Essay: The Revolutionary War

The Revolutionary War split people of the American colonies into two separate groups with opposing opinions: the patriots and the loyalists. The patriots were the people who were more in favor of the people having rights that the government cannot take away. Patriots also wanted to gain independence from Britain, forming the United States. Patriots felt as if they were being subjected to unfair treatment by the British. The people were being taxed with no representation in the British government, also known as taxation without representation. A few well known proud patriots include Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, George Washington and Paul Revere. These people are also known as the Founding Fathers of the United States.
On the opposing end, the loyalists held completely different views than the patriots. Loyalists were the people who wished to remain loyal to Britain and wanted to remain British citizens. There were several reasons that people wanted to remain loyal to Britain. Some people were afraid of going against the British army, while others considered Britain’s financial stability in the trading industry. A few well known loyalists include Benedict Arnold, Joseph Galloway, John Butler, Thomas Hutchinson and Andrew Allen.
The accounts of the patriots read as more believable for myself. The patriots had more faith in the power of the common person and fought for the people as opposed to staying silent in regards to economics and politics. Patriots believed in a democracy as opposed to a monarchy that the loyalists prefer. Patriots believed in the election of their own government officials. These acts were fairly common during the colonial times, making the patriot accounts more believable.
Based solely on the visual depictions of Revere and Pelham, there are several similarities. On Pelham’s visual depiction, there seems to be a less violent version, as there is no bloodshed visible. There also seems to be a stellar attention to details in Pelham’s visual depiction. There are differences in the moon facings, as the moon is facing the right in Pelham’s depiction, and the moon is facing the left in Revere’s depiction. In Pelham’s depiction, the cupola of the First Church shows eight pillars or columns. In Revere’s depiction, there are only seven pillars drawn. The smallest feature that makes the largest difference in these visual depictions are the quotes included in each depiction. In Pelham’s depiction, there is a quote from Psalm Ninety-fourth. In Revere’s depiction, there is an original eighteen-line poem.
Due to the detail differences between Pelham and Revere’s depictions, it is more believable that Pelham’s depiction was the more accurate depiction. Henry Pelham was a well known engraver and painter based out of Boston. Weighing Henry Pelham’s attention to detail is a key player in elaborating the accuracy of his depiction of the Boston Massacre. The two depictions are strikingly similar if the moon facings and quotes are disregarded. On March 29th, 1770, Pelham confronted Paul Revere for creating similar works sent to him. Paul Revere used Henry Pelham’s initial image and recreated the depiction to make his own depiction. This could explain the small differences such as the quotes and moon facings. Because of the lack of copyright protection laws at this point in time, there was no protection against Pelham’s original Boston Massacre depiction. With knowing the brief history between Pelham and Revere, Pelham’s depiction is more accurate in describing the real events of the Boston Massacre and is therefore more accurate in giving an accurate and brief description of the Boston Massacre.
If I were an average colonist exposed to these depictions and documents, the scale would have been tipped more towards rebellion than staying loyal to the crown. The loyalists described in the events believed in the leadership and remained loyal to the Crown of England. Loyalists believed that any violence against the British government would cause a profitable economy. This caused loyalists to not support the war, as reliance on British rule for trade increased. The patriots, in contrast, were described as opposed to the Crown of England. Patriots wanted a free nation that was separate from the British ruling. If I were an average colonist, I would be responsible for high taxes imposed on the colonies by the British government as well. In addition, I would have wanted representatives in the British Parliament who aided in guarding the betterment of the common colonists. For these reasons, my personal scale of decision would lie with the patriots. I would have wanted a voice and I would have wanted that voice to be heard.