The American Revolution - Introduction

I recently completed the online course The American Revolution through Open Yale Courses. I'll be posting multiple blogs about what I learned, and I welcome your thoughts and feedback. I would recommend the course as it's a great way to get a better understanding of the creation of all the documents our customers are seeking, such as military service records, pension records, land bounty records, and to get a better grasp of a huge period in American history.

Introduction to The American Revolution - things to keep in mind

The American Revolution and the Revolutionary War are two separate, different entities. The Revolution was a long cultural change in mindset, from loyal British subjects to Americans. The colonies weren't united or joined together. They often knew more about the mother country than about each other. The colonies stood apart from each other and had many differences.

Consider the meaning of words may have changed over time. One example is the word democracy, which now seems like a good idea, but in 1750 implied chaos. "Our real disease is democracy," said Alexander Hamilton in 1804.

Remember contingency. People at the time didn't know what was going to happen. They assumed anything could happen. Emotions were heightened, which explains the extreme rhetoric. A colonist participating in the Revolution may have had thoughts like maybe I'll get hanged, maybe I'll get shot, or maybe the Constitution will last four days.

JO