In America, the period of 1765 to 1783 is considered one of heroic importance. To some, it’s the source of our honor and an event that should be revered throughout the world. The events of that time have placed many individuals into positions of idolatry and have been the source from which our disturbingly common and potentially destructive nationalism manifests.
What if I were to state that the rebellion is not as revered as we would like it to be or as championed we think it is? What if I were to say that the actions of Washington, Jefferson, Adams, and their ilk are not considered heroic around the world? What if I were to note that the American Revolution is not taught to students in other countries or has been relegated to a mere footnote in their history books?
Atlantic Media’s Quartz took to Reddit and Quora to get an idea of how the American Revolution is taught around the world. Was it a heroic act to break the bonds of tyranny? Was it reviled and considered little more than a temper-tantrum? Was it even taught?
Some of the more common answers given by those participating in the forum include:
- The American Revolution is part of the Age of Enlightenment, with education focused on the philosophical and political side rather than the militaristic features.
- Despite being a catalyst for a variety of similar revolutions worldwide, the American Revolution is a footnote when learning about the French Revolution and other such revolutions that swept through Europe.
- The American Revolution is not taught at all.
These summaries make sense to me. I don’t necessarily view the American Revolution to be an overtly heroic act. In fact, while I believe it to be an important event that took place, one that could be considered “necessary” given the circumstances, I understand that one person’s “freedom fighter” is another person’s “terrorist.” I understand that what some consider heroic can be labelled treasonous.
The colonists were ill-equipped, under-prepared, and overwhelmed. Without the French Navy, the colonists would have lost. The American Revolution wasn’t some glorious, heroic, virtuous act, despite its probable necessity. It was, in a lot of ways, a misguided and poorly-handled rebellion that just happened to work out since the British were on everyone’s shit-list at the time.
Respondents from the United Kingdom seemed to have very diverse answers in how they were taught about the American Revolution. From Quartz:
“We touched on it in A level history (UK). We didn’t go into great detail, but it was essentially that you guys ran with the ideas of Locke, Voltaire and Rousseau, and a lot of the reason why you were successful is because you were bankrolled and aided by the French, who wanted to weaken the British Empire.
Again, this was more just general class discussion, we didn’t actually officially study it. We studied the French one instead because in this part of the world it’s seen as a much bigger deal.”
Of course, the history of the United Kingdom is over 2,000 years old. American history is not nearly as eventful at this point:
“When you have over 2,000 years of history including monarchical struggle, religious tyranny, our own civil war, attempted invasion, two world wars on our door step etc, then it just mostly gets missed.”
Other respondents outside of the United Kingdom stated that the American Revolution is mentioned as a sidenote to the French Revolution and the Napoleanic Wars (Poland), that high school curriculum on the subject is comparable to watching “The Patriot” or playing Assassins Creed 3 (Belgium), and that the American Revolution is an introductory event to the French Revolution (France).
One Canadian respondent stated that while the American Revolution is a wildly-influential event that continues to shape America to this day, the French Revolution was the one that fundamentally altered the course of Western civilization.
I’m inclined to support that statement explicitly. The effects of the French Revolution abolished serfdom, slavery, inherited privilege, and judicial torture, and has been invoked repeatedly throughout Eurasia for over 200 years. The American Revolution has had no such worldwide impact, and the accomplishments the French made, especially in the realm of human rights, would not be realized in America for over 100 years after achieving independence.
In some cases, those accomplishments are still not realized here.
Even though some view the American Revolution to be a heroic act, the deficiency of outcome, especially considering the school of thought from which it brewed, and the lack of freedom actually achieved, I believe calling the American Revolution “heroic” is speaking falsely.
Necessary? Sure. Warranted? I’ll grant that. But, heroic? I do not believe so, and I believe that the lack of education on the subject worldwide is reflective of that.
