The American Revolution (“Revolution”) was the beginning of political freedom in this country and was earned on the backs of the middle and lower classes. The Revolution spurred public debates on political and social struggles as it related to all classes and, “...enlarged the scope of freedom and challenged inherited structures of power within American.” (Foner 203). It opened up the playing field for citizens to vote for their public officials and hence get their needs addressed.
Before the Revolution, democracy meant a forceful government coercing the minorities to submit,”... yet Americans hated centralized power so vehemently they were warring against it. They considered their liberties "not merely as arbitrary grants, but as their unalienable, eternal rights, purchased by the blood and treasure of their ancestors." (Akers, para. 10)
Although the Revolution liberated only white men of all classes by allowing them to participate in the political arena, it was the first stepping stone to what would eventually lead to women and other minorities political freedom. It cemented American independence from British rule and was the platform for which the underprivileged could reach never before political heights.
Works Cited
Akers, B.. "The Revolution's Reactionary Radicals. " The New American 21 Mar. 2011: Research Library, ProQuest. Web. 10 Jul. 2011.
Foner, E. "Give Me Liberty! An American History." W.W. Norton & Company. New York: 2009. Print
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