# The American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence

**URL:** <https://www.libertarianism.org/books/american-revolution-declaration-independence>

**By** George H. Smith

**Published:** July 17, 2017

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A short history of America’s founding.

For almost a century after the US Constitution went into effect, few Americans seem to have questioned the legitimacy of the Revolution. Since the Progressive generation of historians began the work of serious criticism and revision, however, students of American life have largely learned to live with a more complicated understanding of the revolutionary legacy. In _The American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence_, George H. Smith’s treatment of the era charts space for libertarians to both criticize and revere the American heritage.

_The essays in this book originally appeared as columns on Libertarianism.org._

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