Part 7/14:
A core theme in Burns’s discussion is the paradox at the heart of the revolution: the fight for liberty was led by slaveholders. He states openly that slavery was legal everywhere in the colonies, yet the revolution’s ideals of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” planted seeds for future emancipation. He underscores that the revolution was not solely about freedom from Britain but also challenged the existing social order, including the institution of slavery.