The Revolution Was Overkill

 

Several years ago I watched the HBO mini-series John Adams and was completely blown away. I was moved emotionally and patriotically. I still am. I love my country and I largely agree with the principles that propelled our independence, the tenets that undergird our Constitution, and the liberty that is the substrata of our identity. I agree with the Revolutionary cry of "no taxation without representation." All that said, as a historian and a Christian, I think our Revolutionary War was overkill and perhaps morally wrong. 

What?

Yes, that's practically blasphemy to American patriotism. Thankfully, I don't worship at the alter of Jefferson or bow eastward to the Mecca of Washington DC. My nationalism is not my religion. And I am still proud to be an American, though less proud of the tomfoolery in contemporary politics. Really, such has always existed, so maybe that's the heart of my thesis here.

So, what am I suggesting?

Simply put, we went to war over taxation. Really, we didn't go to war over taxes, but the fact that our taxes which supported British Parliament didn't ensure us direct representation. And the taxes levied against us like the Sugar, Stamp, and Tea Acts, were quantitatively reasonable. Colonial domestic taxes were often more costly. Great Britain had applied these taxes largely to recoup the losses to the country during the French-Indian War (Seven Years War), which was largely fought in North America. In short, Britain had bolstered the colonial defenses in the war and was hit hard economically, which was then passed on to the colonial citizens as part of their responsibility for war costs. It seemed reasonable.

The gripe was not over being taxed so much as it was over being taxed without representation. This I agree with; however, to fight a bloody war over this matter seems overkill. It wasn't until the late 1760s to mid 1770s that the idea of being other than British was even a thought in America. It really wasn't until Thomas Paine wrote his pamphlet Common Sense in 1776 that the scales for independence tipped. It was, in my opinion, hyper-reactionary. Lives were lost over an ideological principle. Americans were not enslaved by Britain and largely enjoyed the rights as Englishmen. In a sense, they functioned more like Puerto Ricans or residents of DC do today in the US. They were full citizens, but they lacked the correlative national representation. 

Another factor under-explored was the tea trade, which often came bootlegged (cheaper and better quality) through the Dutch (close to 86%). The Tea Act was partly Britain's way of curtailing this illegal practice. Britain may have been wrong in limiting free trade, but British economic impact was a reality. The truth is that at this time, America had become a wealthy and practically independent-minded part of the British Empire, though nobody was really seeking a divorce between the two parts of the empire. Sadly, the straw that broke the camel's back was not something that in any good conscience should warrant bloodshed. 

Then, look at today's environment where rioters can raid the US Capital Building screaming, "This is our 1776." The violence at the Capital was unnecessary and overkill as well. Assuredly, most of these folks believed they were being patriotic and that they knew something subversive was happening in government. I get it. I disagree and think their evidences are chocked full of confirmation bias and presuppositions, but I don't think these folks were acting unpatriotic; rather, they were acting hyper-patriotic. For the American colonies, their rebellion was largely based on hyper-Englishness and the reclamation of English rights. Nonetheless, violence and actions do not make a position more correct. As Lincoln once said, "Right makes might," not the other way around. 

So, the Revolution and today's insurrection were -- in my opinion -- wrong in execution, though the dialogue was correct and appropriate. We need to weigh our civil concerns. So, let's do it right, by constitutional address and not overreaction. Blessings.