Birth of American National Identity
Before Americans could distinguish themselves as “American”, they had to differentiate from the English. The culture within the colonies around the time of the revolution was merely a depiction of the culture in Britain. It would be fraud for them to take that culture and claim it as their own established identity. Breaking away from the lifestyle shared with England defined the attitude of the American people during colonial/revolutionary period. In fact, the revolution was a result of this shared sense of contrast which brought the Americans to fight for their independence and freedom to constitute their own government. Although the independence of the US generated its novel democracy, its identity was still a reflection of the motherland. It was because the US was constructed on different principles, principles of freedom and equality that a new identity was able to form. The citizens of America valued their ability to have a voice within the government and were ready to prove themselves on the global stage. It was the separation from British culture, independence, and engagement in commercial relations that created an American identity defined by Christianity, consumerism, liberty of self-governance, along with the excessive pride our independence had produced. As many settlers came from England with the motive of practicing religious freedom, Christianity was planting its roots in the soils of the new world. It can be seen as early as 1682 that Christianity was a focal point within the colonists’ society. “The Lord preserved us in safety that night, and raised us up again in the morning, and carried us along, that before noon, we came to Concord. Now was I full of joy, and yet not without sorrow; joy to see such a lovely sight, so many Christians together, and some of them my neighbors.” Christianity played an important role in bringing the colonists together helping them realize they had more in common than they understood. The “Great Awakening” of the