Explaining the American Revolution

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[QuizmasterLaw]

Correction: the French people in Quebec supported the revolution. Gen. Arnold succesfully occupied Quebec for many months, but the British sent a large fleet with reinforcements, and he was unable to hold it, even with the support of the French. After the war however the British gave the French in Quebec lots of rights they lacked. So in 1812 the French in Quebec were neutral or even opposed to the US invasion of Canada.

[DarthHoosier]

We don’t give the founding fathers enough credit in the modern day for the quantum leap they made for democracy and the world. In the modern day, we often criticize them for not making America democratic enough upon independence.
However, if you looked at the history of democracy and republics leading up to the American revolution, it really did seem like a failed experiment. Athens and its sister republics lost, again, and again. Rome reached the Pax Romana right after dissolving the republic. States like Venice and Holland lost to France and Austria. Poland was losing to Russia, and Cromwell’s republic had burned out quickly in England.
It took serious balls to take the risk the founding fathers did, testing this new radical form of government. The most radical form of this type of government in the history of humanity.
Yet they did it, and did it beautifully, leading to the greatest nation on Earth. Mad respect to them. 🫡
USA USA USA USA 🇺🇸 🦅 🦅 💥

[KaiHung-wvul]

"If you can rebel, rebel!"
This is when I remembered that Rudyard is Irish.

[josephcrook]

Great video. I will, however, posit one thing. What actually did make Washington a good General was the fact that he realized the War of Independence was a marathon, not a sprint, and thus keeping his army together was more important than winning battles. He won the battles he needed to in order to keep the cause alive, but lost the ones he could afford to in order to keep his army alive. I think Washington contrasts in this way with Robert E. Lee in the Civil War. Lee won way more battles than he lost, but he continuously broke his army down in doing so. His stunning victory at Chancellorsville, for example, cost him more than just Stonewall Jackson, but a considerable number of his brigade and regimental commanders as well. Men who did the direct leading in the field and cannot just be replaced 1 for 1. After Chancellorsville was Gettysburg and we all know how that story ends. Granted, the Civil War was a far more total war, fought as the tide of the Industrial Revolution was gaining it's full momentum, but the point about Washington and Lee still stands.

[zakadams]

The point about the 18th and 19th centuries as the high water mark for intelligence is deeply upsetting

[cowyemrsox]

You forgot the part where George Washington rides into battle on his Dodge Charger, I just wanted to point that out.

[Mr._Anderpson]

Britain: Let's clean up our little island by removing all the malcontents and rabble-rousers. Off to the Americas with you!

Also Britain: They've rebelled, you say? Well, who could have seen that coming?

[CD-pmkc]

The British elites were Royalty (Power by birth right) and the American's were a new bourgeoisie class (Power by merit and hard work). A inevitable clash of ideologies. [leviathan and its enemies reference]

[CivilizedWasteland]

"A History of Banking and the Enslavement of Mankind" has a wonderful fact checked peer review analysis on the reasons for the American Independence War that weren't explained here.

[lucasward]

Ive been waiting for this one. I love to listen to these while doing homework.

[RainFall]

Sad that the world has come to "I can say this because it's about my people".

[QuizmasterLaw]

Legally speaking, yes, the colonists absolutely fought for their rights as Britons, thus the right to parliamentary representation. The British argument was that the colonists had indirect virtual representation by the British parliament. This incidentally echos in the idea of representation of the slave population as 3/5 citizens; they had indirect representation. I have never however encountered the idea that the British regarded the Americas as merely conquered territory. These people were in fact British subjects, and as such were sworn to allegiance to the crown, which is why the rebellion was treason.

[tracyharms]

You and Yarvin are both topsy-turvey. American revolutionists weren’t (mostly) not wanting the King to tell them what to do, they were opposing Parliament.

[Rabbitface]

I’ve noticed that Rudyard likes to use New Jersey as a reference for how small a place is in his videos! Lol I’ve really enjoyed watching these videos on this channel where he sits in front of a camera and tells you the history; it may not be super high budget but it’s very informative and down to earth. Keep up the hard work!

[stevecooper]

The American Revolution had to happen for one reason: God Himself inspired the most enlightened men in the world at the time to organize a government, a more perfect union, to carry out His Will for the American people and for the world to see a model of Constitutional rights that mankind could follow.

[QuizmasterLaw]

I would absolutely love to see Rudyard do a video comparing the English civil war, the American revolution, the French revolution, and the American civil war. It's a lot of ground, but he already did all of them separately so really "all" that would be required is to connect the dots. If feeling really ambitious toss in the USSR 1917 and maybe the Chinese revolution (Sun Yat Sen, not the Chinese civil war) as a follow on video!

[Rocknrolldaddy-xyur]

How cool would it be if he teamed up with the guy from Useful Chats. The left brain and right brain unite!

[aasifazimabadi]

As a second-generation American (my parents were the immigrants from India), I don’t have ancestors that fought in the American Revolution (1775-81). I do have ancestors that fought in the Sepoy Mutiny (1857-59), known as India’s First War for Independence. Spoiler alert: the Indians lost, and my family decided to surrender to the British just so they could survive. My ancestors were part of the Mughal landed gentry from Delhi, and after being pushed east into Bihar in the aftermath of the Mutiny, they got to be zamindars (tax farmers); that system lasted until the 1950s. The narrative of the American Revolution and the early republic does fascinate me; George Washington could have become King George I of these United States after overthrowing King George III of Great Britain. He, in fact, chose not to be. Even as I child, I found that rather admirable.

[Rocknrolldaddy-xyur]

Could you do a history of mathematical ideas, and their implications by region?
Great work BTW - thank you!

[sjs]

The MOST influential aspect of the American Revolution was … they were well established and 3000 miles AWAY !
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