The War for Independence Was a Social Revolution R

In the article “The War for Independence Was a Social Revolution” Gordon Wood explores the idea that the American Revolution was a “true revolution.” He points out to the reader, that even though the revolutionary leaders weren’t like the blood thirsty radicals of the French and Russian Revolution, they still brought the social and political change necessary for any “true revolution”.

According to Wood the typical American history student has been taught that the American Revolution wasn’t a “real” revolution but rather an intellectual event between stuffy gentlemen with no starving masses crying foul to an oppressive imperialist. But was it really just this watered down skirmish, or was it, as Wood suggests, as radical and social as any revolution in history?

The Americas were clearly not the ideal spot to conduct a revolution, but it wasn’t the worst. The Americas at the time had a pretty stable economy with the most rights out of the rest of mankind. Some may ask why the colonist would want to revolt if they had it so good. Mr. Wood clearly answers this question with one word, nervousness. These rapid positive changes were attributed to the new found liberty of the people. Their anxiety built up and they wondered how long could these good times last. They believed since it could rise so fast then it could fall just as quickly.

Their main focus, however, would quickly be shifted to the conflict between the Patriots and the Courtiers. This fight was basically a heated political bash between the well established and the true American leaders. Since the Courtiers were given their governing position through hereditary or friendship to the king, they tended to have very little idea of what to do. Basically these guys were idiots who had no idea what they were doing. This gave the Patriots, those who had the natural ability to lead, unrest and caused them to get into political battles with the Courtiers. The patriots eventually thought of the idea that if they could gain independence from Britain, they would be able to cast out the heavy influence of the wealthy and give the average person more pull in the government.

The patriots recognized that the main source of problems in the colonies at the time was their dependency on Britain. Almost every colonist at the time agreed that their dependency to Britain was one of their major faults, but how could they solve it. This is where the idea of a revolution truly started and was later picked up and set loose by the Patriots. This revolution was so monumental it disconnected an entire nation from one of the most powerful war machines in the Europe. This revolution transformed an entire social structure of the colonies and put in everyone’s prospective the importance of equality. I don’t know about you, but I would consider that a “true revolution.”