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Historiography of the American Revolution

Historiography Defined

  • Historiography is the history of history writing, showing how historians interpret events differently over time.

Interpretations of the American Revolution

  • Historians have viewed the American Revolution through many lenses, each offering a unique perspective:

    • Revolutionary Interpretation (late 1700s - early 1800s): Saw the Revolution as virtuous colonists fighting corrupt British tyranny, a moral story of constitutional crisis.

    • Loyalist Interpretation: Justified British actions, attributing anti-British sentiment to a few 'ill-designing men' and British unfamiliarity with the colonies.

    • Whig Interpretation (mid-1800s): Framed the Revolution as a divinely guided movement towards liberty and democracy, with Americans inheriting traditions of freedom.

    • Imperial Interpretation (early 1900s): Focused on the British perspective, viewing colonial history as part of the broader imperial narrative, and saw British policies (trade, revenue) as reasonable given war debt.

    • Progressive Interpretation (early 1900s): Emphasized class conflict and economic interests, suggesting ideas often masked self-interest. Carl Becker's "dual revolution thesis" highlighted home rule vs. who should rule at home. They saw the Revolution as a radical, populist uprising.

    • Consensus Interpretation (1940s - 1950s): Stressed commonalities and agreement among colonists, rooted in John Locke's philosophy, and viewed the Revolution as a conservative movement in an already "middle-class democracy."

    • Neo-Whig/Ideological Interpretation (1950s - 1970s): Focused on the genuine constitutional arguments and the influence of "radical Whig" republican tradition, including fears of tyranny and conspiracies. This led to the "Republican synthesis" debate.

    • New Left/Neo-Progressive Interpretations (late 1960s - Present): Explored "history from the bottom up," focusing on everyday people, race, slavery, and women's experiences, integrating non-elites into the political narrative and recovering their agency.

    • Founders Chic (1990s - Present): Consists of popular histories