Woodie holton says the american patriots had a legitimate beef with the british government about taxation without representation. But he argues the revolution would not have happened if not for these other british moves that infur ted the colonists. He says what drove the elite revolutionaries was a desire to gain freedom from british meddling and the ability of the colonies to govern themselves. The rest got cut out because some signers objected to jefferson's florid denunciation of slavery, a practice they intended to continue.
In the American Revolution, the men who revolted were among the wealthiest and most comfortable people in the colonies. What kind of revolution was it, anyway? Was it about a desire to establish democracy—or something else?
By producer/host John Biewen with series collaborator Chenjerai Kumanyika. Interviews with Davy Arch, Barbara Duncan, Rob Shenk, and Woody Holton. Edited by Loretta Williams.
Music by Algiers, John Erik Kaada, Eric Neveux, and Lucas Biewen. Music consulting and production help from Joe Augustine of Narrative Music.