Essay on the Social and Political Impact of the American Revolution

This essay delves into the complexities of the American Revolution, arguing that it was not a social revolution for the common American people. The paper explores the varying perspectives on the revolution, highlighting the argument that the wealthy used the war for independence to preserve their power and wealth, often at the expense of the lower classes. It examines how political leaders mobilized the population, especially the lower class, for their own benefit, and the limited positive effects on the daily lives of most Americans, including issues of taxation and slavery. The essay also discusses the arguments that the revolution was a radical transformation and the internal violence and social struggles that characterized the era. The conclusion emphasizes the ongoing debate among historians regarding the true nature of the American Revolution and its impact on American society.

Running head: AMERICAN HISTORY 1
American History
Name
Institution

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American History
In essence, the topic of the American Revolution is no doubt one of the most debated
subjects by virtually all historians for the last couple of decades now. Apparently, many people
have had varied opinions on whether the event that led to the creation of the United States
qualifies to be described as the American revolution that brought about the social, political and
cultural revolutionary. This paper intends to discuss in support of the notion that the
independence or rather the American Revolution was not a social revolution of any kind
particularly to the common American people of the time. While there are contradicting positions
on this topic, the opposing argument is viable given that the American Revolution had a little
positive effect on the daily lives of Americans; in fact, most people were subjected to hash
taxation. In this sense, the wealthy used the war to gain independence from Britain to preserve
their power and wealth. This was achieved by the fact that the lower classes were used to win
this war where the rich could benefit massively.
Primarily, the history of the American politics have for long been centered on the
mobilization of the lower-class individual, especially by the upper-class politicians to gain power
and maintain the level of their wealth (Douglass, 2014). While such movement involved rather
genuine grievances of the lower class individual, it helped in achieving effectiveness, therefore
becoming one of the most tactical deceptions that ever existed for centuries (Dudley, 1992). For
instance, the overall accumulated grievances, particularly against the wealthy in Boston, hugely
accounted for the explosiveness of the actions by the mob immediately after the Stamp Act of the
year 1765 (Dudley,1992). Through such Act, the British were in a position to fund the French
war where most colonies had initially suffered a great deal particularly in expanding the British
Empire (Madison, Hamilton, & Jay, 2016). While such war was aimed at bringing the notion of

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leveling the path between the poor and the rich, it was a complete way that the British used the
poor to gain their political relevance and expand their territories (Dudley, 1992).
The conflict that arises between the poor and the rich overshadowed the urge for
independence in the America states. Notably, these conflicts were used by the political leaders in
mobilizing the whole population against England, therefore, granting little benefits to those poor
people who were rebellious while they enjoyed the bigger portion of the benefits. More
movements were organized against the corrupt leaders and the wealthy especially in states such
as North Carolina. In the long run, the original American revolutionary was meant to benefit
some few individuals rather than changing the social well-being of most American people who
were regarded to be poor. In this light, there was no way that the aspect of revolution was going
to be a social revolution since it was meant to benefit some leaders in the community.
The idea that the American Revolution was a fight for independence is a rather misplaced
argument considering that there was a big gap in social control even after the achievement of the
so-called independence. For instance, in states such as Maryland, the new constitution of the
year 1776 stipulated that anyone who intended to be a governor had to own at least 5,000 pounds
of a property while to be a state senator one had to own 1,000 pounds (Dudley, 1992). In this
light, 90 percent of the American population could not hold an office. Additionally, the
revolution did not put an end to the aspect of slavery and therefore the population of the black
slavery was at 25 percent. In this light, most requests by the blacks who were willing to join the
revolutionary army to fight for their freedom were turned down on various occasions. Despite
the fact that states such as Maryland maintaining control, the issues of slavery and heavy taxation
became a major concern, therefore, debtors were forced to pay paper money. This was a mere
sacrifice by the upper class in the urge of maintaining power. Despite the formation of the new

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constitution, people’s rights were violated therefore rubbishing the idea that the American
Revolution was a social revolution to the American people (Freethorne, 2009).
The overall transformation from the colonized state was not instant particularly with the
aspect of slavery. In this light, American Revolution did not bring about the end of slavery but
with time there was the abolition of the same in later years (de Crèvecoeur, 1782). However,
there were no significant improvements from the colonies as people were still oppressed with
heavy taxation and exclusion by unfair constitution rights (Dudley, 1992). In this sense, it was
ironical how people fought for a revolution yet be left in the hands of rich individuals who were
greedy and wanted more power (Wood, 2015). Noteworthy, the expectations of many Americans
those things would be better and an apparent reshaped beginning was received in a different way
altogether given the fact that the rich people only wanted to use the poor to chase away the
British so that they themselves would benefit (Durivage & Priest, 2014). With the context of the
American history, the level of the American Revolution was not as many people would have
expected (Wagner, 2018).
On the other hand, there are those individuals who might see the American Revolution as
a total transformation that altered most of Americans lives. Apparently, some Americans would
like to consider their revolution as not being necessarily radical but rather downright
conservative. Some would describe the American Revolution as being nonviolence where people
made speeches rather than bombs (Dudley, 1992). Additionally, there are different images of this
kind of revolution that relates it to the drawing rooms as well as legislative halls instead of
cellars and streets. A revolution where people did not kill each other and equality was the
yardstick of daily activities in the vast American society (Dudley, 1992). However, this does not
take away the fact that the American Revolution was filled with internal violence and various

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social struggles where people were deprived of their rights. Indeed the American Revolution was
a radical transformation that saw the underprivileged in the society going against the elite. It was
a rather time of economic deprivation particularly to the poor people and this should no longer be
a doubt regarding the American Revolution (Dudley, 1992).
In conclusion, it is evident that the idea surrounding the American Revolution can be an
ongoing debate where people ought to have varied opinions particularly the historians. In this
light, the American Revolution was a rather radical transformation where there was a growing
rift between the poor and the rich in the society. Despite the fact that the elite advocated the poor
to protest for their rights, it was clear that this was done so that the elite could acquire power and
maintain their status quo.

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References
de Crèvecoeur, J. H. S. J. (1782). Letter 3,“. What Is an American.
Douglass, F. (2014). Frederick Douglass on Slavery and the Civil War: Selections from His
Writings. Courier Corporation.
Dudley, W. (Ed.). (1992). The American Revolution: Selections from William Dudley, ed.,
Opposing Viewpoints. Greenhaven Pr. pp. 49-70
Durivage, J., & Priest, C. (2014). The Stamp Act and the political origins of American legal and
economic institutions. S. Cal. L. Rev., 88, 875.
Madison, J., Hamilton, A., & Jay, J. (2016). The Federalist Papers: The Making of the US
Constitution. Arcturus Publishing.
Richard Freethorne. (2009) “Letters to Father and Mother,” in Michael P.Johnson, Reading the
American Past: Selected Historical Documents,Volume 1: to 1877, 4th ed., (Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009), 37-41.
Wagner, R. L. (2018). The Stamp Act: Revolutionary Resistance in New York.
Wood, G. S. (Ed.). (2015). The American Revolution: Writings from the Pamphlet Debate Vol. 1
1764-1772 (LOA# 265). Library of America.