The Radicalism of the American Revolution

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1991

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Themes

Impact of the Monarchy on Social Structures

Social structure is important to the study of the events leading up to the Revolution and the development of the United States that happened afterward. This study begins with the monarchy that governed England in the years before, during, and after the colonization of America. The monarchy was a paternalistic structure that placed a single man, the king, as the ruler of the people. This structure created a father-figure as the leader and protector of his people, his metaphorical children. As subjects of this sovereignty, the colonists knew no other political structure and embraced it when they settled in the colonies.

The first colonies were often populated by members of a single family, or members of two or more families. As a result, there was inherently a father figure who rose up to lead these colonies. These communities were often small and lacked privacy, creating a social environment in which everyone knew everyone else’s business and often reported bad behavior. As a result, reputation became an essential part of American society.

As the colonies grew, this family structure continued to be an important part of society. Families were often headed by a male family member, and he was responsible not only for the blood relations who lived within the family but also for servants and any other persons who came to live in the household. Inheritance laws, such as entail, supported this structure, keeping families close together.

Over time, however, family structure changed, with the focus moving from dependents to the nuclear family of mother, father, and child. However, the paternalistic social structure that could be traced back to the monarchy continued through the patronage of artisans and merchants, and the disinterested role of gentlemen in politics. The monarchial structure of paternalism not only formed the society of the American colonies, but it also infused itself into the definition of classes, creating bonds that were not broken until the Revolution.

Changes Within Social Structure

Wood argues that the most important changes that came with the Revolution were the changes within social structure that elevated the common man above the traditional aristocracy. Social structure is important to any society because it defines how people relate to one another. In colonial American society, there was a paternalistic social structure that was born from the monarchy in England. This structure put people in class divisions and defined how they interacted. This paternalistic structure defined everything from inheritance laws to the way that commerce was practiced.

Before the Revolution, the common man was seen as inconsequential to the nation’s character. They were only interested in their own basic needs and were obedient to social constructs. When the unrest began before the Revolution, common men would riot, but they were easily controlled through patron relationships. The aristocrats knew how to deal with the common man, and they were happy to govern them and guide them just as one would guide children. However, Wood argues that the Revolution changed all of this.

The aristocrats envisioned what the republic they were designing would be like. They anticipated that their virtues would continue to be the ones under which people would live and the common man would fall in line with what they told them. However, the common man took this vision of a republic and transformed it according to their own ideals of equality and freedom. They broke the old bonds of society and forged new ones, moving forward in pursuit of their own independence without allowing the old paternalistic traditions to hold them back. This completely destroyed the social norms that had been part of their communities since the colonies were first settled, Wood argues, and it created new connections and norms that define modern America.

The changes the common man wrought in America with the advent of the new republic and the slide into democracy frightened the aristocrats and founding fathers. These changes within the social structure of America, however, created a new republic that was everything the founding fathers had envisioned and more. Only with these changes could the common man rise up and embrace the ideals of equality that the founding fathers taught them.

Radicalism and Its Role in the American Revolution

Wood’s main purpose in writing this book was to show that the founding fathers were just as radical as other revolutionaries during their time. The French Revolution was marked with violence, including the beheading of the king and queen before the monarchy was replaced with a new republic. The founding fathers in America didn’t engage in anything quite this extreme, and this has led to an argument that the founding fathers were not radical.To understand how radical the founding fathers really were, Wood argues that it is important to understand the social norms of the time. For the founding fathers to say that all men were created equal amounted to taking a radical stand against the ideas of classism that were common during this time period. Embracing republicanism was radical because it challenged the basic tenants of the monarchy. Although England had embraced republican ideals through the formation of their Parliament and constitution, a monarch still governed it. For Americans to become so enthralled by the ideals of republicanism constituted a radical alteration of their belief and trust in the monarch that still governed them at the time.

Wood observes that the founding fathers are often seen as men who wrote pamphlets and gave speeches, not violent radicals who threw bombs or threatened the life of the monarch. Wood contends, however, their beliefs in republicanism and the basic belief that all men are born equal was highly radical for the time period. What the founding fathers did was as risky as anything the French revolutionists did, and it had a surprising, but lasting, result.