Radicalism Of American Revolut

Want to read the rest of this paper? Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay and over 50,000 other term papers

one gets from reading Wood’s book is that republicanism was not a radical concept to the American colonists. Wood believed the American colonists had a deep- rooted concept of Republicanism that existed before revolutionary ideas were conceived. The idea of republicanism could be seen in the colonial belief in independence and self-sacrifice. These principles were the founding forces that led to the beginning of the revolution. Wood would seem to believe that these founding forces Smith pg.2 were not as radical as the transformation to democratic thought. It is here that Wood points out the “uncontrollable” social and economic forces that leads republican thought to the progression of democracy. Wood believes the revolution was meant for the elite (gentlemen) and not for the colonists themselves. It is the colonist self-motivated social and economic interests, which leads to the transformation they had been yearning for. Wood contributes several different social and economic factors ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays. Write better papers. Get better grades. Already a member? Login

constitution was created or because a few leaders formed a Smith pg.3 national bank, but because ordinary people, hundreds of thousands of them began working harder to make money and ‘get ahead.’”(Wood 325). It is economic factors such as this one that will be the driving force, which bonds Americans together in the early 19th century. Wood builds his argument by supporting his claims with personal accounts as well as using documents of that time period. It is pieces of evidence such as these that gives Wood a particular insight into the revolution. This insight at first glance would be hard to deny. However, Wood’s lack of concrete evidence gives historians a chance to critique his ...

Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library. Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports, and research papers in 2 minutes or less.

CITE THIS PAGE: