However, when the issue of taxation without representation became a general rule in the British Parliament, the Americans viewed it as a breach in their freedoms and power of decision. Therefore, this dilution of liberal rights also led to the desire for independence and separation from the British Empire. From this point-of-view, the three politicians are seen as the promoters of these freedoms. Washington, as the first acting U.S. president, ensured that the Constitution and its provisions are respected in order to lead the establishment of a democratic tradition. (Morgan, 3-31) Adams was the promoter of diplomatic means of ending quarrels, seen especially in the situation of the French War.
The pursuit for the inextricable human freedoms and liberties has been considered by historians and revolutionaries alike to be a "glorious" goal which drove the independence movement. Therefore, there are certain controversies that surround the apparently lofty ideals of the revolutionaries.
Robert Middlekauff called it the "glorious cause," but at the same time issued some doubts over the real intents, as he argues that "their cause, however glorious, had its inglorious sides, and the American's manner of advancing it was sometimes false in the great principles they espoused." While all three men were reasonable, straight forward men of arms, they still engaged themselves in promoting apparently unattainable ideals. According to Middlekauff, they were "men who in 1776 threw off their allegiance to the empire in the name of 'common sense' a phrase Thomas...
For instance, although they promoted the equal representation in the government, they also considered that only the well educated and socially qualified are able to govern, thus excluding a large part of the population. Also the Declaration states from its very beginning that all men are indeed created equal in their natural rights; even so, slavery, until Abraham Lincoln's abolishment, was by no means forbidden, a fact which contradicts the very basis of this democratic text.
Despite the fact that their actions have had some contradictory paths as well, it would be fair to conclude that the independence movement had both a revolutionary side and a moral one. In terms of military actions, all three played their parts, while in drafting what would later be the guiding paper of the nation, the Constitution, their personal convictions and beliefs in the liberal inalienable rights of the individual are the most valuable contributions, as Morgan concludes "the separation from Britain in 1776 engendered creative political thought and action that have not been equaled since. These three men took part in it." (Morgan, preface)
Bibliography
Middlekauff, Robert. The Glorious Cause: the American Revolution, 1763-1789. New York: Oxford Press, 2005.
Morgan, Edmund S. The Meaning of Independence. Charlottesville: University of Virgina Press, 1976.
