The American Revolution is one of the most profound revolutions in modern history. It fundamentally changed how our nation operates, by replacing a monarchial authority with a representative form of government. The Founding Fathers were fighting for separation from the Crown, and today they would be shocked to see how far Americans have come in creating a democracy based on individual rights and freedoms. The effects of this radical thinking were evident in most of the thirteen colonies, but in Pennsylvania they were extremely apparent as the colony first underwent an internal revolution and then committed to fighting for American Independence.
In the early 1760’s Pennsylvania was in a rather complicated situation, according to Gordon Wood, the strain in the society could not be symbolized simply as “a Whiggish conflict between Crown and people” (Wood, 84). Throughout this decade Benjamin Franklin and a group of Quaker Elite from the …show more content…
While the Assembly remained rooted in traditional thought a group of radical thinkers began to form alliances with Philadelphian artisans, mechanics, small retailers, and laborers (ExplorePAhistory.com). These Radical Republicans, led by James Canon, organized themselves into “Revolutionary organizations” (Wood, 84) and began facilitating boycotts, protests, and militia training amongst the colonists. These men, with the approval of the Continental Congress, eventually bypassed the authority of the Assembly and in the summer of 1776 took control of the convention that drafted the most radical constitution of all the thirteen colonies (Wood, 84). Equality and representation of the people became the overarching demand of the radical thinkers in Pennsylvania and in the summer of 1776 the colony joined the twelve others in a war for national salvation against Great
In the early 1760’s Pennsylvania was in a rather complicated situation, according to Gordon Wood, the strain in the society could not be symbolized simply as “a Whiggish conflict between Crown and people” (Wood, 84). Throughout this decade Benjamin Franklin and a group of Quaker Elite from the …show more content…
While the Assembly remained rooted in traditional thought a group of radical thinkers began to form alliances with Philadelphian artisans, mechanics, small retailers, and laborers (ExplorePAhistory.com). These Radical Republicans, led by James Canon, organized themselves into “Revolutionary organizations” (Wood, 84) and began facilitating boycotts, protests, and militia training amongst the colonists. These men, with the approval of the Continental Congress, eventually bypassed the authority of the Assembly and in the summer of 1776 took control of the convention that drafted the most radical constitution of all the thirteen colonies (Wood, 84). Equality and representation of the people became the overarching demand of the radical thinkers in Pennsylvania and in the summer of 1776 the colony joined the twelve others in a war for national salvation against Great