?The American Revolution: Revolutionary or Not? In determining whether or not the American Revolution was a true revolution, one must clearly define the term ?revolution?. Historians believe that for a war tobe deemed a revolution it must encompass social, religious, economic, andintellectual dimensions as well as political change. I believe that the AmericanRevolution conclusively exhibited all of these dimensions.Socially, America began with modern values unlike those of their Britishancestry. The moral of equality was the foundation on which our nation began. When the tension grew between the colonies and England, the new ideology spreadand began to widen to include almost all people. First, people began to realize thatthey did not necessarily live in a way which modeled their belief in equality. This,in itself shows the beginnings of a true revolution in that the people begin to see theneed for change even within their own families, social groups, and lifestyles. Afterrecognizing changes were needed, transformations began to occur in the colonies. For instance, a new position for women as upright citizens and leaders of the societyemerged, and most states granted women equality of inheritance. Also, socialdistinctions such as status-seating at church and membership to private social clubswere attacked and diminished. People began referring to themselves as Mr. orMrs., terms that illustrated the equality of all people, regardless of class or prestige. In addition, because most men were allowed a vote, education of the populationbecame a priority. Nationalism spread as the people of America came to understandtheir common goals and needs. The concept of constituent power allowed for socialchanges also, as the people came to believe that the power rested in the will of thepeople, which caused them to gain self trust and esteem. People focused so muchon equality and the rights of all people that in the south, several sta...
