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NullifyAndSecede 5 points ago +8 / -3

Rothbard wrote a very detailed 5 part series on the history of the revolution, original government and subsequent adoption of the constitution. (That's where this quote comes from)

In that revolution the ideological leaders were Sam Adams, Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine the signers of the Declaration and others.

5 to 10 percent of a population can certainly overthrow a government, but they need a common cause and some sense of direction.

3
SurfingUSA 3 points ago +3 / -0

For certain.

I am digging around and finding some data points:

Though not all colonists supported violent rebellion, historians estimate that approximately 45 percent of the white population supported the Patriots’ cause or identified as Patriots; 15–20 percent favored the British Crown; and the remainder of the population chose not to take a vocal position in the conflict.

link: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-ushistory/chapter/patriots-and-loyalists/

Anyway, 45 percent or so is neither a "great majority" of the population or a tiny fraction.