The American Revolution: From Lexington Green to Independence Square
If you think that your community today is too fractured over political issues, imagine what it would have felt like to live in the American colonies on the eve of the Revolution. The situation with the British government across the Atlantic had united colonists while simultaneously creating new divisions.
As the disagreements spiraled toward violence, colonists up and down the coast were forced to reconsider the way they thought about themselves, each other, and the world in which they lived. The messy reality of America on the eve of the Revolution is a reminder that self-government, like history, is never neat and tidy.
The recently inflamed tensions with the British — including arguments over taxation and representation that had culminated in gunfire at Lexington and Concord — divided communities that had only recently agreed on just about everything. On the most basic level, colonists sorted themselves into categories like Loyalist and Patriot, clearly defining their relationship to the crown. On some level, everyone had to form an opinion about whether they were with or against the rule of King George.
One out of three colonists remained loyal to the Crown. They feared the bloodshed and desired to avoid political instability far more than they resented taxation without representation. These colonists saw the rebels as reckless hotheads pushing their communities toward chaos. Many Loyalists were merchants, pastors, or professionals who prayed for peace in an empire that had brought them economic, social, and cultural stability for decades.
Other colonists chose to fight against the status quo. However, for many Patriots, independence wasn’t the goal of their resistance. They weren’t anti-monarchists, or at least they didn’t begin this way. Nor did they dream of founding a republic when they boycotted British goods or marched in the streets.
While there were radicals among the colonists, many simply believed that they deserved the same legal protections as any resident of London. They viewed the new taxes and restrictive acts as violations of long-standing agreements, going all the way back to the Magna Carta. And while some Americans had taken up arms against the British, the militias that had done the fighting sprang up not out of ideological zeal but because locals felt threatened. They were defending their hometowns, personal property, families and neighbors against armed men, each fighting for their own reasons but united in a larger sense of a right to liberty.
That right was made plain in a time when armies wearing the colors of their own country acted more like pirates and highwaymen. The Patriots believed they had the right to push back, and this resistance drew diverse colonists together as Americans.
While military service helped unite some colonists, other divisions were harder to overcome. The Revolution splintered colonial society. Families broke apart. Neighbors turned each other in. Both Patriots and Loyalists confiscated property without due process, and businesses were boycotted or destroyed. Some Loyalists were tarred and feathered. Others fled their homes or were exiled. Fear, coercion, and peer pressure were effective tools in the battle for public opinion and a constant reality during the Revolution.
In other ways, the language of freedom and natural rights empowered groups of colonists who previously lacked a voice. Colonial women, freshly motivated by their participation in Revolutionary activities, absorbed and contributed to the discourse. They challenged existing notions of womanhood using the same language as political revolutionaries.
More dramatically, some enslaved people actively sought out their first chance at freedom. British officials promised emancipation to those who joined the royal cause, and free Black men and Native Americans served in colonial militias. The revolutionary rhetoric inspired a diverse cast of colonial Americans, all fighting for their own notions of liberty.
The Revolution did not resolve all contradictions. Indeed, the long struggle for women’s rights, the often-illiberal relationship with Native Americans, and the incredible growth of slavery in the 1800s are all examples of how the Revolution did not instantly create freedom for everyone.
However, it made those contradictions impossible to ignore. After 1776, Americans of all backgrounds understood the basic notion that “all men are created equal.” Although realities often fell short of that ideal, they would never again go unchallenged. And the process of building the Republic would be fundamentally shaped by the ideals set forth during those years. The Revolution had messy origins and produced messy results. But from this disorder emerged a few most radical ideas, including an inherent equality among everyone; a fundamental right to life, liberty, and property; and a confidence in our ability to create and maintain a government of, by, and for the people. These ideals still challenge us today.
About the Authors
Dr. Dale Moler is an Assistant Professor of History and the Honors Program Lead at Northwood University. Dr. Alexander Tokarev is an Associate Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Northwood University. A Northwood University alumna, Kristin Tokarev is a producer for Stossel TV. This piece originally was published in the March 2026 edition of When Free to Choose, Northwood University’s signature publication dedicated to exploring the importance of free enterprise. Click here to receive When Free to Choose in your inbox!