American Revolution: Truly a Revolution?

The American Revolution

The American Revolution was unlike any other political overthrow that had occurred in the 18th century because it was the first truly successful revolution in history. Initially it was widely debated whether or not the American Revolution was truly a revolution. By definition an overthrow and the thorough replacement of an established government or political system by the people governed is considered a revolution. This means that the people governed completely overtook and destroyed the previously ruling government and, as a result, established their own government. Therefore the American Revolution should be considered a revolution.

Since the British gave a decent amount of freedom to the colonists, the colonists began ruling over themselves without the need of the British Parliament, and the British Parliament’s unnecessary rule began annoying and aggravating the colonists. The British parliament never realized that the colonists increasingly saw themselves as a separate nation due to their own rule in their own lives. With a series of political missteps, outright stupid mistakes, and unreasonable harsh punishments from the British, the colonists to became united as Patriots which gave them a mutual hatred for the government that ruled them. By 1776, when tensions were the highest between the British and the colonists, the majority of colonists were convinced that Britain was on a mission to take away all their freedom, money, and reduce them to slavery. This united the colonists in their decision to establish a republic government when they became a new nation.

Not only was the British government overthrown and replaced by the Americans but the entire social structure of America was changed. Women and African Americans had gained more rights and were considered as higher members of society. With a need for men to help fight, African Americans were allowed to volunteer in the Revolutionary