Read the following historical perspectives from two modern-day historians.
historian a: the american revolution was caused by the american colonists’ greedy desire for more money. they were simply tired of paying their fair share of taxes to the british government, even though british troops protected the colonies during the french and indian war! furthermore, their claims to be fighting for freedom and liberty are totally wrong. many of the colonists still owned slaves at the time of the revolution! the traitorous american colonists simply wanted to steal land that was already claimed by great britain.
historian b: the american revolution was completely justified due to great britain’s repeated abuse of the colonists. the british passed enormous taxes on goods in the colonies, even though the americans had no say in the british government. british soldiers were also allowed to live in american houses and eat common people’s food without paying. during the boston massacre, british soldiers even fired their muskets into a crowd of civilians! under such oppressive conditions, it’s no wonder that the patriotic colonists would want to fight for the freedom and liberty of all people!
which statement best explains why historian a mentions the issue of slavery while historian b does not?
a. historian b wants to make the british appear to be disinterested in american affairs, including the terrible institution of slavery.
b. historian a wants to make the colonists appear in a negative light by suggesting that they did not really believe in freedom for all.
c. historian a is using slavery as a metaphor to argue that the american colonists have treated their british leaders poorly.
d. historian b is making a purely economic argument, so there is no need for him to mention the institution of slavery.