Bourgeois American Revolution

[BIXX]

Basically looking for leftist looks at the American Revolution. I am writing an essay about it, and I want to talk about how its not really a people's revolution, but a bourgeois one. Basically, I want more evidence to support this claim.

[Bala Perdida]

Was it the civil war or the colonial independence?

[Os Cangaceiros]

Basically looking for leftist looks at the American Revolution. I am writing an essay about it, and I want to talk about how its not really a people's revolution, but a bourgeois one. Basically, I want more evidence to support this claim.

What exactly would be a "people's revolution" in this context? The bourgeoisie and the merchant classes were the insurgent class around that time period, fighting against (but also interbreeding with and co-investing with) the "old regime". So yes, the American Revolution was a bourgeoisie revolution, as was the French Revolution. The French Revolution had a higher degree of social leveling, though, which the American Revolution didn't have much of.

But basically all the elements that people think of when they think of the French Revolution (ie the proliferation of new ideas like "the rights of man", mob violence/terror, popular institutions to deliver "justice against the enemies of the people", groups like the Sons of Liberty etc) were all present in the American Revolution, it was just more muted.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Dr. Thomas Young (1731–1777) was an American patriot during the American Revolutionary War (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War) who advocated independence from Britain. He was a member of the Boston Committee of Correspondence (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Committee_of_Correspondence) and a participant in the Boston Tea Party (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Tea_Party). Young was the only participant in the Boston Tea Party (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Tea_Party) not to wear an Indian disguise, and the British singled him out for punishment for the deed, almost killing him. Young was a mentor for Ethan Allen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethan_Allen) and was mentored politically by Samuel Adams (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Adams), with whom he had a number of public correspondences. He also suggested the name of Vermont (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermont) for the new state north of Massachusetts, which was originally called New Connecticut. The reasoning in his letter to the Vermont Constitutional Convention in 1777 was that most of Vermont was in the Green Mountains (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Mountains), and he chose to combine "vert" (green) with "mont" (mountain) to honor the Green Mountain Boys (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Mountain_Boys). Young named several cities in New York state, including New Windsor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Windsor) and Amenia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amenia_(town),_New_York).

Young lived at various points in New York state, Boston, Connecticut, and Philadelphia. Young, like Thomas Paine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Paine), advocated a strongly democratic Pennsylvania constitution. Young favored the working class and western farmers, and he supported a redistribution of wealth clause in the proposed constitution that was later removed by more conservative influences. Still, Young supported the final result and suggested to Vermont's constitutional convention that Vermont's constitution be modeled on the Pennsylvania one, which it was.

The medical profession in revolutionary America was in flux, and there was a lack of licensing. Young supported creating a licensing regime run by state legislatures, and published his defense of the medical profession in a Boston newspaper.

^along with Samuel Adams and Thomas Paine, one of my favorite influential characters in the American Revolution.

[Five Year Plan]

Basically looking for leftist looks at the American Revolution. I am writing an essay about it, and I want to talk about how its not really a people's revolution, but a bourgeois one. Basically, I want more evidence to support this claim.

You may want to consult Herbert Aptheker's The American Revolution, and select essays in the book America's Revolutionary Heritage.

[Bala Perdida]

So based off the other comments this is the independence war. I can offer some insight I heard from a Chomsky video, although I don't remember which one. The first thing he says is how the American revolution was a civil war, or just being a war in general, and wars are always talked about in a restricted two sided fashion. There are many other sides to consider, like the black slave class and the native class. Neither of these classes wanted the colonists to win as much as the British loyalists, although I can't say that they preferred the British. The black slave and native peoples knew what was in store for them, which was inescapable oppression. To these, the most oppressed people, the "revolution" offered no real change, just a new tyrant. Furthermore, even the white people in the colonies did not fully support the movement. There where many people living on the colonies that were absolutely terrified that these "maniacs" where actually taking control, and as a result 4% of the population of the colonies fled to other territories. Chomsky points out the fact that you can go north of New York into Canada and see signs in front of towns that say things like "this town was founded by ____ fleeing from the American revolution". That's all I can offer for now, this sounds pretty interesting so maybe try to look for some more from Chomsky on the American revolution.

[skitty]

^along with Samuel Adams and Thomas Paine, one of my favorite influential characters in the American Revolution.Here's something from Tom Paine that surprised me a little bit:
http://www.constitution.org/tp/agjustice.htm

-goes beyond separation from the mother country.

[Logical seal]

They had a revoultion, litterly

Becuse they didnt want to pay taxes that would have ultimately helped them.

Is that capitalist or what?

[G4b3n]

They had a revoultion, litterly

Becuse they didnt want to pay taxes that would have ultimately helped them.

Is that capitalist or what?

They were being used to pay for the conquests of Great Britain, not to help Americans.

When it comes to bourgeois revolutions, they need to be placed in the proper historical context. You can not argue that it was not a "people's revolution" because there was no proletariat, it was the culmination of class struggle between the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy. The bourgeoisie must overthrow the existing social order and establish there own in order for there to be the exploited classes that we know today which furthers the material conditions for what we would consider a 'people's revolution' today.

If you read the Manifesto, Marx praises the bourgeoisie for defeating feudalism and establishing their social order.

[Alexios]

I know I'll get a ton of shit for saying this, but "bourgeois revolution" is a pretty flawed concept that doesn't have much of a place in any respectable historiography. Here's a pretty good article: http://edgeorgesotherblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/the-debate-on-the-bourgeois-revolution-revisited.pdf

[Rafiq]

It's not a flawed concept, you just don't understand it. The bourgeoisie didn't have to be an organized political force in order to consolidate political power totally, the revolution could have been carried out by anyone, the peasantry, even the new proletariat. The point is that capitalist relations bred bourgeois ideology, which prevailed as the new dominant ideology in society and thus motivated the "people" to overthrow the state, which was the last remnant of feudal social relations in the form of a political institution.

[blake 3:17]

The American War of Independence wasn't a revolution, it was a theft of land & tax money issue.

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

The American Revolution was a historically progressive bourgeois revolution.

[Glitchcraft]

The American Revolution was a historically progressive bourgeois revolution.
As sad as it seems this is true. Bourgeois democracy is more progressive than feudal monarchy. But yes Bourgeois democracy does things like theft of land & tax money. It is still more progressive than serfdom or slavery.

[GiantMonkeyMan]

Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States (http://www.historyisaweapon.com/zinnapeopleshistory.html) has a chapter called 'A Kind of Revolution' that has loads of sources regarding the lack of enthusiasm for the war and the ways the bourgeois class had to convince working people to contribute. "Ruling elites seem to have learned through the generations-consciously or not-that war makes them more secure against internal trouble." Should be useful for your essay.

[tallguy]

Basically looking for leftist looks at the American Revolution. I am writing an essay about it, and I want to talk about how its not really a people's revolution, but a bourgeois one. Basically, I want more evidence to support this claim.
All revolutions are bourgeois inspired, petty-bourgeois managed and proletariat fought. It tends to happen when the bourgeoisie/petty-bourgeoisie see their position in the existing hierarchy being suddenly downgraded and/or threatened. At which point they persuade the proletariat (who are usually too busy working their arses off just to keep a roof over their head and feed their families to find the time to organize a revolution) to get involved and shed their blood on the basis that, finally, we really are "all in this together". Once the revolution is complete, of course, the bourgeois ensure that they are once more safely ensconced in their proper position in the "order of things" and the proletariat go back to having the piss taken out of them.

Same old same old.

[Tim Cornelis]

I would say that the class character of a revolution is different from the class composition, so a popular revolution and bourgeois revolution are not mutually exclusive.

[goalkeeper]

Urgh, whatever you do don't use Howard Zinn's hackwork.

[GiantMonkeyMan]

Urgh, whatever you do don't use Howard Zinn's hackwork.
Zinn makes a moral argument overall, yes, but he also quotes a lot of primary and tertiary sources that could be useful for EchoShock's essay, particularly focusing on mutinies and refusals of working class people to fight for the ruling class on either side of the war and after the war where working class groups rose up in rebellion at the new state of things.

[RedWaves]

The American Revolution was fought over taxes. Taxes that's right. They didn't want to pay taxes to the British anymore even though the British had treated them far better than they did other colonies around the globe. It all came down to taxes and not wanting to pay them.


Really consider that next time you're waving your flag and enjoy your Independence Day fireworks and meal.

The Constitution itself is a bourgeoisie document all about protecting them. I know Americans like to believe no one is as progressive and as 'free' as them, but that is total bullshit.


You cannot get more capitalist than America. It's whole establishment was created by rich white men. The rich have always been able to do whatever the fuck they want, and so forth. Even before the Industrial Revolution, the attitude of 'fuck the poor' was always there by them and working them to death. You cannot get anymore capitalist than that, and class warfare has been waging in America since the day it was founded.

[BIXX]

The American Revolution was fought over taxes. Taxes that's right. They didn't want to pay taxes to the British anymore even though the British had treated them far better than they did other colonies around the globe. It all came down to taxes and not wanting to pay them.


Really consider that next time you're waving your flag and enjoy your Independence Day fireworks and meal.

The Constitution itself is a bourgeoisie document all about protecting them. I know Americans like to believe no one is as progressive and as 'free' as them, but that is total bullshit.


You cannot get more capitalist than America. It's whole establishment was created by rich white men. The rich have always been able to do whatever the fuck they want, and so forth. Even before the Industrial Revolution, the attitude of 'fuck the poor' was always there by them and working them to death. You cannot get anymore capitalist than that, and class warfare has been waging in America since the day it was founded.


While I personally agree with your sentiment, your elitism is not going to help you.

In fact it kinda makes me wanna go celebrate Independence Day and crack open a beer while I light bottle rockets.

Also it wasn't much of a constructive post in relation to this thread. Overall it was off-putting and had the general leftist-elitist feel that turns so many people off.