Book Review on Woods' the Radicalism of the American Revolution

The Radicalism of The American Revolution by: Gordon S. Woods
Published by: Vintage Books 1991 In Woods Pulitzer Prize winning account of U.S. society during the time of the American Revolution, he shows how the Revolution was not merely a coup de taut but a complete remodeling of social structure and organization. In Woods opinion the American Revolution was as radical as any revolution in history. The Revolution was very different from other revolutions, in that the British monarchy was being replaced by an American Republic and not another tyrant. “In fact, it was of the greatest revolutions the word has known, a momentous upheaval that not only fundamentally altered the character of American society but decisively affected the course of subsequent history” (Woods 5). During the pre-revolutionary period most colonists considered themselves Englishmen. Throughout the late seventeen hundreds many events occurred in which the colonists began to reevaluate their status as Englishmen. They began to think of themselves more as statesmen. This shift in sentiment led to the formation of a republic by the Articles of Confederation. No longer attached to the traditional propensities of the British monarchy and aristocratic social structure, colonists began to revise their social structure and allow for more social mobility. No longer was heredity the only way to acquire wealth and position. This alone was a momentous change in world history, allowing people, with no previous wealth or political affiliation, to rise in the ranks of society. Throughout the eighteenth century social and political structure were not that different. Under a monarchy there is one sovereign ruler, similar to the patriarchy in the homes of colonial America. Before the Revolution sons depended on their fathers for land and wealth, just as many politicians and military officers depended on the King for patronage. This patriarchal dependence limited the amount of vertical social mobility. In fact, Woods states that “The king was the “father” and Great Britain was the “mother country” and the colonists were their “children.” Woods shows how this voluntary familial relationship gets reduced to a contractual binding of two parties. The colonists show their allegiance to the crown in return for protection from enemies as well as of their individual rights and liberties. When brutal treatment of the colonists by the king broke this social contract, the “children” no longer felt the need to be subservient to the crown. This led Jefferson to assert were kings really “the servants and not the proprietors of the people, exalted above their brethren not for their own sakes but for the benefit of the people.” Were rulers not the same species and equal by nature with those they ruled? And do they greatly tarnish their dignity when they attempt to treat their subjects otherwise that as their fellow-men” (Woods 168)? The foundations for democracy were rising up in this young republican nation. Individuals’ rights became a very important issue to be protected by the government as opposed to the powers of the government being protected by the individual. Along with the recognition of individual rights, so too did economic equality arise amongst the colonists. Commerce became the binding glue between social classes and different professions. “All exchanges are acts of commerce, and the whole of human life is occupied by a series of exchanges and reciprocal service.” All the agents of trade-merchants, factors, retailers, commission brokers, shopkeepers-were equally useful to society (Woods 339). This expansion of trade also brought with it the need for a national currency because no longer were familial contracts and credit sufficient to the young Americans. Proprietary wealth, a large estate, personal reputation, or genteel authority no longer mattered; “I want a dollar,” was the new bartering system. This change from “confidence” to currency eliminated the authority and dependency felt between the social classes, bringing them closer together. In addition to commerce, the American work ethic was radically changed during this time period. Idleness, which was once revered and necessary for political ambition, became ignominious. Surprising many foreign visitors, like Tocqueville and Chevalier, Americans “celebrated work.” “ Labor lost its traditional association with meanness and became fully respectable. Only in America was industry an honor, and idleness a disgrace.” Even the rich were too devoted to work to enjoy a life of leisure. Tocqueville observed that everyman worked for a living and that it was honorable, not only to work, but work for profit (Woods 285). Woods asks the question, Who could be humiliated by working for pay when even the president of the country works for a salary? This view shows the radical shift from a country of aristocratic leisure and leadership to one of dignified work and opportunity for social mobility. Although many factors contributed to the molding of our young county in the late eighteenth century, none was more radical and influential than the American Revolution. From the election of our representatives and the patronage of our sons and delegates to the commerce that we know today and our present day work ethic, the revolution altered all facets of American life. Woods draws us a picture of what pre-revolutionary American society was like, and then goes through each aspect our social, economic, and political traditions to show how the American Revolution transformed our country to the nation it is today.