The Revolution was not Televised

A revolution is a drastic, or major change to a culture, economy, government, or religion. There are many different kinds of revolutions, but in this unit, a revolution refers to the forcible overthrow of a government in favor of a new political system, or independence. Revolutions in the Americas usually featured the overthrow of a monarchy or centralist government in favor of their own sovereignty. In many cases, democratic principles such as republicanism, and other Enlightenment ideals were used to justify independence. Independence, sometimes called sovereignty, or when people assemble and make decisions for themselves (self-government). When governments have self-government, sovereignty, and hold assemblies to make independent decisions for themselves, it's often called democratic, or similar to democracy.

Revolutions are often waged in response to grievances - or complaints - in the face of tyranny, oppression, or mistreatment by government. Kings and queens, or monarchs, held the tradition that they were absolute rulers and appointed by God to rule (known as: divine right) during the Colonization era. Due to social issues and problems with mercantilism, many European colonies in the Americas engaged in revolution(s) and rebellions. The first such upheaval would be the American Revolution, which brought Enlightenment ideals to the Americas.

Revolution can act as a balancing force against what is called tyranny, which is inequality, persecution, oppression, corruption and/or poverty caused by government policy. In order for people to protect themselves from tyranny, they have to work together to protect their rights. Individual, natural, or unalienable rights are basic privileges that ensure the dignity of living beings. Rights are supposed to be protected by something called a social contract - or consent of the governed. The social contract is often codified into law in a document called a constitution. A constitution is a set of rules government has to follow in order to protect the rule of law, or what's known as due process. The rule of law, or due process, is meant to protect natural rights. 

Natural rights first appeared in ancient Greece, was referred to in the Bible, and was central to the Enlightenment and the Liberal Revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries. English philosopher John Locke discussed natural rights in his work, identifying them as being "life, liberty, and estate (property)." George Mason stated in his draft for the Virginia Declaration of Rights, "all men are born equally free," and hold "certain inherent natural rights, of which they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity." Thomas Jefferson would go on to use this idea in the American Declaration of Independence by writing "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Natural rights are considered beyond the authority of any government or international body to dismiss. In 1948 the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights made Natural Rights international law. 

It's about fairness. Governments do not grant natural rights, but they exist to protect them according to Enlightenment ideals. Whether through revolution or legal means, when people establish the ability to make choices for themselves regarding their own lives, it's sometimes called sovereignty. Most often, popular sovereignty is established by the right to vote, or suffrage. 

When the social contract is violated, and rights are not protected, people have to organize themselves into assemblies, conventions, or popular movements in order to make themselves heard. When people assemble and make decisions for themselves, it's called self-government. When members of self-governing regions elect the people that represent them at assemblies or conventions it's called a republic, or representative government. People organized their voices into protests, petitions, boycotts, civil disobedience or other forms of peaceful dissent. An example of a petition for redress would be a declaration of independence - or a similar document stating the reason for independence from a previous government. Many revolutions were not peaceful, and resulted in war. In this case, citizens form their own military units called militias.

At the conclusion of Revolutionary wars, warring factions usually sign an agreement called a treaty. The treaty would end the conflict as well as lay out the terms for the peaceful interaction between the two sides of the conflict. Treaties and constitutions outline the sovereignty of a nations, natural rights, and/or principles of government. Should the new government decide to get rid of authoritarian dictators or monarchs in exchange for some form of democracy, there are certain principles that are usually written into law. The 7 principles of democratic government are: popular sovereignty, republicanism, federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances, limited government, and individual rights. The revolutions and independence movements of the Colonial Americas would set a new precedent for government.

Revolutions are usually formed around popular movements, and require the support of large networks of people. Revolutions usually end in some sort of treaty, the writing of a constitution, or an amendment to an existing constitution. That is, revolutions and the revolutionaries that lead them are in the business of changing the systems (ESPN) that govern us. Thomas Jefferson, a founding father of the United States, once said in a letter to James Madison, "...a little rebellion now and then is a good thing...it is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government."

There would be many rebellions to come after Colonization of the Americas, but once the United States gained independence, they would almost immediately continue the tradition of colonization through policies like the Monroe Doctrine, imperialism, and the continued use of slave labor. 

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