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Howard Zinn And Gordon Wood

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The American Revolution

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Howard Zinn Verses Gordon Wood Viewpoints

The American Revolution was tremendous, lasting a couple of years. It had a significant

impact on the country, improving some aspects and making others more complex. The revolution

occurred because Americans wanted independence from Britain's Empire and to form a

new government and nation. Howard Zinn believed that the revolution had little effect on the lives

of Americans; rather, he believed that the revolution was a better method to preserve America's

position. On the contrary, Gordon Wood believed that the American Revolution was a life-

transforming experience and could improve everyone's life if the individual wished to embrace the

transformation.

First, Howard Zinn opposed Wood, believing that the American Revolution was all about

money and power. He considered that this was a more effective method of preserving America's

position. The British required the funds to finance their seven-year war. Instead of finding the

funds themselves, they simply levied taxes on the colonies and forced them to pay. He asserts in

his article that the majority of the Revolutionary leaders were part of the colonial privileged

seeking to maintain their riches and power. They utilized the fight for freedom from Britain to

build popular support for their ongoing control and to avert major internal changes in American

society (Zinn, n.d). Howard Zinn contends that the war had no discernible impacts on the lives of

ordinary Americans. Additionally, he asserts that colonial aristocrats were using the war for their

own selfish and personal benefit.

As per Zinn, the colonial elites utilized the conflict to expand and strengthen their social

and political status, abandoning the poor in the same position before the war. Howard writes in his

study that there were increasing instances of disparity between the underprivileged and the

privileged in the rural areas where many Americans lived. The elites exploited the discrepancy to

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1 The American Revolution Student Name Institution Code Instructor's Name Date 2 Howard Zinn Verses Gordon Wood Viewpoints The American Revolution was tremendous, lasting a couple of years. It had a significant impact on the country, improving some aspects and making others more complex. The revolution occurred because Americans wanted independence from Britain's Empire and to form a new government and nation. Howard Zinn believed that the revolution had little effect on the lives of Americans; rather, he believed that the revolution was a better method to preserve America's position. On the contrary, Gordon Wood believed that the American Revolution was a lifetransforming experience and could improve everyone's life if the individual wished to embrace the transformation. First, Howard Zinn opposed Wood, believing that the American Revolution was all about money and power. He considered that this was a more effective method of preserving America's position. The British required the funds to finance their seven-year war. Instead of finding the funds themselves, they simply levied taxes on the colonies and forced them to pay. He asserts in his article that the majority of the Revolutionary leaders were part of the colonial privileged seeking to maintain their riches and power. They utilized the fight for freedom from Britain to build popular support for their ongoing control and to avert major internal changes in American society (Zinn, n.d). Howard Zinn contends that the ...
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Tags: article analysis American society American Revolution 1763 Gordon S Wood