up the rules for the government which was already in existance!

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@Fatal Freedoms,

Actually, the Revolutionary War was fought originally as a revolt against lack of representation in Parliament. There are many historians that argue convincingly that the Declaration of Independence was drafted primarily to entice the French to support the failing revolt.

Think about it. If you're France, and therefore a long-standing enemy of Britain, does British control over America help or hurt you? Further, will you support a revolt in the American colonies if it doesn't ultimately harm Britain?

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@Fatal Freedoms,

Fatal_Freedoms;44292 wrote:

i have to disagree! Once the declaration of independance was signed we were officially americans, this would not be true had we of lost! America was in existance long before the signing of the constitution....

The declaration of Independance is what made this country exist, not the constitution. The constitution merely set up the rules for the government which was already in existance!

I agree with you, but ultimately it was a british colony, the people were british by birth and the majority of the people who fought were either british or of british decsent.

It was a british civil war, the fact a new country was born out of it is incidental. I believe anyway.

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@Numpty,

it's six of one half a dozen of the other, had the south won in the 1860's the American civil war would now be called the Independence of the Confederacy...

you think NASCAR would be the national pastime?

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@Numpty,

Numpty;44349 wrote:

I agree with you, but ultimately it was a british colony, the people were british by birth and the majority of the people who fought were either british or of british decsent.

It was a british civil war, the fact a new country was born out of it is incidental. I believe anyway.

A civil War is simply a war for Independance that failed....look at the american civil war! Don't you think it would've been called the CONFEDERATE INDEPENDENCE if they had won?

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@Fatal Freedoms,

Fatal_Freedoms;44351 wrote:

A civil War is simply a war for Independance that failed....look at the american civil war! Don't you think it would've been called the CONFEDERATE INDEPENDENCE if they had won?

Agreed, but it is still a civil war, which is pertinant the question I put first. No one I have spoken to has ever considered it to be a civil war, only the american freedom fighters, fighting the opressive british army, when in all reality it was brit V brit.

I could be wrong and I am happy to be corrected if anyone has overwhelming evidence I am wrong.

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@Numpty,

Numpty;44353 wrote:

Agreed, but it is still a civil war, which is pertinant the question I put first. No one I have spoken to has ever considered it to be a civil war, only the american freedom fighters, fighting the opressive british army, when in all reality it was brit V brit.

I could be wrong and I am happy to be corrected if anyone has overwhelming evidence I am wrong.

like i said before, as soon as declaration of independence was signed we were officially Americans!

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@Numpty,

You are correct in your assessment, but where is the debate?
That we became a new country, and thus Americans is obvious, whether it was a civil war ( which it was ) or a revolt ( which it also was) is moot.

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@Curmudgeon,

Curmudgeon;44367 wrote:

You are correct in your assessment, but where is the debate?
That we became a new country, and thus Americans is obvious, whether it was a civil war ( which it was ) or a revolt ( which it also was) is moot.

I wanted the opinion of Americans regarding the subject, I have always found it odd that somehow the British have been vilified for something tat was essentially a civil war. I was interested to learn your individual appraisals of the situation.

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@Numpty,

Well, the British of that time had plenty to be villified for. The colonial enterprise that was Great Britain was not always kind to its colonists, and often refused to listen to their grievances. If they had been able to bend a little in the realm of taxation and representation, we might still be British subjects. The original revolt was of British subjects wanting to be heard.
Civil war it could have been called, but revolution it became due to the intransigence of the crown.

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American Independance or British Civil war?

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