To what extent had the colonists developed a sense of their identity/unity as Americans by the eve of the Rev.?

By the eve of the Revolution, the colonists had developed a strong sense of unity as Americans. Many events leading up to the American Revolution had been responsible for a small part of uniting the coloists together as Americans. One of the first visible steps was the French and Indian War (0). Especially after the embarassing failure of Braddock's battle, Britain's strong and invincible image was shattered in the eyes of the colonists. The war also bolstered colonial self-esteem, and united the American peoples when they discovered that they were all Americans who spoke the same language and shared common customs. This began to break down the barriers between the colonies (118).

Another large factor in uniting the colonists were the litter of events that created big problems for the Americans. Many of the events, such as the Proclamation of 1763, forced the colonists to face common problems, which eventually led to the colonies working together in order to solve those problems. The Navigation Laws passed by Parliament in 165o angered the colonials, as did the Sugar and Stamp acts of 1764 and 1765. The events, especially the passing of the two tax acts, presented the colonies with a large economic problem, and helped unite the colonies in uprising against it. As tensions increased between colonial American and Britain, the colonists became more and more united in their cause.

One event that had a large impact, causing a long reaction chain to occur was the passing of the Townshend Acts in 1767. The act put a light import duty on glass, lead, paper, paint, and tea, and the revenues it generated went to pay for the salaries of the royal governers. The colonists started to smuggle their tea, until Britain sent in troops. The interactions of the troops and the colonists increased tension and caused friction, which in turn led to the Boston Massacre in 1770. This event further fanned the flames of rebellious ideas and attitudes in a America. Samuel Adam, affected by this wave, formed a local committee in Massachusetts, causing eighty other towns to do the same. This undoubtedly propelled the unity of the colonists in the direction of the American Revolution.

The Boston Tea Party of 1773 caused yet another chain of events that furthered the unity of the colonies. After the uprising, Britain forced the Bostn Port Act which closed the harbor until reparations were made. The Intolerable Acts also took away many of Massachusett's rights and restricted town meetings. Afterwards, there was a strong sense of American unity. Colonies flew flags at half-mast and rallied together to send food to the city (134). The Continental Congress met in 1774 in response to the punishment of Massachusetts, and twelve colonies sent 55 representatives. There they signed the Declaration of Rights as well as other papers appealing to Britain. Although they were rejected, the colonies had united through the many events that stemmed from the tensions brewing between the mother and the daughter countries.