https://www.businessinsider.com/what-it-takes-to-be-middle-class-middle-income-wealth-2024-5
“If we admit that we’re very class-based — which we really are — that reveals the uncomfortable truth that we’re not as democratic as we like to pretend to be, which is the heart and soul of this country,” he said. “If we’re not truly democracy, then what are we? That’s the whole justification for creating this country.”
Brother the country was created because people didn’t wanna pay taxes
I think the overwhelming reason was less an issue of taxes, and more an issue of Britain pressuring the ending of slavery which was the entire basis of the colonies economy. Britain levying taxes unilaterally was unpopular for 2 major reasons, they did not get any input from the colonies, and the money was being raised to pay debts related to the 7 years war, something the colonists felt they had no responsibility to pay.
The taxation was something easily sold to everybody, but the true concern of the ruling class was Slavery.
The 1772 Somerset Case ruling is a good place to start if anyone would like to read more about this.
Edit: to clarify, it’s not as black and white as I make it seem. But slavery was the major function uniting the south in the north’s bid for independence.
Wasn’t there also something about the settlers being pissed about the British government restricting how for west the settlers could go to steal native labs and get their Lebensraum?
At the time Britain didn’t have as much of a military and had a lot of debt due to overstretching their empire essentially, so there were a lot of fears that the American colonies could get away from Britain both economically and authoritatively. One way they thought to reign in this rogue colony was by instituting a sugar and molasses tax, which would siphon money to pay off war debts. This was extra insulting because the American colonist didn’t see themselves as British, this was seen as paying off another countries debt. They saw themselves as American, a vital component of any settler colonial state. Netanyahu doesn’t present himself as a resident of New Jersey. He is an Israeli citizen.
Another way they looked to contain the American colonies was to limit westward expansion, correct. Unchecked expansion would very quickly let the colony get out of control.
While England profited extremely well from the Atlantic slave trade, namely, by turning that cheap cotton into textiles, they also started turning an eye towards ending slavery, both at home and abroad in colonies, including the Americas. This becomes an important factor and a major concern for both the the slaveholding colonists and the slaves themselves seeking freedom.
It’s no great big coincidence that the constitution laid out a future date ending the importation of slaves. Northern parties wanted to end slavery immediately, or at least lay out the foundation in the path forward for ending slavery. The slave holding parties involved were OK with this middle ground because they foresaw that they wouldn’t need to import any more slaves if they would turn their attention towards breeding programs.
Britain tried a lot to kind of smother the colonies in the cradle. Shame they didn’t do more.
I feel it’s also important to note that the majority reason the north wanted to end slavery was not out of humanitarian reasons, although that was a factor. It was an economic conflict between the northern and southern economies essentially. The north couldn’t really compete with the south when the north has to pay wages and the south doesn’t. This point of time is very deep and very wide. Lots to read and lots to study.
Your edit is reasonable but to suggest it as the overwhelming cause seems a bit too far. Granted I’m not a historian but I’ve heard it suggested there isn’t enough to support that view
That’s most likely correct, my wording should have been better. I just chafe when I see the america settler colonial projects bid for independence framed only as an issue of taxation. With more reading of diverse sources Slavery focuses into one of the major motivators.
Further context can be found in the way the slavery conflict was written into the declaration of independence. Even with independence from Britain won, the uniting of the northern industrial and southern slave economies was on extremely rocky footing. By examining the Civil War you can trace the roots of major issues to the American War of Independence.
It’s fascinating to me so I’ll add it to my list of things to look into. Thanks for including it in your comments.
Slaves were just as instrumental in the war of independence as they were in the Civil War. During both conflicts they were misled by false promises of freedom. It’s a very fascinating part of American history that has been largely overlooked by white male historians, go figure.
I ended up finding this article about the fate of African Americans after the Yorktown Treaty. Interesting stuff.
The book Settlers is always highly recommended and it delves into this event a little, a good companion piece could be The 1619 Project as well!
Name more iconic duo than Americans and seceding to keep slavery. It happened thrice.
Yeah, but you don’t need a democracy just because you had a revolution over taxes. It was a democracy by and for the bourgeoisie out of necessity, meant to handle internal class conflict for a class that was far from nonhierarchical, but also much more distributed than the strict pyramid structure of the monarchy. The settlers importing and enslaving a bespoke proletariat resulted in a class fluidity that made it necessary to establish governance that would accommodate that fluidity. Specifically, of the ruling class being based on capital ownership as well as race and sex.
Really well said.
Thank you. It’s mostly paraphrasing Settlers, but I think the bit about the democracy being by and for the bourgeoisie makes a lot of American mythology makes sense. At least for me, it connects the dots because the ideals Americans are taught about democracy and the source of those ideals in the self-interest of land-owning male slave owners. These were very practical considerations for material problems.
Same. I like to rationalize it as them thinking about their (class) problems in very selfish and largely un-critical ways, then conversing with other like minded individuals who share selfish (class) interests, then they write those ideas down and that becomes what is taught to all. Since they hold an overwhelming monopoly on power those ideas remain largely unchallenged as they go on to shape history. They make sense from their point of view to me, because it’s exactly their point of view, without any consideration for the possibility of my point of view. It’s the various interpretations and justifications after the fact that filter their way through the generations. It really makes the idea that we have an unchanging constitution extra terrifying.
It’s our point of view and our expectations that their words mean “liberty and freedom for all,” but their point of view meant exactly what was on the tin “liberty and freedom for all (of my class)”