Reflections on the American Revolution and Democracy

I am looking forward to the new Ken Burns documentary on the American Revolutionary War. In a recent NPR interview about the film, Burns pointed out that our country was born in violence—and even then, we were deeply divided politically.

I was surprised to learn that Benjamin Franklin’s son was a Loyalist who eventually led a terrorist group hunting patriots. Although there were many complex reasons for the conflict, one of the driving forces behind the war was the desire for land acquisition west of the Appalachians. The British, having just fought a costly war with the French over that territory, denied the colonies permission to expand westward to avoid reengaging in conflict. (I do remember learning this in high school!)

Burns argues that democracy was not the original purpose of the war—it was its outcome.

He speaks with great admiration for George Washington, without ignoring his flaws. Washington’s greatest strength, Burns suggests, was his willingness to learn and adapt—both in his ideas and his military tactics. Despite being a very wealthy man, he was willing to risk everything, including his life and fortune, for the cause of American independence.

Burns said something especially poignant:

“What would I have been? Could I have done this? Could I have killed somebody else? Would I be willing to die for a cause, to give up all of my good fortune for a cause? And then you’re beginning to approach, but not necessarily make, the decisions that were made in every family, in every community, in every colony—to become a state, to become a union, to become the United States.”

That is a question we all must answer. I think many of us are afraid to face it. With ICE acting as a secret police force and the military increasingly visible in our streets, what are we willing to do to maintain our union?

Many studies point to nonviolent civil resistance as the most effective response to authoritarianism. Yet nonviolence still requires courage, sacrifice, and a willingness to face violence—arrest, beatings, even death. We have seen that when we show up in numbers, the government sometimes backs down.

We are in a war for the soul of our country—a country that I still hope will one day live up to its founding credo that all are created equal.

Burns also said that DEI—diversity, equity, and inclusion—is simply another way of saying E pluribus unum: Out of many, one.

May we learn again to come together to make this country truly united.

May we be willing to adapt our ideas and our tactics.

May we be willing to sacrifice for the common good.

May more of us awaken to what is happening and remember that preserving democracy is more important than gaining power over our neighbors or imposing a single way of living.

Democracy—and the world we inhabit—is complex. But so are we. We are capable of learning, adapting, and finding solutions to even the most intractable problems.

May we have the courage and wisdom to do so.