“No new social class came to power through the door of the American revolution. The men who engineered the revolt were largely members of the colonial ruling class.” — Howard Zinn

The American Revolution is a source of great pride for many Americans but it is without question one the most poorly remembered events in all of American history. The revolution did effectively nothing to change the social structures or class dynamics in America, outside of swapping kings for big business, in effect. The wealthy ruling class organized the revolt, while the working class and poor were forced to fight in a conflict (executed if they refused or deserted) with promises of an America that would benefit all. But after the revolution, nothing much changed.

The Declaration of Independence and US constitution were not written for the professed values of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” for ordinary people. These famous, and rather mythological, words did not apply to African slaves, indigenous Americans, women, immigrants, or poor people who, after having fought in the American Revolutionary war, faced high taxes and seizure of their homes, as well as livestock, for nonpayment—they applied to wealthy property owners and statesmen.

The popular narrative surrounding the American Revolution resides in the belief that fighting a war against the British empire was rooted in American self determination, which was strongly opposed by the interests of the British monarchy. Your average American discusses the revolt as if people collectively fought for independence and overcame what was, at the time, the most powerful empire in world history, essentially on our own. As with most historical events, a closer inspection reveals quite a different picture.

Although most people in the contemporary US celebrate this holiday as the day Americans overcame British tyranny (“no taxation without representation”), it should not be understated, or flat out ignored as is standard in American education, that the British wanting to designate the lands west of the Appalachians as “Indian Territory” and moving towards abolishing slavery had far more to do with the interests of American colonial elites than facing high taxes from the British Government did. And the implication (fable?) that it was simply hard fighting and determination from American soldiers that forced the British to withdraw is pure ignorance, if not outright bastardization, of the historical record. The revolt being successful had much more to do with the French empire intervening on behalf of colonial elites than it did with anything the colonies could do on their own. As Noam Chomsky said, “the American Revolution was a small part of a major world war going on between France and England, so the French intervened and that was a big factor, but the domestic contribution was basically guerrilla warfare.”

The American Revolution is largely rooted in mythology, in a sense, and designed the paint the founding of the country in a noble and courageous light rather than the murderous and expansionist ambitions that were at the forefront of the revolution and surely in its leaders’ hearts.

It’s not well remembered, but most ordinary people in the colonies viewed the revolution as swapping British monarchy and merchants for wealthy American statesmen and merchants. One tyranny for another with the same subpar circumstances and material conditions. The founders (owners) of the country merely replaced one oppressive and imperialist system with another on the basis of “Manifest Destiny.” Best understood as a principle of expansion, exploitation, and empire, but also simply known as the “free market.” While never intending on voting rights for women, slaves, indigenous peoples, or non-land owners (the poor). This is what people are talking about by the revolution bringing “freedom” to America. It’s also worth noting that those leading the revolt made much of their wealth from owning human beings, so perhaps we should caution before treating their vision as sacrosanct.

The revolution should really be understood as a mere coup by American colonial elites who owned the society, did not want the British meddling in THEIR internal affairs (I.E. the slaves they owned and the land they planned to conquer and settle to the west), and who wanted more centralized government power. While the general population of the colonies were mostly non-land owners or poor farmers who wanted more democracy and freedom of self determination. Hence why instances like the Shays and Whiskey Rebellions occurred and were subsequently put down with force. And not for nothing, but if July 4th is supposed to be about freedom, then why do we as Americans enjoy fewer freedoms than people living in Britain today?

Imagine celebrating a county that doesn’t guarantee its citizens the most basic of human rights—education and healthcare—which just about any other industrialized, and even many less fortunate, countries manage to do for theirs. Not to mention a country actively rolling back climate, labor, reproductive, and a laundry list of rights.

It’s important to understand that the freedoms we enjoy today were not granted to us by those in places of power, and certainly were not won during the American Revolution, but rather by working class movements, organizers, and popular activism that fought and pressed for progressive legislative reforms in subsequent years. This is core American history and critical in understanding why something like our celebrated holiday of “Independence Day” even exists.

INDEPENDENCE DAY & STATE PROPAGANDA

Most Americans are entirely unaware but “Independence Day” was designed by the first state propaganda agency, Woodrow Wilson’s Committee on Public Information (CPI). This was a committee created during WWI to take a pacifist and anti-war sentiment (most Americans opposed the First World War at the beginning but gradually supported intervention as years went on) and turn it into an anti-German hysteria, as well as to beat back the threat of radically organized labor which frightened big business interests after events such as the Industrial Workers of the World’s (IWW) victory in the Lawrence, MA strike in 1912.

The CPl’s success impressed the business world, hence one of its members Edward Bernays going on to be a leading figure in a vastly expanding and influential public relations industry which would be used to fabricate needs for apathetic consumers and instill a sense that individual material gain is the driving factor of human life.

This is great for corporate profits and just so happens to keep people distracted from a political establishment essentially owned and controlled by corporate interests. Around the turn of the 20th century, elites had found out that it was getting harder to control general populations with overt force as previously was done throughout history. People were gaining more of a say in political affairs and were showing that they wouldn’t be tamed as easily by state violence (although this still occurs today, it’s far less overtly possible than it used to be). Therefore, it became imperative for the state to control what people think. Corporate and political elites effectively figured out they couldn’t command the masses solely with violence anymore, but they could distract them with consumption and subtle methods of thought control.

This particular propaganda exercise began with big business and Government initiatives to “Americanize immigrants” (their words, not mine) and sow the seeds of patriotism and nationalism into the working class of the country. They wanted to induce loyalty and obedience into their minds, expelling any notion of the rights they had as working and poor people. They wanted to turn immigrants into natural enemies of “destructive forces” like the IWW which undermine the country’s supposed noble ideals and institutions. At a major conference of civic organizations (organized labor excluded), government and private organizations of all creeds had pledged themselves to cooperate in carrying out “Americanization” as a national project, while issuing plans for a successful Americanization program for the coming 4th of July. The title of the indoctrination ceremonies was to be “Americanization Day,” although on reflection “Independence Day” was the preferred moniker.

Labor leaders and organizers immediately recognized what was happening, with a United Mine Workers (UMW) top official stating that the big business-government initiative(propaganda) was: “attempting to set up a paternalism that will bring the workers of this country even more absolutely under the control of the employers, thus strengthening the chain of industrial tyranny in this country. That is what lies behind these efforts to sanctify and confirm oppression by waving the American flag in the face of its victims and by insidiously stigmatizing as unpatriotic any attempts they may make to throw off the yoke of the exploiting interests that they represent.”

But organized labor could not compete with corporate-state power, and lost this battle just as it failed to save “May Day,” which is not much celebrated here but is characterized and respected elsewhere as a labor festival with roots in solidarity with the struggles of brutalized American workers in the late 1800’s. See the Haymarket Massacre in Chicago for more information on this. It’s honestly as simple as understanding that things like patriotism and independence days are instruments for the attainment of the governments aims and the ambitions of the interests it represents. As Leo Tolstoy said, “patriotism is a slavish submission to those who hold power,” and most modern Americans are simply wage slaves for corporate America and the inhumane practices of empire.

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