The American Revolution - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... The biography of George Washington was originally written by Mason Locke Weems who maintained a subjective approach in evaluating the facts and presented Washington as a folk hero. Although they had lived through the revolution, yet many of the early historians did not have objective grounds for their claims. A new generation of historians surfaced with the start of the 19th century. Today, whatever we know about the American Revolution is primarily an outcome of their compilation of the war events. Historians of the 19th century mutually held a consensus that the American Revolution was morally justified. They were of the view that American victory opened the gate to freedom.
The determinists of the early 20th century presented the second school of thought regarding the American Revolution. They thought that the revolution revolved around the conflict of class. The economic motivations were hard to be justified with the widespread rhetoric about equality and republicanism. The determinists analyzed the revolution as more than just an endeavor to gain independence. They thought of it as a means to strengthen a ruling elite American class. The determinists base their assertions on the fact that a vast majority of the people who had signed the Declaration of Independence were rich and took the revolution as a means to strengthen their power.
The third school of thought regarding the American Revolution surfaced after the Second World War. Neo-Whigs were the owners of this school of thought. ...Download file to see next pagesRead More