We do think we know the Revolutionary War. We grow up hearing about it year after year in class, and celebrate our foundings with fireworks every July 4th . And yet, much of what we believe we know is

most remarkable wars in the history of the world. The motives behind the war

can be interestingly explained by Zinn from the chapter Tyranny Is Tyranny in A

People’s History of The United States: 1“Around 1776, certain important people in

the English colonies made a discovery that would pro ve enormously useful for

the next two hundred years. 2They found that by creating a nation, a symbol, a

legal unity called the United States, they could take over land, profits, and

political power from favorites of the British Empire” (Zinn). Indeed, the American

Revolution left a significant impact on early American society and government

in terms of social, political, and intellectual adjustments. Typically, one of them is

the gap between social classes. 3From the chapter A Kind of Revolution, it is

surp rising to know that “About 10 percent of the white population - large

landholders and merchants - held 1,000 pounds or more in personal property

and 1,000 pounds in land, at the least, and these men owned nearly half the

wealth of the country and held as s laves one -seventh of the country's people”

(Zinn). What’s more: “The people resented the tax system, which was especially

burdensome on the poor” (Zinn). Besides, the ability to have a political say can

only be in the hands of the rich and powerful. Conseq uently, mutinies and slave

revolts broke out because one finds inequality everywhere. To my surprise, it was

this political tyranny, economic burdens and unfairness in social hierarchy that

motivated people in the 13 colonies to stand up and revolt against the

corrupted government at that time.

We are taught by the modern -day history books to revere our Founders as

superhuman leaders of a superior generation. Yet in fact, on the opposite, they

were not perfect. They were also problematic and thus do not des erve their

current level of popularity. 4“Shouldn't we applaud the Founders’ restored

popularity? Yes - but like anything else, it can be taken too far” (H. W. Brands).

Pondering over this question, we take the shortcomings of the Founders into

considerati on. In scrutinizing the Declaration and the Constitution, “two grave

sins of omission hung ominously over the country: the Founders' failure to deal

with slavery, and their failure to specify whether sovereignty lay with the states or

with the nation” (H. W. Brands). The intentional ignorance of slavery in the

documents which represent American history makes us look over the Founders'

perspectives. “For one thing, challenging slavery's validity within those

documents was completely irrational, seeing as sla very was a critical part of

culture both in America, and in Europe. The majority of the Founders simply

didn't see anything wrong with it; or if they did, they did not express it. Another reason that they didn't mention slavery is because it would do more harm than

good. If they openly condemned slavery, they would quickly lose all support for

their cause from slave -owning inhabitants of the colonies, which would be

political suicide” (class notes). This deficiency in the Founders’ work makes their

successo rs refrain from acknowledging the existence of slavery within a

governing system. 2“Everyone knew the basic prescription for a wise and just

government. It was so to balance the contending powers in society that no one

power could overwhelm the others and, unchecked, destroy the liberties that

belonged to all” (Bailyn). Indeed, what needed to be done was clearly

expressed; yet it was undone as “the Founding Fathers did not want an equal

balance between slaves and masters”. 4According to Brands, in the colum ns of

the Philadelphia Aurora, Bache alleged “political iniquity” and “legalized

corruption” in the Washington Administration, and called the first President “the

source of all the misfortunes of our country”. Thomas Paine, the leading

propagandist of the Revolution, accused Washington of abandoning the cause

for which the Revolution was fought. A Connecticut paper warned of the orgies

a Jefferson presidency would bring: "Murder, robbery, rape, adultery, and incest

will all be openly taught and practiced; t he air will be rent with the cries of the

distressed; the soil will be soaked with blood, and the nation black with crimes." I

agree with Brands that even though the Founders may have been scholarly and

knowledgeable, they were less perceptive of the natur al world and the normal

basis of human behavior.

From the chapter Drawing The Color Line by Howard Zinn and the lecture given

by James Loewen on slavery, I believe history back in that time had lost its sense

of humanity. Indeed, racism has played an impor tant role in shaping American

history for such a long time. I agree with Zinn that the inferior position of blacks in

America is accompanied by a peculiar feeling full of racism, hatred and

contempt. 2It is stunning to know that African blacks had been sta mped as

slave labor for a hundred years. While the Indians and the whites embraced

their own culture, the blacks became helplessly deprived of their land and

culture. It is also surprising to know that American slavery was the cruelest form

of history. Jam es Loewen interestingly posed the question about thinking of

slavery today without guilt, without shame and omitting it. I agree with him that

racism developed a rationale for slavery and slavery is totally important to the

history and development of the U nited States because it represents the absolute

societal settings in America today. Its period might end, but its remnants as an

association with racism and discrimination still prevail in our society nowadays. Apart from establishing the America as an ind ependent nation, the

Revolutionary War assisted in creating a democratic and responsible

government, by the people and for the people. It embraces certain unalienable

rights such as Life, Liberty, Equality and Pursuit of Happiness. The Revolution

entitled the people with rights to alter or abolish an oppressive and

malfunctioned government in order to institute a new stable one. I found what is

mentioned by Zinn in the chapter Tyranny Is Tyranny very ideal and astounding:

“The Privates Committee drew up a b ill of rights for the convention, including the

statement that an enormous proportion of property vested in a few individuals is

dangerous to the rights, and destructive of the common happiness, of mankind;

1and therefore every free state hath a right by i ts laws to discourage the

possession of such property” (Zinn). Thus, it can be concluded that the ideology

of the Declaration - by which American government is established by the

people to protect their life, liberty, and happiness - is to be discarded unl ess it

fulfills its duty of serving people’s needs.

In the chapter A Kind of Revolution, Zinn poses a question asking what in the end

the Revolution meant to the Native Indians. 2Appealingly as he puts it, “They

had been ignored by the fine words of the De claration and Constitution, had

not been considered equal, certainly not in choosing those who would govern

the American territories in which they lived, nor in being able to pursue

happiness as they had pursued it for centuries before the white Europeans

arrived” (Zinn). However, I believe the Revolution undeniably did lay a

foundation and provide the opportunities for the blacks to make inquiries and

requests towards the white society. They wished to repeal discriminatory laws

against Negros, yearning for equal rights and an end to slavery, asking for equal

division of property to accommodate their families and an authentic voice in

court. But sadly, I agree with Zinn the controversy still goes around the fact that

the Constitution does not take into consi deration the equality, individuality and

differences among social classes and political powers of property. This is

attributable to the fact that the crafting and establishment of the strong federal

government only involved the interference and control by the rich elites - who

always prioritized their personal interests and maintenance of their privileges –

and hence excluded the interests of other inferior social classes such as slaves,

indentured servants, women and men without property.

I agree with Zinn that only by looking at the real economic interests and social

backgrounds of the makers of the Constitution, we can conclude that the

popular rebellions against the monopolies of society’s wealth during this era could be attributed to the corrupted struc ture of American government, the

slave trade, the politics of unity among northern and southern ruling leaders and

the prevailing culture of race prejudice in the colonies. I am convinced that the

core issue of democracy not only lays in the Constitutional setbacks on unjust

policies but also leaves a scar of segregation between the rich and the poor

which still exists in today’s society. I believe the Revolutionary America would

have been happier and more prosperous had it not been for the actual fighting

and suffering from the poorly -treated people.

The continuing mythologies surrounding this time leaves behind far -reaching

consequences for us today. The Founders’ work and accomplishments are not

necessarily a blessing for America. And by overvaluing and r evering them we

can be stymied from striving to fight for our ultimate values and principles.

Exaggerated interest and admiration for the Founders will undermine the

individual’s ability to reason rationally and his right to choose, to think and to

make de cision independently. Because the moment we overvalue the Founders

and adhere to the myths surrounding them unthinkingly and unquestioningly, we

will be forced to forfeit certain thoughts, beliefs and opinions that are

contradictory or different to the giv en ones. Therefore, I believe the wisdom of

every generation’s predecessors must be compellingly reconsidered and

revised for the common good of a society.