Essay Database

Why did the Americans Rebel? In short Bernard Bailyn's argument was based on the ideological lessons American schoolchildren have been taught. He argued that the early Americans had inherited a tradition of rebellion against English standards through the movements to the colonies by the Puritans, Quakers, etc. He also stated that the colonists were seeing a conspiracy against their way of life by the English to establish an aristocracy in the colonies by taking away …

…coming into play in the new one and that would have been seen as unacceptable by anyone not residing in the upper echelon of society, (this would have consisted proportionally to today's middle class to today's upper class.) To further fears of a conspiracy, the Crown was sending troops into the colonies, increasing taxes, forcing people to build homes for them, etc. All of this would have felt like a giant boot stepping on them.