The American Revolution: A Revolution Or A Revelation?

The American Revolution: A Revolution or a Revelation?

The American Revolution was a stepping stone towards the formation of then United States. As with most revolutions, it began with an idea and ultimately progressed into something of a far greater magnitude. Crane Brinton, an American historian and author of Anatomy of Revolution, created a model that outlined what he believed a revolution should entail. The American Revolution somewhat follows these aforementioned “guidelines” that Brinton remarked on, which ultimately led to the United States separating from Great Britain to become an independent country. With a little perseverance, the colonists were able to overthrow the British Empire and rightfully self-emancipate, although quite …show more content…
Crane Brinton’s model begins by describing that a revolution is normally begun by the middle class. In the case of the American Revolution, the cause of the middle class wanting to revolt started with the colonial leaders and the end of the French and Indian War and the reorganization of the Empire. From there came what was known as the Sugar Act, which was an act put in place in an attempt to reduce smuggling of non-British goods to avoid the taxes on said items. Additionally, there was the Proclamation of 1763 and the Stamp Act, which was the first direct tax on American colonists. These acts were created so Great Britain could be more involved in the affairs in America. However, the colonists did not see this as an attempt by Great Britain to involve itself in the colonies, but rather to control what was happening to them. The Americans saw it more as an abuse of power since they were not getting any representation in Parliament. These acts were also created due to the fiscal crisis that was at hand in Great Britain. Due to their inability to pay off governmental debts because of their prior need to build up the British …show more content…
As already mentioned, the colonial leaders began forming these revolutionary coalitions that included colonists in and below the middle class. This coalition of people was formed in an attempt to work towards a common goal, this goal being, separating from Great Britain and having the colonies become their own independent entity. In order to form these coalitions properly, there must be a reason for wanting to work towards this common set of goals. These reasons are called revolutionary ideologies. The revolutionary ideology that was mostly prevalent during the American Revolution is known as the English country party ideology, which is rooted in the Enlightenment. According to John Locke, an American philosopher and influential member of the Enlightenment, the country party ideology held the ideas that all people are capable of rational thought, which therefore meant all people are created equal. All people have the natural rights to life, liberty, and property, and it is the main job of the government to protect these rights (Locke). If the government fails to protect these rights, there is the possibility that the government can be overthrown. The colonists believed, that because they were not being represented fairly in reference to Great Britain, they were being deprived of these