Give Me Liberty Analysis

Throughout history, art and literature have been used to spread thoughts, and ideas throughout the globe. The use of these medias in the American Revolution is no exception. From George Washington to Abigail Adams, dominant revolutionary figures used art and literature to spread the idea of inequality within the settlements, and the unjust relationship between Britain and the Americas across the colonies. Using Paul Revere’s inaccurate depiction of the Boston Massacre, and Eric Foner’s argument in his book Give Me Liberty! that “All revolutions enlarge the public sphere, inspiring previously marginalized groups to express their own dreams of freedom… the struggle against Britain threw into question many forms of authority and inequality” (Foner 217), one can come to the conclusion that mediums were used to spread the idea of equality throughout the British controlled settlements, and colonies. Although not accurate, Paul Revere’s engraving is one of the most well known pieces of colonial propaganda. It depicts a line of British soldiers firing into a crowd of seemingly innocent people, in the center of Boston.The engraving symbolizing the inequality between the British and the colonial people, after the multiple acts passed against the people. Most notably was The Townshend Acts - which taxed everyday goods
These details, added in with the symbolic meaning of a dog may lead the viewer to question the British authority, as well as think about the lack of equality within the British-Colonial relationship. This representation of colonial propaganda by Paul Revere justifies Foner’s argument that, “All revolutions enlarge the public sphere, inspiring previously marginalized groups to express their own dreams of freedom… the struggle against Britain threw into question many forms of authority and inequality” (Foner