The plan seemed preposterous on its face. What drove those fearless patriots who revolted in 1776 to believe they could conquer the world’s mightiest power? And if that wasn’t audacious enough, what made them think they could, somehow, govern themselves? How did they pull off both missions and transform America from a colonial backwater at the mercy of their English rulers to the greatest of world powers?
The answers start with what history has repeatedly demonstrated: For better or worse, a highly committed minority of true believers is capable of overwhelming a disinterested majority. In the 20th century, a small cadre of Nazis and communists was able to seize power and attempt to destroy the world as we know it. Hitler was a corporal who came out of nowhere. Lenin and Stalin built a minuscule movement to start. But both attracted an ever-expanding band of believers who were willing to preach their gospel of hate and die for the cause.
The uprising of the 13 American colonies is the mirror image of the same phenomenon – but unlike dictators since the dawn of time who usurped power for their own benefit, America’s founders actually relinquished their comfortable lives and high positions in colonial America, well aware of the certainty that failure would mean execution for treason. Inspired by both grit and intellect, from the fiery Samuel Adams in Massachusetts to the cerebral Thomas Jefferson at the lofty heights of Monticello, the patriots of 1776 knew they were facing long odds but refused to comply with England’s growing crackdown on dissent in the colonies.
What is often forgotten is that much, if not most, of the population was loyal to England, right or wrong. In return for the paternalistic protection of their English overseers, loyalists were willing to tolerate oppressive measures like the Stamp Act that codified such a high level of taxation without representation that it stirred the rebels to action. But patriots and loyalists alike, wary of England’s tightening grip on its colony, understandably feared the grave consequences of a failed long-shot uprising. And even after securing victory, the newly established United States of America would soon be forced to fight another war to defend its newfound independence.
1812: The British Are Coming, Again
Historians have devoted so much attention to the American Revolution that a war 36 years later that posed a grave threat to the fragile republic has often been overlooked. In the years leading up to 1812, the British attempted to compensate for their loss of the American colonies with aggressive territorial expansion across North America. The US declared war on England, but British soldiers captured Washington in 1814 and set fire to the White House and US Capitol. Effective American resistance eventually forced the British into signing the Treaty of Ghent. America had survived the first test of its capacity and fortitude and before long was seen as a potent military power.
It was the victory in that second conflict that essentially affirmed the legitimacy of the colonies’ triumph in the original war for independence. The War of 1812 engendered universal respect for American military power, which would only grow over the next two centuries. We have since prevailed in two world wars and a cold war, vanquishing fascism and communism and preserving western-style democracy.
America 250: Power and Freedom
While it is military might that has commanded the respect of our adversaries for a quarter of a millennium, it is freedom that has kept us strong and prosperous. The overwhelming success of our grand experiment in self-governance continues to serve as a model for the free world. It started with arguably the most significant single act in American history: George Washington handing over power to his successor, John Adams, voluntarily – a rare act in a world of lifetime rulers. The freedoms, safeguards, checks, and balances prescribed in the US Constitution created a system of governance that has attracted millions across the world, and millions more continue to dream of finding a home here. While we decry those who have entered or remained in the country illegally, the fact that they are willing to live in the shadows reveals how, to this day, America remains the destination of choice for those seeking refuge or just a better life.
A conceptual framework is behind every grand theory of how men should best be governed, but the results of its implementation determine its efficacy. Communism was appealing to many in principle but tyrannical in practice. Democracy, on the other hand, reversed the process, with power flowing from the bottom up instead of the top down, and it has survived and thrived through war, depression, and all manner of crises. Few even among the most committed patriots were likely convinced they could defeat the world’s most powerful empire and create a revolutionary political system of ordered liberty, but they were so passionate about the cause that they believed it to be worth dying for. Their determination has inspired succeeding generations to heed the call to freedom and defend what those sons of liberty fought and died for 250 years ago. While our military might has commanded the respect of the world, it is the tired, poor, and huddled masses yearning to breathe free beckoned by the Statue of Liberty who have proven to be the wellspring of American power and the foundation of the greatest nation the world has ever seen.
Dig Deeper Into the Themes Discussed in This Article!
Liberty Vault: The Constitution of the United States
