Final answer:
According to Howard Zinn, the American Revolution was a distraction from the real problems faced by poor whites, and many of the Founding Fathers' true intentions were to protect the interests of the elite, making option D the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Howard Zinn, the American Revolution can be seen as a distraction from the underlying social and economic problems that poor white colonists faced. For Zinn and other progressive historians, the Revolution was not only about colonial independence but also reflected deeper class struggles. On this account, the underlying intention of the Founding Fathers was not necessarily to address economic inequality or to establish democracy for all, but rather to divert attention from class issues to consolidate their own power and protect elite interests.
Indeed, writers like Carl Becker and J. Franklin Jameson articulate an argument in which the American Revolution serves as a significant, albeit complex, social movement that in some cases led to greater rights and equality. The sales of confiscated Loyalist estates to small farmers, changes in land ownership, the establishment of broader religious freedoms, and the discontinuation of certain aristocratic practices suggest a degree of social reorganization. However, the full extent of this upheaval, particularly with regard to its actual benefit to the lower classes, remains a subject of debate as many restrictions and inequalities persisted.
In summary, the answer to the question regarding the real intention of the Founding Fathers, in the context of Howard Zinn's interpretation, would likely align with the notion that the Revolution served to protect the interests of the elite while also providing some concessions to the lower classes. Therefore, the correct answer to the question posed would be option D, which suggests that the Founding Fathers aimed to protect the interests of the elite.