How Radical Was the American Revolution? Essay Example
How Radical was the American Revolution?
"Young man, what we meant in going for those Redcoats was this: we always had been free, and we meant to be free always. They don't mean we should" (Levi Preston, 1842, Doc. 10). Levi Preston was a veteran of the American Revolution who, when interviewed by historian Mellen Chamberlain, revealed that most of the patriots knew not and fought not because of the taxes and acts from the British, the famous literature written by founding fathers, or for a governmental change, and instead fought for their right to be free. He states that most patriots did not want or care about any other changes made except the ones that would take away their freedom. The American Revolution was not radical because the way state governments continued to run, views on African American slaves stayed the same, and people were still stereotyped and prohibited from certain actions because of their class and income.
The Revolutionary war did not change how the State government was run, the atmosphere of Congress, or who ran it. Document four shows that the post-revolution state government remained nearly the same as it had before; people argued, fought, and only rich whites held power, so not much was accomplished. The state Congress was composed of men from all different backgrounds and with all different levels of education and professions, resulting in much disorder and dissent from the congressmen. Sessions could often result in violence with the occasional sword fight, and they almost always took place in a church, where they has been since the beginning of the colony's founding. Finally, there were many men who looked down upon members of Congress because they were deemed uneducated. One man even reviled the government with these harmful words, "... We send to congress not one man of letters" (Benjamin Latrobe) stating that all the congressmen were uneducated. Despite the fact that the founding fathers wanted America to be a
"Young man, what we meant in going for those Redcoats was this: we always had been free, and we meant to be free always. They don't mean we should" (Levi Preston, 1842, Doc. 10). Levi Preston was a veteran of the American Revolution who, when interviewed by historian Mellen Chamberlain, revealed that most of the patriots knew not and fought not because of the taxes and acts from the British, the famous literature written by founding fathers, or for a governmental change, and instead fought for their right to be free. He states that most patriots did not want or care about any other changes made except the ones that would take away their freedom. The American Revolution was not radical because the way state governments continued to run, views on African American slaves stayed the same, and people were still stereotyped and prohibited from certain actions because of their class and income.
The Revolutionary war did not change how the State government was run, the atmosphere of Congress, or who ran it. Document four shows that the post-revolution state government remained nearly the same as it had before; people argued, fought, and only rich whites held power, so not much was accomplished. The state Congress was composed of men from all different backgrounds and with all different levels of education and professions, resulting in much disorder and dissent from the congressmen. Sessions could often result in violence with the occasional sword fight, and they almost always took place in a church, where they has been since the beginning of the colony's founding. Finally, there were many men who looked down upon members of Congress because they were deemed uneducated. One man even reviled the government with these harmful words, "... We send to congress not one man of letters" (Benjamin Latrobe) stating that all the congressmen were uneducated. Despite the fact that the founding fathers wanted America to be a