The American Revolution

At first glance, the American Revolution may not seem much like a revolution at all. There was no oppressive king forcing his people into genocidal war or deprivation. There was no economic misery, poverty or famine; in fact the people - especially the people who instigated revolution - were enjoying a better standard of living than those in Britain. And despite the rhetoric and the propaganda, there was no tyrannical misuse of power, troops or force. When considered on balance, the American revolutionaries did not have much to complain about at all. So why then did they rebel? The answer is complex and less easily explained than the causes of, say, the Russian or French revolutions. The events of 1776 were motivated and shaped as much by abstract beliefs, principles and theories as real events.

vcehistory.info's resources will allow teachers and students to begin to unlock the mystery of the American Revolution. Why did 13 colonies -- loyal to the British king, economically prosperous and apparently at peace -- slip into one of the fastest-moving revolutions on the modern era? Was the American Revolution really a revolution, or just an opportunistic grab for power by a dominant elite? Did American colonists join the fight for genuine reasons or was propaganda and rhetoric more significant? What were the goals and ideals of the revolutionaries? And was the new society shaped by a popular need for stability - or by a conservative desire to return to the centralised power of the old regime?

Steve
vcehistory.info