# Resolved: That by the standards we hold today, the American War of Independence was wrong **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 5, 2026, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-that-by-the-standards-we-hold-today-the-american-war-of-independence-was-wrong/1030628 "2026-06-05T02:00:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-that-by-the-standards-we-hold-today-the-american-war-of-independence-was-wrong/1030628/1 "2026-06-05T02:00:32Z")
More or less title says it all. If you disagree with the premise I’d like to hear your reasoning. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-that-by-the-standards-we-hold-today-the-american-war-of-independence-was-wrong/1030628/2 "2026-06-05T02:06:25Z")
Has enlightened self-interest gone out of style? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-that-by-the-standards-we-hold-today-the-american-war-of-independence-was-wrong/1030628/3 "2026-06-05T02:07:26Z")
Anti-colonialism is always right. What we then chose as our governing system was far short of ideal. We should have let the CSA go when they wanted out. But that was 90 years in the future when we were fighting the Brits. ETA: but as a beta 1.0 of representative democracy it was a decent stab. Once you excise the CSA later. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-that-by-the-standards-we-hold-today-the-american-war-of-independence-was-wrong/1030628/4 "2026-06-05T02:11:53Z")
By the standards we hold today, everything done in the 18th century was wrong. Either take your time machine and make a difference or study enough history to understand why they were like that and we are like us now. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-that-by-the-standards-we-hold-today-the-american-war-of-independence-was-wrong/1030628/5 "2026-06-05T03:05:34Z")
What standards from today are you holding the Revolution to? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-that-by-the-standards-we-hold-today-the-american-war-of-independence-was-wrong/1030628/6 "2026-06-05T03:37:07Z")
It was also wrong by the standards back then. However: > “Treason doth never prosper: what ’s the reason? > Why, if it prosper, none dare call it treason.” The Revolution prospered. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-that-by-the-standards-we-hold-today-the-american-war-of-independence-was-wrong/1030628/7 "2026-06-05T03:44:27Z")
Seems to me that if we newly discovered a country that was, well, _us_ prior to World War I, we might feel obligated to (at the very least) levy some sanctions. Ask South Africa if I’m wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-that-by-the-standards-we-hold-today-the-american-war-of-independence-was-wrong/1030628/8 "2026-06-05T03:52:22Z")
Also, history is written by the victors, _without exception_. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-that-by-the-standards-we-hold-today-the-american-war-of-independence-was-wrong/1030628/9 "2026-06-05T03:56:42Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > What standards from today are you holding the Revolution to? That’s my question for @Lumpy , too. They seem to feel that the question is self-evident, but it’s a weak OP, and doesn’t set up much of a debate, other than “yes, it was,” or “no, it wasn’t.” **Why** do you feel it was wrong by today’s standards? ---
**Author:** ![Calder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Calder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calder)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-that-by-the-standards-we-hold-today-the-american-war-of-independence-was-wrong/1030628/10 "2026-06-05T04:04:17Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Also, history is written by the victors, _without exception_. The Lost Cause mythology has entered the chat. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-that-by-the-standards-we-hold-today-the-american-war-of-independence-was-wrong/1030628/11 "2026-06-05T04:36:38Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Anti-colonialism is always right. I must have missed the part where the American colonists went back to Europe. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-that-by-the-standards-we-hold-today-the-american-war-of-independence-was-wrong/1030628/12 "2026-06-05T04:49:05Z")
---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-that-by-the-standards-we-hold-today-the-american-war-of-independence-was-wrong/1030628/13 "2026-06-05T04:53:43Z")
**Moderating:** @lumpy, I am closing the thread as the OP doesn’t quite meet the expectations of the forum. I think there’s an interesting and worthy discussion to be had, but the title/OP alone isn’t sufficient. For one, “the standards we hold today” is a very loaded, and _undefined_ term in your title. Which standard do you believe we hold today, and by which do you define rightness/wrongness? Political, moral, social, religious, or something else entirely? I heartily invite you to try again, just with more care to the OP. Establish your premise on the point, and we can agree/disagree with the premise and/or reasoning.