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Abstract

Have We Fought for This? American Dispute over History: Between Republican and Liberal Narrative in the Studies of Political Thought Modern reading of political thought of the American Revolution is very diverse. The aim of the article is twofold. Firstly, it is to present interpretations which form the canon of modern political thought. Secondly, I intend to confront these perspectives. The authors who represent the republican view (B. Bailyn, G.S. Wood, J.G.A. Pocock) aim to present pre‑revolutionary era as a time deeply rooted in classic republican pattern. An ideological end of republican vision fall during the boost of commercial relations, which in the meantime had changed the hierarchy of values. The liberal myth, which had one of its most important propagators in Louis Hartz, has aimed to prove the strength and continuity, which was called “possessive individualism”. The paper attempts to disprove the idea of domination of liberal values during the beginnings of the United States.