American Revolutions: A Continental History, 1750-1804

The American Revolution, celebrated as a struggle for liberty and self-determination, was marred by glaring contradictions, particularly the persistence of slavery and the dispossession of Indigenous lands. These contradictions highlight the relationship between ideals of freedom and the realities of racial and territorial oppression. Despite the Revolution’s rhetoric of universal liberty, the founding fathers and the new nation continued to deny these rights to African Americans and Indigenous Americans. This theme explores the dissonance between the revolutionary ideals and the practices of slavery and Indigenous dispossession, revealing the deep-seated racial and colonial dimensions of early American society.

The institution of slavery was a fundamental contradiction of the Revolution. While patriots fought for liberation from British tyranny, they maintained and even strengthened the enslavement of African Americans. The Declaration of Independence’s assertion that “all men are created equal” contrasted with the reality that, at the time, a significant portion of the population was enslaved. This hypocrisy was not lost on contemporaries; both enslaved people and abolitionists pointed out the incongruity between the fight for independence and the continued denial of freedom to enslaved people. The Revolution, however, also provided opportunities for enslaved people to challenge their bondage, with thousands seizing the tumultuous period to escape, join the British forces, or otherwise resist their condition. Yet, the end of the war did not bring freedom for most; slavery continued to expand, particularly in the South, embedding racial chattel slavery more deeply into the fabric of American society.

Similarly, the Revolution accelerated the dispossession and displacement of Indigenous American peoples. As the newly independent United States expanded westward, Indigenous lands were increasingly coveted by settlers and speculators. The Revolutionary War itself was also a frontier war, with numerous battles between colonial settlers and Indigenous American tribes, many of whom had allied with the British in hopes of curbing American expansion. The subsequent treaties and policies of the United States government facilitated the transfer of vast tracts of Indigenous land to the federal government or American settlers, often through coercive or fraudulent means. The American colonists rationalized this process of dispossession by portraying Indigenous Americans as impediments to progress and civilization, a contradiction to the revolutionary ideals of liberty and justice.

The theme of liberty’s contradictions invites a critical examination of the American Revolution, urging a confrontation of the uncomfortable realities of a nation founded on principles of freedom that simultaneously perpetrated slavery and Indigenous dispossession. It prompts reflection on the legacies of these injustices and their continuing impact on American society. By engaging with this theme, the text offers a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the American Revolution, recognizing it not only as a seminal event in the struggle for independence but also as a moment that laid bare the considerable contradictions at the heart of the American project. This theme underscores the complexity of historical narratives and the importance of acknowledging and grappling with the full breadth of the past, including its most troubling aspects.