14 Common Misconceptions about American History

6. Patriotism Fueled the Revolution

In school, we’re led to believe that once the rallying cry went out, the American colonists took up arms to help fight British tyranny. The notion that these brave men needed some kind of enticement to fight for the cause of freedom isn’t even entertained in most history classes, in spite of the fact that a lot of American soldiers during the Revolution needed to be bribed into service. As early as 1776, colonies offered cash, clothes, blankets, and extended furloughs to keep soldiers happy. Things had actually gotten so bad by the end of the war that the government had to conscript soldiers to keep the fight alive. Yep, no matter what year it was, people are not fans of being shot at.