American Revolution?
Was the American Revolution "revolutionary?"Some persist in the argument that the American Revolution is not really a revolutionary movement. They argue that the American Revolution did not establish a new nation, because the new government was established by the same social elites that held power before the Revolution. They point to the French Revolution, a "real" revolution by anyone's standards, and claim that because the American Revolution does not share some of the same drastic and immediate changes, it is not a real revolution. However, while both statements are arguably true, they miss the fact that there were undeniable changes in American society as a direct effect of the American Revolution. The new ideals for foundation of government, the abolition of slavery in the North, and the shifting of land-ownership to a broader, more middle-class base all carried far-reaching social and political effects. Thus these changes, brought upon by the American Revolution, define the American Revolution as undoubtedly "revolutionary." The American government that we know today is a product of the American Revolution. This is because the ideals brought to the surface in the American Revolution were the very ideals that our gove
The American Revolution provided a way for these changes to take place by breaking with old English ways. The American Revolution did not create these ideals. This practice allowed large amounts of wealth and land to be redistributed, and contributed to the break up of a land-holding aristocracy. " The ideals of antistatism, egalitarianism, populism, and liberalism were not limited to the American Revolution. The American Revolution established a new kind of government, based on democracy, equality, and freedom, and that is why it was revolutionary. In 1776, the Declaration of Independence boldly declared that "all men are created equal," but it remained unclear as to if this applied to blacks. The American Revolution set the stage for democratic ideas to be expressed in government, in human rights, and in the distribution of land. The government we have today, the ideas we hold, and the way we live our lives are all products of the American Revolution, and moreover, the changes that took place during the American Revolution. The antistatism of the American Revolution is seen as the rebellion against the powerful, centralized, English government. First there was unprecedented migration west. The confiscated Penn estate was valued over a million pounds sterling. It was sold, however, in small parcels. In 1780, following extensive lobbying by The Society of Friends and several rejected bills, Pennsylvania passed an "Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery," making it the first state to pass a law for the gradual abolition of slavery. Thus the estate of Roger Morris went to 250 persons, and the estate of James DeLancey to 275.
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