New World History: The American Revolution

This paper presents two essays written by Gordon Wood and Barbara Smith during the nineteenth century on the American Revolution. Both historians have different points of views and interpretation on what this revolution was really about. The purpose of these writings is to give a clear idea of the American Revolution to the readers and to make them closely think on how it affected people’s life and the society. On one hand, the historian wood declared that the revolution ended monarchy and led the society to democracy. He believed that this revolution was a good start to a new life for all Americans.

The American Revolution was a political outbreak that changed the face of the nation. American colonies became independent and broke out of British rule to become its own country and formulated its own government to become what is known as The United States of America. The cause of the Revolution was to become independent and get out of the British’s treatment and rules and to develop their own method of ruling a nation. Howard Zinn had his own point of view and arguments on the events of the Revolution and what occurred behind the scenes. He opens a new angle to what actually happened and argues that the revolution was a substitution of one tyranny for another.

After reading Chapter 5 in “The American Yawp”, it is clear that there were many social, economic, and political consequences of the American Revolution. This is evident because of the changes in societal beliefs, the end of mercantilism, and the increased participation in politics and governance. To begin with, the American Revolution changed the people’s societal beliefs. Prior to the Revolution, society was deferential and aristocratic.

The American Revolution is arguably the turning point of American history as it resulted in somewhat of a significant, positive change in politics, economics, and society as a whole. However, from 1775 to 1800, the effects of the revolution on the American society were subtle as most principles glorified by revolutionists contradicted the examples set forth by colonial reality. Perhaps most alike to revolutionary beliefs was the American economy and how it participated in free trade or encouraged the independence of hard labor. Politically, the states did apply Enlightenment and republican ideas as promised, but more often than not, the benefits of such ideas were limited to rich, land-owning, protestant, white men. This glorification of

While the American Revolution does not have the notoriety of being as bloody or chaotic as the French, Russian, or Chinese Revolutions, it did have tremendously radical social affects. In The Radicalism of the American Revolution, Gordon Woods analyzes just how crucial social change was during the Revolution, and how it helped develop American society, politics, and economics. The most drastic social change that came out of the revolution was the creation of an independent, republican society. As the people began to change, social constructs began to break down—which opened up new avenues for American development. At the same time, the revolution altered the relationships between people, unifying the nation, which changed how people viewed

America, the land of freedom, opportunity, and heroism. This is America, an unlikely country born of bravery and courage. It’s beginnings were humble and small, but like all valuable things that were meant to be, it grew, beginning with a few struggling colonies in the New World under the rule of Great Britain, to a thriving nation. After years of sickness, hunger, and overall hardship, the colonists stayed strong, and pressed forward.

There was more to the American Revolution than most Americans are aware of. It was political, violent, and strategic in many aspects. However, there is a larger theme in the American Revolution leading up to, during, and after the revolution, of authority struggle. More specifically, home rule. The colonies eventually adopted the idea that they wanted to secede from Britain, but did they ever think of who would rule among the colonies should they achieve independence?

The American Revolution was a very pivotal point in the history of the United States of America. Tensions were building between the colonists of the new world and the British. The British attempted to raise taxes in the colonies causing angry resistance from the colonists. Resistance from the colonies led to violence in 1770 provoking the British Parliament to pass a series of acts to reassert imperial authority in the colonies. By June of 1776 the war was in full swing.

The American Revolution was extremely important in history, because it created a democratic government in a time when monarchies were one of the most popular forms of government. It also showed that even small countires can tango with big countries like Great Britain. America inspired other nations to think about the way their government works and cahnge their government. Who know what the world would look like if the Americans hadn 't won the American revolution. Maybe the U.S would be called the United States of

In stage one of a revolution, the problems normally do exist, but most people can’t see them, and some don't acknowledge them. In this stage, the government is normally has a lot of debts and is not doing so well with their economy. This makes the government want more money. They get this money by increasing the taxes to the people. In this stage there is also a lot of class inequality.

Gordon S. Wood, “the preeminent historian of the Revolution”, is a well known American historian who has received several awards such as the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prize for his historical books. In his book, The American Revolution: A History, he breaks down the key events based on his experiences and knowledge on the Revolutionary period. Wood was born in Concord, Massachusetts on November 27,1933. Wood teaches at many liberal renowned universities such as Brown, Cambridge, Northwestern , and Harvard. Now being eighty one years old, he recently retired from Brown University and lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

Many Americans thought that their declaration of the “right to revolution” would inspire other colonies around the world. However, no significant social transformation came with independence from Britain. The revolution only accelerated democratic tendencies that were already established. Along with this, political power remained in the hands of existing elite

In my opinion the one event that had the most significant role in the American Revolution was when the British made the Coercive/ Intolerable Acts. When the British made these acts, they cut off ports and a colony, and made a number of acts to punish the colonies. These acts made the colonist start an uprising against the British. These uprises lead to the colonist going against the British and starting the American Revolution.

The American Revolution affected the entire world in a very fundamental way not just in its own time but continues to affect the present time as well. Some of the major fundamental values that have emerged in the modern times as a consequence of the American Revolution were the rule of law and liberty. Apart from these two philosophical ideas, another major idea that emerged was that even colonialism by Britain, the most powerful nation at the time, could be defeated as longs the oppressed people stand together for their rights and resist

The American Revolution (1700-1790) was a historical event in time, where the Thirteen Colonies that became the United States of America, gained independence from the British Empire. Many historians would agree that the Revolution was caused by events and the growing differences between the colonists and England. The cause of the American Revolution could be summarized in the saying ‘liberty vs. tyranny’. The American Revolution was a struggle by liberty-loving Americans to free themselves from a dictatorial British rule. In this period, the Colonies protested against the British Empire and entered into the American Revolutionary War, also known as the American War of Independence.