Final answer:
The moderate phase of the revolution aimed at constitutional limits to royal power, while the radical phase involved deep social and economic reforms towards greater democracy and equality, fundamentally transforming American society.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first stage of the revolution is considered moderate because it primarily sought to establish constitutional limits to royal power without drastically altering the existing social order. As radicals and bourgeois reformers grew more influential, the revolution transitioned into a more radical phase. This was characterized by significant social and economic reforms, including the confiscation and redistribution of loyalist estates, the broadening of land ownership, the establishment of religious freedom, and the lowering of property qualifications for voting. Some states went as far as abolishing slavery and freeing some slaves in return for military service. Historians argue that these changes represent a shift towards greater democracy and equality. Gordon Wood's interpretation in The Radicalism of the American Revolution emphasizes the radical transformation of American society from one founded on tradition and deference to one based on liberal, democratic principles.