"A People's History of the United States" Ch. 5 Reflection

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A People’s History of the United States: Reflection Chapter 5 A Kind of Revolution To summarize, this chapter serves to explain about how the common people were wooed into serving in the Revolutionary War. While the rich could control and influence (and even get out of) the drafting, the poor had no such power. However, seeing as slaves and Indians would not want to participate, the white colonists had to be persuaded. This brings to light the immense distinction between the poor and the rich, and as Zinn states, “It seemed that the majority of white colonists, who had a bit of land, or no property at all, were still better off than slaves or indentured servants or Indians, and could be wooed into the coalition of the Revolution,” (Zinn 80). He also says that 10% of the white population owned nearly half of the wealth of the country and held slaves as 1/7th of the country’s people. I was not too shocked at this, as by this time I am used to these kinds of stats. But I found it very interesting how few people lived here back then, compared to how many we have now. And it’s made even more astonishing by the fact that a handful of people could essentially control the country, and after the war was won, some people gained even more power. “…the rebellion against British rule allowed a certain group of colonial elite to replace those loyal to England, give some benefits to small landholders, and leave poor white working people and tenant farmers in very much their old situation,” (Zinn 86). This impacted my thinking in that I was given yet another point of view, one that included the white farmers and common people. I can’t imagine what it would be like to know that just a few people owned the country’s wealth. But then again, that could be the case even today and I just may not be aware. This chapter brought to light the injustices done to the people even
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