Historians love to present the American Revolution as a unified fight for liberty, but I've come to think that framing ignores the messy realities that would make many modern readers uneasy. Just look at the Articles of Confederation and how quickly the Founding Fathers replaced it with a stronger central government—that wasn't pure ideology, it was pragmatism and fear of chaos. I've read letters from soldiers who grumbled about unpaid wages and riots over inflation, and it makes me wonder if we're oversimplifying the past to fit a patriotic narrative. Should we teach history with all its contradictions and economic motivations, even if it undermines national myths? I lean toward yes, because otherwise we're just admiring a statue while ignoring its cracked base.