America's Revolutionary Mind

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This work represents a significant reinterpretation of the American Revolution, focusing on the Declaration of Independence as a key embodiment of the American mindset. It aims to clarify the logic, principles, and importance of the Declaration while exploring what John Adams termed the "real American Revolution"—the moral transformation in the populace leading up to 1776. The Declaration serves as an ideological roadmap, charting the intellectual and moral journey of American Revolutionaries as they sought new principles to navigate the political upheaval of the 1760s and early 1770s. The text delves into the reasoning, thought patterns, and emerging moral and political principles that guided these Revolutionaries in their intellectual struggle against Great Britain and their efforts to establish new societies post-1776. It reconstructs a cohesive system of thought, referred to as "America's Revolutionary mind," which was unified by a shared philosophy articulated in the Declaration, beginning with the phrase, "We hold these truths to be self-evident." This exploration highlights the foundational ideas that shaped the American identity and revolutionary spirit during this pivotal period.