Debunking The Myths About The American Revolution

If you were one of the few people paying in attention in history class when you were in high school, you probably think the American Revolution was all about establishing an independent state in North America; that the brave colonials started this war to get out from under the yoke of British rule.  Well, I’m here to tell you, you’ve been sold a bill of goods.  Sure, that was the outcome of this struggle that lasted from 1775 to 1783, but when the first shots were fired, independence was not the goal.

And, dear friends, that’s just one of the many myths surrounding the Revolutionary War.  The other is that the European countries, like France and Spain, who supported the Americans in the war against England, did so because they wanted to see them gain their independence.  Again; just another one of the urban legends foisted on us by our educational system.

Image via Wikipedia

Representation, Not Independence Was the Original Goal

Let’s take a look at the dispute between the thirteen colonies and the British crown.  Was that about independence?  Actually, it got started when the English Parliament insisted on the right to levy taxes on the colonies, despite the fact that they had no representatives in that body.  The Americans, on the other hand, insisted that, as free Englishmen, they should have a say in such matters – No Taxation without Representation.  They especially opposed the Stamp Act of 1765, which led to a boycott of British tea and the establishment of the Continental Congress to represent the interest of the colonies.

When shadow governments were created in each of the colonies, the British responded by putting them under control of the army and appointing a governor from London to run things.  When the governor, General Thomas Gage, sent British troops to Boston to seize rebel arms, a fight ensued near Lexington and Concord, between the redcoats and the local militia, called Minutemen, resulting in the near destruction of the British contingent, and the war was on.  King George of England was pretty miffed at his disloyal subjects, and was determined to make them pay for their cheekiness.  At this point, the Americans realized that they were left with no option; if they surrendered, all who rebelled would be hanged for treason, so they had to fight to the end, or in Patrick Henry’s words, “We must all hang together, or we shall hang separately.”  Of course, even under such conditions, only about a third of those living in the colonies supported the rebellion, while about a third sided with the English, and the remainder just tried to ignore the whole mess.