American Revolution Radical Essay

The American Revolution, unlike the French Revolution, was not a period filled with “reigns of terrors” or the incessant use of guillotines—on the contrary, it was rather peaceful when considering the extent of its violence, though if one were to view it through a different lens, it could be just as radical. The revolution brought forth and incorporated into society several novel ideas, one of which was the movement towards both an individual and political independence. It also ended the power of wealthy families and their control over positions in government, as well as eradicating people of power given by the British, as these people were seen as self-serving, and new positions were made for people with merit to uphold their position. In

The Revolution’s emphasis on independence transformed the definition of those dependent on others—the “servants”—and therefore changed the society of America on which servitude was based, causing the reorganization of class and the subsequent social impacts that followed. Wood states that the revolutionary movement introduced the idea that “dependency was now equated with slavery” (27), and that this view lead to the new division and classes of society with the freemen on one end and the slaves on the other. These two distinct classes proved to be radical, as it destroyed the concept of a monarchy with complex social hierarchies. The new importance placed on independence had radical social implications as well, as it led to the eradication of indentured servitude which forever changed the workforce of America. The new mindset gave servants more freedom to act as they wanted, leading to a decrease in their productivity as they were less inclined to follow orders. This in turn lead to a new social lifestyle as an increased number of people began living in rent-hotels (30), which