Hey
Think the time is right
For palace revolution
--The Rolling Stones
In 1770s America, it is estimated that less than half of the colonial population favored secession from Britain. I've seen estimates from 1/3 down to 5%. This fraction constituted those people who valued freedom above all else--those aligned with the Live Free or Die idea. Adams, Franklin, Jefferson, et al...they were seen as radicals and extremists.
At least 1/3 of the population were Tories--loyal to Britain. The remaining people were betwixt and between with no significant opinion either way.
This had to have created an interesting dynamic during the Revolutionary War. A minority fighting for the right to be free. Another group of equal or greater size partial to the other side. And a large mass of inertia. Considering the cultural context, our victory is all the more remarkable.
This was not a battle ordained or prosecuted by the majority rule of democracy.
After the US won its independence, people from around the world flocked to America. The draw was not safety. The US was already gaining global recognition as a rough and tumble place. No, the draw was freedom and its seemingly unlimited possibilities. Millions of people left it all behind to immigrate to the Land of Opportunity.
While I have not seen demographic data to this effect, it seems likely that the fraction of Americans partial to the Live Free or Die idea swelled during the 1800s. Immigrants added to the ranks, and many Tories left the country for Canada and other places.
Over the past hundred years, however, the Live Free or Die fraction has been declining. Once again, it appears that those who value freedom among all else are a minority.
The majority is populated by people willing to cede freedom for security--safety of both the physical and social variety. This group is willing to employ the strong arm of government to act on their behalf. As government grows larger in this capacity, freedom gets smaller.
Once again, we have a minority of people increasingly troubled at their loss of freedom.
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When the British Army marched out of Boston on April 19, 1775, messengers on horseback, including Boston silversmith Paul Revere, fanned out across New England to raise the alarm. Summoned by the feverish pealing of church bells, militiamen from countless hamlets hurried toward Concord, Massachusetts, where the British regulars planned to destroy a rebel arsenal. Thousands of militiamen arrived in time to fight; 89 men from 23 towns in Massachusetts were killed or wounded on that first day of war, April 19, 1775. By the next morning, Massachusetts had 12 regiments in the field. Connecticut soon mobilized a force of 6,000, one-quarter of its military-age men. Within a week, 16,000 men from the four New England colonies formed a siege army outside British-occupied Boston. In June, the Continental Congress took over the New England army, creating a national force, the Continental Army. Thereafter, men throughout America took up arms.
~Smithsonianmag.com
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