Revolutionary Voices of the American Revolution

By Justin HuArchie’s Journal

Introduction This journal is in the voice of Archie, who is a Loyalist in

the American Revolution. During this revolution, there are two sides. The Patriots (who support the colonists) and the Loyalists (who support Great Britain). Archie is extremely loyal to Britain and eventually joins the Redcoats in an attempt to stop the colonists.

The spark that ignited this revolution was the Seven-Year War, which the British were fighting to protect the colonies from the French and Indians. A lot of money was put into this war, and the British put taxes on the colonists in order to make up for the expenses during this war.

The Stamp Act Pt 1

A poster created by the colonists about the

stamp act.

Archie’s Journal Entry, September 27th 1765Those colonists are out of their minds! How DARE they oppose Britain’s law! Are they that ignorant about taxes? What’s wrong with the Stamp Act? What’s wrong with just having to pay a few extra pounds for paper documents if it means that Britain would still support us? Did the colonists completely forget about the French-Indian War? The British government practically emptied their pockets to protect them against the French and the Native Americans when they were fighting for land of the continent. Without us Brits and Loyalists, the entire colonies would probably be wiped out by now. The colonists also have to understand that wars are very costly events, and they should pay the government for protecting them. The British also didn't tax them for an extremely long time, letting them govern themselves have freedom, even though they still are part of Britain. They should be happy that we are taxing them now, instead of earlier.

Stamp Act Pt 2Now that I think about it, maybe the colonists got a little bit too comfortable with their lives before the taxes, which very possibly may have caused the rebellion now. However, that is their own fault, because they should have known this would’ve come sooner or later. They still are part of Britain, no matter what. Also, this is not the first time the colonists rebelled against Britain’s decisions. In 1764, Britain passed the Sugar Act, which again, was for funding the French and Indian War. The sugar act made sugar more expensive, but I was fine with that. I believed that Britain wouldn't tax us pointlessly, but the ignorant colonists apparently had different beliefs. Sugar was a key ingredient in rum, and the colonists liked cheap booze, as proven in the ever-filled bars. But with the tax on sugar, alcohol got more expensive and the colonists rebelled. The Sugar Act is still on going, and the bars are attracting less and less customers by the day (thank god for no more drunk colonists).

The Boston Tea Party

The Colonists throwing crates of tea into the Boston Harbor

Boston Tea Party Pt 1 Archie’s Journal Entry, December 16th, 1773I cannot begin to believe what society has come to today. How dare the colonists treat Britain in such a way? They come from that nation, for heaven’s sake! Just a few hours ago, Samuel Adam and the other so-called “Sons of Liberty” boarded three ships that were docked in the Boston harbor and threw crate after crate off the boat. It took them nearly three hours and they dumped more than 90,000 pounds of tea into the harbor bay. I remembered my rage when I saw them pour out all the contents into the water, staining the liquid a dark brown. This was their way of protesting against the taxes that were being set on them for the past 9 years. This included the Sugar Act, which set taxes on sugar, and the Stamp Act, which made all legal paper documents cost a few extra pounds. The colonists apparently did not appreciate these taxes at all, and some of them were even vetoed, like the Sugar Act in 1767. When will the colonists finally realize that there is a reason behind these taxes? Us Brits and Loyalists need the money for the Seven-Year war, and that war was to PROTECT the colonists themselves. It’s only right they repay us. The tax that we are putting upon them now is the Tea Act, which just made tea a bit more expensive. So what? Just because of these taxes, other events occurred, and had probably led up to this “Tea Party”.

Boston Tea Party Pt 2Before the Sons of Liberty destroyed quite a few crates of perfectly good tea, there was the Incident on King Street, also initiated by taxes. It was honestly just a misunderstanding and the colonists should be the ones taking the blame. The Incident on King Street was an incident 3 years ago on March 5th, in the year of 1770. The colonists were protesting about the taxes that the British put on the colonies, saying they were “too heavy”. I saw with my eyes the colonists taunting and jeering at British soldiers until a shot was fired. Suddenly, the whole site was plunged into mayhem. People screamed and ran off into different directions. When the dust finally cleared, 5 colonists lay dead on the ground. Some think this event was an accident, while I think it was a provoked action. Taunting and jeering at the protectors of your home nation is hardly a rational decision. Who did they think they were? Tea was a beverage enjoyed by all, and all that tea was thrown overboard just because us Brits put a few taxes on them. In my opinion, the colonists are completely overreacting. Every nation needs money to function. I am willing to pay a few extra pounds if it means that Britain will continue to thrive. The colonists who dumped the tea even disguised themselves as American Indians, as if they were trying to mock us. Writing this in this journal is somewhat allowing me to soothe my temper, but I just can’t understand why the colonists would do just a thing. They are essentially British, so why are they defying British law and rule?

The Battle of Lexington and Concord

Battle of Lexington Pt 1Archie’s Journal Entry, April 19th 1775Today I have officially concluded that the colonists are traitors. Why? They fired upon the defenders of their own country.When the sun just barely rose over the trees, rapid footsteps woke me up and I looked out just in time to see the British soldiers cross over the crest of the hill overlooking Lexigton. There were maybe about 900 of the Red Guards, and I quickly ran out to greet them. They told me that they were on their way to Concord to “remove some artifacts of danger” and to ease “a situation that is out of hand”. Before I could ask more, a gunshot was fired and I had quickly found cover next to a tree. When I dared to peek behind the tree trunk, I saw a standoff between around 77 militiamen (minutemen) and 900 Red Guards. I recognized one of the minutemen to be Paul Revere, who was rumored to be spurring thoughts of “revolution” among the colonists. He was also the one who made a carving of the Incident on King Street, trying to make the British have a bad public image. How DARE he! The minutemen retreated and I would soon realize that they were gathering a force of over 1000 more colonists, and would shoot at the Brits when they were marching back to their barracks. However, even with the skirmish, the Brits did accomplish what they came for, which was destroyed three massive cannons.

Battle of Lexington Pt 2Today I finally understood what the colonists were trying to achieve. Independence. No wonder they rejected the taxes set to them by the British and even risked their lives to reach their goal. The Incident on King Street, where the colonists were taunting and jeering at British soldiers.The Boston Tea Party, where the colonists dumped 90,000 pounds of tea into the Boston Harbor. The Sugar Act, where colonists protested against taxes on sugar until it was finally uplifted in 1766.The Stamp Act, where the colonists lit stamp-collector’s houses on fire in rebellion. It all makes sense now. When the colonists defied and protested against the taxes and various other laws that the British set upon the colonies, I didn’t know what they were thinking. Now I understand, and I hate them even more for it. One should always be loyal to their nation, and those who betray their nation are no lower than trash. If this develops into a full-scale war between British and the colonists, I will not hesitate to side with the country from where I was born. Rumors are already floating around, saying that the colonists were planning to start a “revolution”, and are determined to win their independence. They will not win it easily. They come from Britain, therefore belong to Britain.

The Declaration of Independence

The Continental Congress passing the Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence Part 1

Archie’s Journal Entry, July 4 1776Anger. Sadness. Grief. All these feelings are boiling within the core of my being. The colonists have officially declared their independence from Great Britain. That wretched Continental Congress created a draft of a document called The Declaration of Independence and passed it earlier today. Who did they think they were? Did they really believe that a piece of paper could make them any different from Loyalists like us? Then, there’s this other man called Thomas Paine. He authored a book called “Common Sense” which hardly fits the content of the book. The book itself is stirring revolutionary unrest amongst the colonists, and defying the nation you come from is most definitely NOT common sense. Just an hour ago, one of the colonial militiamen came into the tavern I was in and excitedly began reciting one line of the Declaration of Independence. He said, “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

Declaration of Independence Part 2

To think that the colonists would go so far in reaching their goal, in reaching independence. Just a year before, the colonists fired upon British regulars, wounding/killing around 250 Redcoats. The news reached King George III in May 28, and in response, he rallied a great army to crush this revolt. I supported them, eventually joining the Redcoats shortly after the Battle of Lexington and Concord. There have been a few battles after Lexington, and I’m proud to say that us Loyalists have won most of them. Apparently, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Samuel Adams (the very same Adams that participated in the Boston Tea Party) are the main players of the newly named “American Revolution”. I’ve been given orders by Colonel Cornwallis to shoot these men no the moment we saw them, stating that they were “threatening men”. I still cannot believe that the colonists would do this. I mean, who would betray their own country? Their own nationality? Even if the colonists do win their independence (which they most definitely wouldn’t), they are still technically British. So why betray us? I’ve been assigned to spy on the Patriot’s activities and report back any information that may come of use for the inevitable war that was soon to come. I’m currently on my way to report back about the Declaration of Independence, all the while contemplating just how ridiculous the colonists have become.LONG LIVE BRITAIN! DOWN WITH THE PATRIOTS!

Treaty of Paris

5 colonists travel to Paris to sign a treaty with Britain

Treaty of Paris Pt 1Archie’s Journal Entry, September 3 1783Whether I like it or not, the battle between Loyalists and Patriots is over. The fighting has stopped and the Americans have signed a treaty with Britain in Paris. The wretched colonists sent a five-man commission to negotiate the Treaty of Paris, and those 5 men were John Adams, Benjamin Franklin Thomas Jefferson, and Henry Laurens. There were many points to be negotiated, but as a guard, I managed to eavesdrop the most important of them. British Recognition of America’s IndependenceAmerican fisherman’s access to the Grand Banks and other traditional fisheriesGreat Britain’s ceding of territory to the United States from between the east side of the Allegheny Mountains to the west of Mississippi River. I can still remember the bitter sensation of loss at Yorktown. The battle of Yorktown was crucial to the American Revolution and was what caused us to lose this war. 2 years ago, General Cornwallis had his troops (which included me) stationed at Yorktown, Virginia, which was a peninsula facing the Atlantic Ocean. This was a horrible position to be in, but we had no way of transporting ourselves off of the peninsula. We had to wait for reinforcements. What we didn’t know, however, was that the Americans and French were secretly organizing a siege of Yorktown. The Patriots dug trenches around the city and fired cannon after cannon at our city walls, making retreat by land impossible. The booming of cannons and the sounds of flying dirt constantly disturbed the tranquil silence of the night. When I was sent to check for any signs of support by sea, a terrifying sight greeted me. Thirty-four French ships were in the distance, effectively preventing any sea support. We were surrounded. Our supplies were cut off, and even thought I hate to admit it, our defenses crumbled like dust to the Patriot assault.

Treaty of Paris Pt 2We had to surrender two days later to the Patriotic force, and that disgusting George Washington led it. They even named the event “The Surrender of Yorktown”.I am exhausted. Tired. I no longer posses the physical strength to fight for my country anymore, but I still have enough brainpower to root for Britain ‘till my last breath. Now that I finally have some breathing space to truly “think” about this war, I realized that the revolution was one long dominoes game. The taxes us Brits set upon the colonists knocked down the first domino, which hit the second one (The Boston Tea Party) and then hit the Boston Massacre domino, and so on, all the way until this…treaty. Even though we lost the war, Britain will never bow down to America. Tomorrow, I will board the first ship back to Britain.

Conclusion Like every other revolution, the American Revolution brought forth many changes. Some were

short-term changes, while others were long-term and may have shaped our word today. One of the long-term consequences of the American Revolution was that America became an independent country. If this did not occur, the USA would not exist today and would still be a part of Britain. Slavery might still exist, because it was the 16th President of the United States that ended slavery (Abraham Lincoln). Another short term consequence of the American Revolution was the French Revolution. The French were the ones who allied with the colonists during the war against Britain, and after seeing America have a successful revolution, they thought, hey, if they can do it, who says we can’t have one as well? However, their revolution was rather short, and didn’t grant results like the American Revolution

With the American Revolution, America separated itself from the juggernaut that was known as Great Britain at that time. Through the revolution, the idea of democracy sprouted once again in a world of monarchy (the first time was in Ancient Greece), consequently creating the world’s first president. What didn’t change immediately was that the Americans were still racist, believing that whites were the superior race when compared to others, judging by the color of the skin.

Even after America’s victory against Britain during the American Revolution, they still were a relatively weak nation and were susceptible to other attacks. However, in the present, America is one of the strongest countries in the world and is a force to be reckoned with. Racism in the USA is nearly non-existent now, thanks to the effort of Martin Luther King and other anti-racism activists. However, one similarity the present USA shares with the past USA is that it still uses the Presidential system instead of a king/queen.

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