▁Liber ation ▁histor i ography ▁The ▁dominant ▁approach ▁in ▁recent ▁dec ades ▁is ▁to ▁emphas ize ▁the ▁roots ▁of ▁the ▁liber ation ▁movement . ▁ ▁B aines ▁arg ues ▁that ▁the ▁ ▁" S ow eto ▁u pr ising " ▁of ▁ 1 9 7 6 ▁inspired ▁a ▁new ▁generation ▁of ▁social ▁histor ians ▁to ▁start ▁looking ▁for ▁evidence ▁that ▁would ▁allow ▁the ▁writing ▁of ▁history ▁" from ▁below "; ▁often ▁they ▁adopted ▁a ▁Marx ist ▁perspective . ▁ ▁By ▁the ▁ 1 9 9 0 s , ▁histor ians ▁were ▁expl oring ▁compar ative ▁race ▁relations ▁in ▁South ▁Africa ▁and ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁from ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 th ▁century ▁to ▁the ▁late ▁ 2 0 th ▁century . ▁ ▁James ▁Campbell ▁arg ues ▁that ▁black ▁American ▁Method ist ▁mission aries ▁to ▁South ▁Africa ▁adopted ▁the ▁same ▁standards ▁of ▁prom oting ▁civil ization ▁as ▁did ▁the ▁British . ▁ ▁National ism ▁and ▁opposition ▁to ▁the ▁Empire ▁O pp osition ▁to ▁imperial ism ▁and ▁dem ands ▁for ▁self - rule ▁emer ged ▁across ▁the ▁emp ire ; ▁in ▁all ▁but ▁one ▁case ▁the ▁British ▁authorities ▁suppress ed ▁revol ts . ▁However , ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 7 7 0 s , ▁under ▁the ▁leadership ▁of ▁Benjamin ▁Franklin , ▁George ▁Washington ▁and ▁Thomas ▁Jefferson , ▁it ▁came ▁to ▁an ▁armed ▁revol t ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 3 ▁American ▁colon ies , ▁the ▁American ▁Revolution ary ▁War . ▁With ▁military ▁and ▁financial ▁help ▁from ▁France ▁and ▁others , ▁the ▁ 1 3 ▁became ▁the