|
|
Article: Multiculturalism and the American Revolution of 1776: a response to David Lyons. (in this issue p. 17)
- Article from:
- Monthly Review
- Article date:
- April 1, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1994 Monthly Review Foundation, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
The American Revolution of 1776, in a celebrated formulation by historian Carl Becker, was fought "not for home rule alone...but for the democratization of American society as well." [1] Most historical debates over the revolution have been concerned with the question of who were the main agents of this democratization. In the dominant interpretation, democracy flowed from the pens and swords of the Founding Fathers. In the alternative, radical interpretation, presented by such historians as Eric Foner, Staughton Lynd, Gary Nash, and Edward Countryman, a more revolutionary impulse for democracy emerged from urban artisans and farmers (and from figures like Tom Paine, ...