Was the American Revolution Really Revolutionary?

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the social and political impacts of the American Revolution and supports the idea that the Revolution did not truly entail great changes for America. The paper addresses slavery, social structure and government structure.

From the Paper:

"If social standing for the wealthy elite changed very little during the Revolution, for slaves and servants it changed not at all. The principles of the Revolution are set down so famously in the Declaration of Independence - "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." With the presence of slavery and servitude in America before the Revolution, these ideas would have been truly revolutionary had they actually been applied to "all men", but they were not. Slavery and white servitude continued well after independence from Britain had been won, and the rights that were mentioned in the Declaration were reserved for those who had already had them prior to the Revolution - free white men of the upper- and middle-classes."

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