I believe there have been three phases of revolution in the united States, and am offering up this thesis for your consideration. I submit that our American revolution has had three distinct parts to date, linked in cause and effect, separated only by time.
The first, and commonly accepted, was, of course, the separation of the thirteen original colonies from Great Britain. This portion was driven primarily by economic considerations, and was promoted as a cry for liberty and independence from the oppressions of the monarchy.
The second, I submit, began almost fifty years later, coincident with the deaths of Adams and Jefferson, and culminated in the War for Southern Independence and the hideous retribution immediately thereafter. (This was not a “civil war”, by definition.) The net result of this phase was the solidification of the federal ‘authority’ that had been lurking in the wings since Hamilton, et al, advanced it originally. This phase was marked by the beginning of the decline of the several states as power centers.
The third phase, introduced after a period of gradual preparation, is now called the “Progressive Era”, but was in reality, a thinly disguised genesis for the era of American empire. I believe this phase is now nearly complete; the most obvious result is the complete subordination of the American people to the rule by the federal state.
I leave it to you to speculate with me as to the possibility of a fourth phase, and to its characteristics. Is there more to come, or are we about to ‘re-boot’, and begin the cycle anew?