Module 5: "Zinns American Revolution"

Howard Zinn paints a vivid picture of the dark cloud the American Revolution cast over the colonizing states in his book A People's History of the United States. Before the American Revolution began there had always been a concentration of wealth, allowing that specific population the majority of power. Finally, in 1776, these upperclass citizens in the English colonies "found that by creating a nation, a symbol, a legal unity called the Untied States, they could take over land, profits, and political power from favorites of the British Empire" (Zinn 47). Ultimately, the rich and powerful had just concocted the ultimate plan to gain and even surpass the level of authority they already had.

Zinn even admits that "the Founding Fathers deserve the awed tribute they have received over the centuries" (Zinn 47).

The first aspect of the American Revolution Zinn discusses is the power struggle between the colonial elites and the English. There were numerous rebellions by colonial poor's against the landowning rich. Once the revolution got underway and the rich began to grow stronger, while the poor stooped lower than ever before; harsh feelings between the two began to rise. In the summer of 1765 a shoemaker by the name of Ebenezer MacIntosh led a mod of angry rioters to numerous wealthy livings to raise hell. They were said to have destroyed the homes, ate their food, drank their beverages, and looted the homes of all valuables. Zinn remarks "It was one of those moments in which fury against the rich went further than leaders. . . wanted" (Zinn 49). Class discrimination tore apart entire cities faster than had ever been seen before.

Zinn also talks about a "Regulator Movement" in North Carolina that consisted of white farmers. It was organized to protest the wealthy and corrupt officials through 1766 to 1771 during the revolution. The members of this movement actually referred to themselves as "poor Industrious peasants" (Zinn 50). This organization resented any sort of tax or new law that was meant to hurt the lower class and help the upper class. Although the did not consist of servants or slaves, the regulators did speak on behalf of owners, squatters, and tenants.

Military action in social and and cultural content began to take on an important role in the revolution. At this point, militias could be formed at the drop of a dime, considering the hatred towards separate classes and so many colonists being armed. Despite complaints against forcing citizens into the war, the British began enlisting sailors who had no other choice but to obey. The conflict with military at this time was "by dominating everything in its time, it diminished other issues, made people choose sides in the one contest that was publicly important, forced people onto the side of the revolution whose interest in independence was not at all obvious" (Zinn 62). The war was playing right into the hands of the ruling elite who were more secure against internal trouble than ever. Soon the Continental Congress came together to write the nations new laws. The controversy going along with this was the congress overwhelmingly consisted of the rich. This resulted in the same men holding the power who did in the colonies. Once the revolution had come to an end with the victory, numerous soldiers were not paid for their services and the ones who were payed were most likely paid in devalued money.

Works Cited

"American Revolution." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 02 Oct. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_revolution>.

Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States: 1492-present. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. Print.