Readers Journal 1 - Wood's Social Revolution

People are torn between the idea that the American Revolution could be viewed as either a social revolution or not as a revolution at all. I personally believe it could be seen as both. Gordon Wood, in his book The Radicalism of the American Revolution, tells of how the American Revolution compared to other Revolutions, such as the French and Russian Revolutions, is as radical as others but in a different aspect. The counter to his argument is that the American Revolution was not a social revolution due to the fact that people such as women, slaves, and indentured servants were all forgotten in the Revolution. To completely summarize the American Revolution you have to combine Gordon’s argument with the fact that many thing were left out.

Gordon argues that the American Revolution was a social revolution. I agree in most aspects of his argument. He compares the American Revolution to others to show how it was a different type of revolution, a social revolution. In the French Revolution peasants rose up against the Upper class and Royalty, which in turn spilled blood and started chaos all across France. The American Revolution, as Gordon Wood tells it, is a social revolution, where the peasants did not revolt or a state of chaos was started, but where the colonies united as one to take their freedom from the greater English. Gordon wood argues that the English colonists only believed that they were changing their government but in reality they were changing to a new American Society. I partially believe the American Revolution was a social revolution because of the way the Americans changed the aspects society after the revolution, from a diverse English society to a united American Society.

On the other hand, people such as women, blacks, slaves, and indentured servants were all left out of such documents as The Declaration of Independence, and The Constitution. The women of the revolution took up many responsibilities during the American Revolution while their husbands, brothers and sons were at war. It is believed that they had wished to keep these jobs and maybe rise up in the social rankings after the war, but no. Women were moved back down to their “under the feet of the men” status in society when the war was over. The Revolution from this aspect was not a social revolution.

When looking at the American Revolution and deciding whether or not it was a social revolution, one needs to look at all aspects of the argument. Gordon Wood compares the American Revolution to others and tells that our Revolution is social because we broke away from English society and blossomed into American Society. On the other side though many things were left out such as women and slaves. One could correctly say that the American Revolution was a revolution.