The opening shot of the American Revolutionary War at Lexington and Concord in 1775 reverberated around the colonies, signaling the start of the 8-year conflict that would ultimately lead to American independence. As we well know, George Washington‘s scrappy Continental Army, cobbled together from various local militias, defied the odds and defeated the mighty British Empire – the superpower of the 18th century. But who exactly emerged victorious when the dust settled after the climactic Battle of Yorktown in 1781?
On the surface, it may seem the winners were clear – the Thirteen Colonies succeeded in throwing off British tyranny and establishing themselves as a new sovereign nation. However, we must analyze the outcomes more closely through an economic, political, social, and philosophical lens. When applying the famous phrase “by the people, for the people,” we see that while the Founding Fathers and landed gentry bolstered their wealth and power, the revolution did not lead to substantial changes for many groups in the colonies.
The Haves and Have-Nots of the New Nation
The leaders of the revolution were mostly wealthy landowners, merchants, lawyers and businessmen, what we may refer to as the colonial elite. George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton – the list of Founding Fathers contains names that have gone down in history for their pivotal roles in creating America.
These men had much to gain from independence. They were able to create a government with themselves at the helm, instituting policy and laws that protected land ownership, manufacturing interests, and capitalist enterprise. Rather than upending social hierarchies, the post-revolution period reinforced the standing of aristocratic families in places like Virginia, New York, and Massachusetts.
Men like Washington, Jefferson and Madison solidified their individual power bases as well as the prominence of Southern landowners as a class. Washington himself owned over 50,000 acres of land across Virginia, Maryland and Western Pennsylvania by the late 1770s. Even in the North, elite merchant families like the Schuylers, Livingstons, and Philipses retained their fortune and influence as they had under British rule.
For the middle and lower economic echelons who participated as foot soldiers, victory was less lucrative. Though independence opened new mercantile opportunities and westward expansion over the Appalachians, average Americans still occupied relatively modest and agrarian lifestyles during the early republic. The nation also plunged into economic depression shortly after the war – by 1786, average wages had dropped almost 40% compared to 1776.
Unfulfilled Promises of Equality and Freedom
What of more marginalized groups who contributed toward the war effort like women, slaves and free Blacks, Native Americans, and religious minorities? The progressive language of the Declaration of Independence proclaimed “all men are created equal,” but failed to deliver social equality across racial, ethnic, and gender lines after 1781.
Women provided domestic and logistical support as “camp followers,” while some disguised themselves as men to serve in military roles. They managed family businesses and farms, conducted espionage and intelligence-gathering, and coordinated resistance efforts while their husbands were away fighting. Yet female patriots were still unable to vote or hold public office after independence, and actually lost special protections under British law.
For the nearly 500,000 slaves in the American colonies, the revolution presented a beacon of light at the end of the tunnel. The rhetoric of universal freedom and equality resonated deeply for those living in bondage. During the war, the British Crown promised emancipation for any slaves who escaped across their lines. By 1781, over 100,000 slaves had fled, including the entire slave populations of some coastal South Carolina and Georgia plantations. Though only 20,000 slaves were directly freed via British proclamation, it set forth a template for large-scale emancipation.
Despite this, the institution of slavery continued to be entrenched after American victory, especially as cotton rose as a lucrative cash crop. The number of slaves steadily grew in the Upper South and Southern coastal areas. States like Virginia and Maryland would not abolish slavery until the 1860s, almost a century later.
Native American tribes entered into over 175 treaties and alliances with either the revolutionaries or loyalists. They hoped allegiance to a side would halt the steady encroachment of white settlers into indigenous lands. But within several decades of victory, Native Americans across all regions were subjected to forced relocation and displacement from their ancestral homelands by policies of the new US government.
A Legacy of Liberty
Despite failing to achieve the lofty vision put forth by its leaders, the American Revolution was still a transformative event that reshaped the course of history around the globe. The ideas it spawned regarding liberty, equality, governance and philosophy inspired subsequent independence movements and revolutions throughout the 19th century. Napoleon Bonaparte was a keen admirer of George Washington, while Simon Bolivar’s struggle to liberate South America from Spanish rule was steeped in reverence for the founding fathers.
In Europe, the French Revolution of 1789 took cues directly from its American predecessor, as enlightenment principles clashed with monarchical powers for the next century from Britain to Russia to Austria. Colonial rebellions also broke out inspired by America’s victory in places ranging from Ireland to Egypt to southern Africa. This period of ideological turmoil has been dubbed the “Age of Democratic Revolutions” by modern historians.
Winners & Losers – By The Numbers
American and French Alliance
- French troops – 7,000 at Yorktown
- French ships – 36 total
- Money lent by French crown – $10 million Livres
- Cost borne by France – 1,066 million Livres
Continental Army
- Peak troop strength – 20,000
- Casualties – ~6,800 dead
- Veterans granted land – 7 million acres
Colonists
- Population in 1776 – 2.5 million
- Families impacted by disruption – 90%
- Fall in real wages ‘76-‘86 – over 40%
Black Americans
- Northern states abolishing slavery – 5 by 1804
- Slaves freed by Brits – 20,000
- Slaves returned after peace treaty – ~3,000
Native Tribes
- Casualties from wars during Rev period – Over 12,000
- Territories ceded by British in Treaty of Paris – 200 million acres
- Native tribes present in 1830 east of Mississippi – 46
Regional Differences Emerge
In the decades after triumph in the Revolutionary War, distinct differences emerged between economies and cultures of the North and South. In New England, the economy was driven by maritime trade, fishing and mid-size farms. Slavery was rare due to less suitable large-scale agriculture. With close ties to Britain, merchants amassed fortunes which they invested into banks and insurance companies. Thriving skilled craftsmen and artisans spurred manufacturing, especially for household goods.
The South heavily relied on the plantation system and cash crops like tobacco, cotton, rice and indigo. Supported by slave labor, elite landed gentry established a cultural tradition defined by aristocratic gentility and social hierarchies. Though less entrepreneurial than their northern peers, prominent families dominated state legislatures and Congress throughout the 1780-90s.
The cultural and economic chasm arising between America‘s regions would culminate eight decades later in the outbreak of the catastrophic Civil War, the greatest challenge faced by any generation since independence in the Revolution. The compromises and conflicts seeded during the post-revolutionary period inevitably influenced how North and South diverged leading into the 1860s crisis over federal power.
In Conclusion
The American Revolution represents one of history’s great paradoxes – a movement championed as a shining beacon for casting off the chains of tyranny, yet failing to break links of bondage for so many within America’s borders. It gained political autonomy for elite white male colonists, but did not uplift commoners’ financial situations nor bring social equality for women, Blacks and Native Americans.
Yet revolutionaries like Washington, Jefferson and Madison still occupy an unparalleled position atop history’s pantheon of liberators because their audacious gambit worked. They etched an indelible mark on humankind’s perpetual march to forge both a perfect union and a more perfect people. The shot they fired in 1775 still reverberates around the globe over two hundred years later – because the revolution belongs not just to Americans, but to anyone who shares the innate thirst for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.