A Social Revolution

Oddly enough, I found reading The War for Independence Was a Social Revolution quite refreshing. Instead of the normal lecture on yes, we were independent of England but, women and slaves’ status stayed the same; the article discussed the other areas of social life such as class and individuals’ place in society. Even though the American Revolution was not the average bloodthirsty revolution where everything is turned topsy-turvy, it was indeed a social revolution.
In order to be a social revolution, obviously, major social change must occur. The social change in this case lies largely within the men. Among the men in England there were distinct classes, with the power lying in the hands of the upper class aristocracy. In America aristocracy had been destroyed. The chance to improve one’s position had been put into place and the ambitious and hardworking proved that it was very real. An ordinary man was able to have a say in what his taxes would be like, how decisions were made, and who he would trade with. He was not dependant on anyone but himself.
As for those still dependants, their time would come. Society was not yet sophisticated enough to handle such a change. Not only the relative peace, but the economy in many areas depended on it. The ideas and laws put into place are what later spurred the changes that allowed the two groups more and more rights. It planted the thought in their minds that, maybe if they can, I can too. Without the revolution, our laws may not have evolved to incorporate the equal rights we have today. All in all, I found the article to shed proper light to the Revolution.