Who Should Rule at Home?

Social Consequences of the Revolution

The Revolution had a double dynamic. On one level it was a struggle between those for and against Independence, between Patriots and Loyalists. But among the Patriots there was another struggle - between colonial elites and more modest folk. Leading merchants, planters, and lawyers found small farmers, town workers and mechanics would not remain forever deferential. This social tension, illustrated by Gouverneur Morris's letter, is what Carl Becker meant by the question of who should rule at home.

Gouverneur Morris to Thomas Penn, 20 May 1774