Class Division throughout the American Revolution

“They certainly did not want an equal balance between slaves and masters, property less and property holders, Indians and white.” (Source 3)

The American Revolution is filled with many misrepresentations, which often hide the truth behind America’s idealized history. One of the common misrepresentations of the revolution was that it the separation from Britain was supported by the majority of the colonies’ population. The ideals behind the revolution are in truth economically centered. The revolutionary leaders wanted to gain freedom from Britain while keeping the wealth for themselves. It was motivated by a drive for profit; the goal was to have the support of enough of the colonists to defeat Britain without compromising their ability maintain current upper-class systems and control leadership power over the colonies.

One of the main economic motivating factors of the American Revolution began from the stresses from taxes implemented in the colonies. From the Sugar act to the Intolerable Acts and Quartering Acts, colonists felt it was unfair to tax the colonists without parliamentary representation. The congress drafted a “Declaration of Rights Grievances” claiming that the colonists had the rights of British subjects. The British Parliament had complete control of the colonies through the Declaratory Act (1766) which backed parliament’s ability to create laws for the colonies “in all cases whatever.” Though taxation without representation was a motivating factor for all colonist citizens to deny the British government, it mostly affected the rising class citizens who owned property and material goods that were being heavily taxed. The rising class began to develop influence in the revolutionary revolt against Britain.

Another motivating factor of the American Revolution was the limitation England put on the colonies for Westward Expansion. This was referred to as the Proclamation Line. It was a temporary prohibition of western settlement, but a measure to restore stability between Britain and the Indians. This limitation created much unrest on behalf of the colonists who were impatient to even temporary rules and thus began to disregard limitations of Britain law. “Individual frontiersmen, impatient even of temporary rules, defied the proclamation, crossed the mountains, and often seized land.” (Source 2)

Under and middle class citizens of the colonies did not necessarily benefit from the revolution. Zinn poses the question, “Were the Founding Fathers wise and just men trying to achieve a good balance?” (Source 6) The Founding Fathers did not have ideals behind the Revolution, which supported the majority of the colonists. They were aiming to keep things as they were and maintain balance of the dominant forces. “They certainly did not want an equal balance between slaves and masters, property less and property holders, Indians and white.” (Source 6) Zinn also points out the fact that the women of early America were not even considered in the Declaration of Independence. Those who created the Declaration of Independence and who were responsible for the final uplift of the American Revolution did not create the colonial government out of consideration for the nation as a whole, but rather selfishly adjusting the revolution to retain wealth and hold power over the colonists.

The goal of the revolution was not to create a balance, but to maintain hold of the dominant forces at the time. When you deconstruct the revolutionary period, there is an obvious realization that the Declaration of Independence and the final separation from Britain directly benefitted the upper-class citizens of the colonies who were revolutionary leaders and influential citizens of the colonies. “…the rising class of important people needed to enlist on their side enough Americans to defeat England, without disturbing too much the relations of wealth and power that had developed over 150 years of colonial history.” (Source 6) When the rising class citizens of the colonies began to become affected by the taxation acts and unfair limitations from Britain, the Declaration of Independence intended to benefit the upper class with the support of enough Americans to defeat Britain. This would ensure that wealth and power be kept momentus with the rising class.