SOCIAL & POLITICAL CHANGES ASSOCIATED
WITH THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Prior to the Revolution, the colonial governments were ruled by men “from the comfortable classes” (Middlekauff 46). According to Robert Middlekauff, the American Revolution did not cause major changes in terms of social class and social institutions. Nonetheless, the social life of the American people was “deeply affected” by the Revolution because “the means by which they governed themselves – the institutions of the state – were changed in important ways” (Middlekauff 562). In addition, colonial politics was based on British models and the colonists as a whole “seemed perfectly happy with monarchy as a form of government” (Bushman 13). The American Revolution occurred…show more content… In the years prior to the American Revolution, there was no question that governments should be led by men of the upper classes. A change in this conception began during the 1760s when the colonial elites started their struggle against the British government over such issues as being forced to pay taxes that they (or their legislative representatives) had not agreed to. As noted by Kornblith and Murrin, the colonial elites “had no alternative but to yield or turn to those below them on the social scale for helping in resisting this challenge to their authority” (63). According to these authors, the American elites wanted to establish a strong central government led by a “national ruling class.” However, in the process of “rallying mass support” for the revolution, the political consciousness of the lower classes began to change. In the words of Kornblith and Murrin, “once mobilized, urban artisans and backcountry farmers began to press new demands of their own” (63). As a result, “in the mid-1780s patriot elites... found themselves losing control of public policy to men of middling status within the states” (63). Of course, the wealthy and elite members of American society have continued to have a vital influence on American politics. However, this influence is usually not as direct as it was before. Prior to the American Revolution, the elite directly…show more content… A women’s movement began in the 1840s and continued until women were granted the right to vote with the nineteenth amendment in 1920. As in the case of African Americans, women did not make further gains until the period of the civil rights movement, which also gave rise to an American feminist movement. Certain other minority groups have had an even longer and harder struggle than African Americans and women. In particular, Native Americans faced extreme difficulties because they were treated as “enemies” during the time of the nation’s westward expansion. Thus, it took a long time for the idea of constitutional rights to be applied to the lives of ethnic groups and women and, in fact, there is still an ongoing struggle in this regard. Nonetheless, the American Revolution and the U.S. Constitution marked a turning point in the history of this development. Even though white males continued to hold power in the immediate post-revolutionary period, the revolution nonetheless had an important impact on politics and society as a whole as “different kinds of Americans began to decide that American liberty had to mean something to them, directly” (Countryman
