Class Struggle During the Revolutionary War

According to Howard Zinn, during the Revolutionary war, aside from the struggle between the Loyalists and the Colonists, there was also a large class struggle between the rich and the poor, that both affected, and was affected by the war. In America during the 18th century, 90 percent of the population was poor, and only 10 percent was rich and had large land holdings. Also, there were laws in most states that required office holders to own …showed first 75 words of 394 total…

…showed last 75 words of 394 total…they free from taxes imposed by the King, but a small amount of colonists had received large sums of land that had been confiscated from the Loyalists. However, 90 percent of the colonists population ultimately lost. “... 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 whit working people and tenant farmers in very much their old situation” (Zinn, 85).