1776: What does it mean to you?

Martin and I are planning to do a show about the American Revolution. The idea is to see what's different about the modern British and American perpsectives.

If you have any questions for either one of us, please post them here.

one thing i've always found rather interesting is that - back then - the british still followed the 'rules of war' at the time. You know, marching in lines, declaration, yadda yadda yadda, and America ultimately defeated them by going against the "rules of engagement" of the time


Such examples i remember reading would be the Americans ambusing the british soldiers as they walked through a valley.

I think modern ideals go something like this


Great Britian: We're still great, we know it, if you disagree, big deal

American: Ya.!!!!...we're great, and we know it, and you better know it, bud, thats right, we'll come to your house and huff and puff and blow the damn thing up if you disagree!!!!!!!

America is the newer nation, who's head is swelling with power
Great britian has 'been there, done that' and really just sets back and sides with us so they dont have to oppose us (not that they're afraid, i just think they dont wanna deal with it)

I love America, but every so often, you have to put a reality check on the things you love, to make sure they havent taken advantage of your complacentcy.

I think americans THINK great britian is jealous that America once belonged to the queen.
But i dont think this is the mentality in London



Just my 2 cents..i hope thats what you were looking for?

reply to post by Justin_Case

I'm not an American, but for me it's always symbolized the birth of freedom, what the current government screwed up pretty well. Guys, in the U.S., you should learn from that revolution.

British part... well, the greatest failure of an other empire, that I also respected until Tony Blair arrived and also screwed.

1776 was the birthday of the Declaration of Independence. July 4, 1776 is why we celebrate Independence day. T. Saussy in Rulers of Evil
Draws comparisons between the Declaration of Independence and Bellarminian liberation theology.
More interestingly perhaps, is this factoid from the book:
1776 = MDCCLXXVI
MDC= 1600 = (1+6) = 7
CLX = 160 = (1+6) =7
XVI = 16 = (1+6) = 7

To me it means new beginning, forging through darkness to light and freedom.

On the surface it sounds like an easy question but it really isn't.

The American Revolution does mean different things to different people. Here in the U.S., we find that each generation tends to look at in a different way. It's not as 'popular' as it once was due to Political Correctness.

Once upon a time, Britain was the superpower and WE were the unsurgents. Today's Bush administration doesn't seem to have a grip on what's doing in Iraq. British leaders back in the day seem to have totally misunderstood what they were dealing with.

Most rebellions fail. the last two thousand years of recorded history would suggest that 98% of all known rebellions have failed. Some revolts requried very long periods of oppression befure they ignited. Others came about suddenly. The U.S. colonial revolt took roughly seven years to catch fire.

The mistrust of government which played a role in sparking that revolt is still with us today.

reply to post by Justin_Case


I feel that your post does merit a reply. I will try to be brief in order to avoid going off topic . When dealing with insurgency's current and past it is well worth bearing in mind that the government isnt always the oppressive(SP?) . People also mistake local populations being forced into supporting insurgency by the insurgents themselves for local populations actually supporting the insurgency . There are also many differnt political and geographical factors that come into play .

This is why it might not be a good idea to compare American Revolution to later and current conflicts .

So, how WOULD you look back at the American Revolution from the modern perspective? What comparisons would YOU draw?

Originally posted by Justin_Case
So, how WOULD you look back at the American Revolution from the modern perspective? What comparisons would YOU draw?

None.Because the world is not same as it was back 1776.The world is more complex than black and white anymore.I think it was JFK who said 'our enemies rely on covert means instead of overt,on stealth as opposed to direct confrontation,on subversion not transparency".Only one group in the world fits this -AL QAEDA.It was communism but communism will soon be the way of the dodo soon since it does not work inmodern terms.

Myself I don't think there is such a thing as a modern perspective on history . Sure our view on history should be flexible and depend on discovery's , release of documents e.t.c . You see if you take a modern perspective of the American Revolution an outsider such as myself would say that a political solution should have been found to prevent American independence.

Of course such a notion doesn't fly because the concept of the Dominions was still a long way off . Also pride and maybe to some extend the political power of the monarchy at home and aboard(SP?) may have been at stake . Perhaps a more modern example will help me explain things a little better or shed a differnt light on things .

The War on Terror has sometimes been referred to as World War Three . While the War on Terror is a global conflict it cannot be compared to the other two world wars . Aside from the fact the nature of the enemy has changed , post 9-11 there was no mass enlistments nor is there the same will to see the war thou to final victory .

OK I have ancestors that were witness's to the signing of the Constitution.
That made them rebels, and it now makes me a rebel.

Question is, how much has really changed Politically since those days?

Honestly what 1776 really brings up to me as an American, is how it was the 2012 for the Native Americans, the Indians that once lived free to love and fight, hunt as they saw fit.

A lot has changed since the Founders signed the Constitution. I'm not sure they'd recognize today's political landscape. It's hard to many people today to look back on that period in our history without being disinterested, or confused.

Justin I hope you will forgive for speaking in general terms once again . I'm am not exactly an old fart but even I can remember a time when if you wanted to know about history you had to borrow a book from the library rather then just look something up on Wikipedia . IMO it wont be beneficial for later generations who don't grasp that in order to get a better grasp of history you need to go beyond Google and to the library .

reply to post by Justin_Case

It was the year of publication of Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, one of the greatest books ever written and one of my own great favourites.

Though I hear George III liked it no better than he liked the Americans.

reply to post by Astyanax


1776 was also the year of publication of Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations, a book that, more than any before it, explained laissez-faire economics and made free markets the prefered model for a free society. The writings of Smith, John Locke and others had a profound influence on the founders of the American Revolution and on the writing of the Constitution and Federalist Papers.

To me, the American Revolution marks the next logical step -- and a very bold one at that -- in the advance of freedom for all people. Our laws were based on a grew out of English law, of course. It's always interesting to note that the Brits adopted the Magna Carta in 1215 and over 700 years later continental Europe was still suffering it's tyrants.

To me, one of the most startling revelations about the American Revolution was that not everyone in America supported it. Support varied from region to region. Some areas were actually more pro-British and raised Torie regiments to hunt down and fight the “traitors” amongst them. The parallel in modern America is apparent when one compares the ongoing debate between Americans who favor individual and State rights over increasing Federal control. These opposing ideals seem to be generally separated along the same lines in both eras: western and rural populations favoring more local control and eastern, urban populations generally favoring more centralized control. The more things change…

A question I would have for modern British persons is: Do you think the world would be better , or worse, off if America had never revolted?

reply to post by Tuning Spork

1776 was also the year of publication of Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations

Yes. In terms of content, it's a seminal publication. It's a hard read, though.

The Decline & Fall, on the other hand, is both brilliantly written and fascinating in terms of its subject-matter. It's a great book in its own right, not simply for what it contains.