Question

Explain what John Adams meant when he said that the Revolution 'was in the minds of the people, and this was effected from 1760 to 1775, in the course of fifteen years before a drop of blood was shed at Lexington

Answer 1

John Adams indicated that the pivotal change leading to the American Revolution was the shift in colonists' attitudes towards independence from British rule, occurring over fifteen years prior to the Battle of Lexington.

Step-by-step explanation:

When John Adams said that the Revolution 'was in the minds of the people,' he was referencing the intellectual and emotional shift that took place among the American colonists toward independence, which happened before the Revolutionary War officially began with the Battle of Lexington. This shift occurred from 1760 to 1775, a period during which the colonists grew increasingly disillusioned with British rule and began to value and envision independence. The 'revolution in the minds' laid the groundwork for the eventual armed conflict, signifying that the true foundation of the American Revolution was not the war itself, but the change in heart and mind of the American people towards self-governance and liberty.