One of the most frustrating things about U.S. History is that we learn so much misinformation for the majority of our lives that unless we actively seek out books and well-researched information, it is entirely possible to go through life in complete ignorance of what is an American myth versus an American history.
This most recent episode of Adam Ruins Everything, “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Truth,” breaks down all the ideas we have about the American Revolution. Which of course starts with our “founding fathers,” such as George Washington. (One of the sources for the video is Lies My Teacher Told Me.)
“Only 1 in 5” Americans supported the Revolution, with the majority being wealthy elite. The war was so unpopular because, even then, poor people had no interest in signing up for something they knew wasn’t going to benefit them in the long run. Adam also shows how Washington and the revolutionaries had to trick people into enlisting through bribery, misleading drunken people, tricking immigrants who didn’t speak much English, and—the tried and true—getting people to enlist instead of going to jail.
Prison pipelines—can’t stop, won’t stop.
Of course, who did try and serve but couldn’t? Black enslaved soldiers.
James Armistead Lafayette via Screengrab
James Armistead Lafayette was a spy for the Americans under the command of Lafayette, even when he was technically enslaved and had no real promise of freedom. In fact, it took him several years to get his freedom, even though the information he obtained helped turn the tide of the war, and it wasn’t until Marquis de Lafayette and his then-master, William Armistead, spoke up on his behalf that he was able to successfully petition for his freedom.
The episode also tackles the myth of Paul Revere’s midnight ride, and how the stories we have created about the American Revolution serve a purpose even though they aren’t history. They are supposed to inspire us, but the problem is that when we flatter or erase certainly realities, we lose even more inspirational stories.
The next episode in his series will be, “The First Factsgiving,” which (as shown above) will go into breaking down myths about the relationships between the Pilgrims and the Native population, including that the pilgrims chose to dig up graves and take valuables that had been buried.
With how good “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Truth” was, I have no doubt that the informative and well-researched series will be teaching us things that we should have been learning in high school instead of still teaching kids that the American Revolution was a perfectly egalitarian revolution.
(via Youtube; image: screengrab)
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