The REAL REASON for the American Revolution with Noam Chomsky.

Noam Chomsky interviewed by Rocky Rodriguez Jr/Helen Foster for the documentary film 'Dog Years: Solidarity and the European Refugee Crisis' in 2016. This clip was not used in the film and deserves to be spread widely.

Watch Dog Years here:

[glennwilson]

Slavery was a major reason for Texans to break away from Mexico. Slavery was outlawed in Mexico.

[matthewkuchinski]

Another major reason for the war that had huge ramifications was the Appalachian Divide of 1763. This was a major concession to Pontiac and his confederacy by Great Britain that was to limit colonial expansion, in fact curtail it. Unfortunately, many colonists were outraged by this treaty obligation, even going so far as to violate its terms, thus pushing many First Nations people into the camp of the British and creating ill-feeling from the colonists towards the mother country.

[EGarrett]

The original draft of the Declaration of Independence had a paragraph excoriating slavery and calling it an assemblage of horrors, using all capital letters. It got removed because so many states, particularly southern states, relied on it and wouldn't support the revolution otherwise. But that doesn't mean the Founding Fathers were gung-ho slave-owners. They knew it was wrong and eventually it would have to be dealt with and discussed that, which of course happened in the Civil War.

[SharonODonnell-kffg]

Slavery was abolished in England and wales in 1772. In the colonies 1833.

[anoniemuss]

Soldiers rarely fight wars for the same reasons as those who start them.

[europhile]

I've heard that theory before, British sources tend to use that. What he didn't say was the revolution started in New England where slavery was not such a big deal. It did exist though. I've never heard these ideas associated with the New England (particularly Boston) patriots

[fredwood]

Oddly enough, I did learn about "The line" to Western expansion and prison slavery and "share cropping" slavery in grade school in West Virginia, from our West Virginia History books, back in the 1950s and 60s. I doubt that book is still in print, let alone taught in West Virginia school today.

[johnwebber]

That Americans wanted independence because they wanted to expand westwards means they just got rid of colonialism because they want to do it for themselves! I had the right thought all along. Eventually they became settler colonisation par excellence without regrets! Thx Noam for confirming.

[jjreddick]

Many people don’t realize the the revolutionaries represented a minority of the colonial population.

[victornascimentopeix]

Does anyone know a book that sums up all these information?

[RichardPepperman-kkyb]

I hope people can find Chomsky's brilliant lecture on, THE REAL REASON FOR TOILET PAPER

[thehellyousay]

a proposed empire-wide central banking system based in london was another motivation for those slave-owning capitalists. central banking can only operate if the people within its systemic reach are born into arbitrary debt. banking's central premise is the lending out and receiving repayment at interest, other people's money for profit. central banking is the premise that the other people whose money is being lent, are yet to be born. abstraction can take us to truly absurd places where atrocious things occur.
central banking only became possible once usury ceased being a crime.

[c.galindo]

As seemingly virtuous it is to vilify slavery.
Pushing it as if it was a major landmark of why a nation was created; does not equate to the reality of what the nation actually stood for or even factually accurate.
Pandering more towards the negative qualities of history is definitely going to stir emotional ignorance amongst those with spiteful insecurities, outlandish dissonance towards subjects they disagree with, and even the lack of mature cognitive thinking.
He has an apologist attitude as if it is being practiced today as much as it was in the past

[thetippingpoint]

Does Chomsky know that the American Revolution didn't start in Virginia but started in the north with opposition to the Stamp Act and consequent Boston Tea Party then the battles of Lexington and Concord. Geez everyone has to put their own spin on everything.

[mylesjordan]

Cotton was “king” just as oil is now, for many of the same reasons. One is that oil makes possible trade and distribution today that, in the age of sail, was dependent upon cotton canvas.

[justinkuemmerle]

This doesn't explain why first battle occurred in Massachusetts or the Boston Tea Party.

[stuartmcalpine]

Focus on point two people. Americans are so easily distracted by slavery. Point two, the other reason, expansion. Britain already had treaties with the Indians. American colonists wanted more living room, expansion.

[notlikely]

George III paid to fight the French and Indian wars in North America

But when he tried to recoup the costs through taxation, the Merchant class refused to pay for their own protection

And not much has changed in 250 odd years

Others bleed so we can profit

[galacticgufus]

It's nice to hear someone else saying this.

[paulgrieve]

So glad to hear this. Yes I studied the British empire for a year but didn’t know much about the reasons for American independence