ol er able ▁Act s ▁but ▁ce as eless ▁repet ition ▁of ▁the ▁charge ▁kept ▁emot ions ▁at ▁fe ver ▁pitch ." ▁ ▁The ▁Progress ive ▁interpretation ▁was ▁dominant ▁before ▁ 1 9 6 0 , ▁as ▁histor ians ▁down play ed ▁r het or ic ▁as ▁super f icial ▁and ▁looked ▁for ▁economic ▁motiv ations . ▁ ▁Republican ism ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 0 s ▁and ▁ 1 9 7 0 s , ▁a ▁new ▁interpretation ▁emer ged ▁that ▁emphas ized ▁the ▁prim acy ▁of ▁ideas ▁as ▁motiv ating ▁forces ▁in ▁history ▁( r ather ▁than ▁material ▁self - inter est ). ▁Bernard ▁B ail yn , ▁Gordon ▁Wood ▁from ▁Harvard ▁formed ▁the ▁" C amb ridge ▁School "; ▁at ▁Washington ▁University ▁the ▁" St . ▁Louis ▁School " ▁was ▁led ▁by ▁J . G . A . ▁P oc ock . ▁They ▁emphas ized ▁slightly ▁different ▁approaches ▁to ▁republic an ism . ▁ ▁The ▁new ▁discovery ▁was ▁that ▁the ▁colonial ▁intellectual ▁and ▁political ▁leaders ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 7 6 0 s ▁and ▁ 1 7 7 0 s ▁closely ▁read ▁history ▁to ▁compare ▁govern ments ▁and ▁their ▁effect iveness ▁of ▁rule . ▁ ▁They ▁were ▁especially ▁concerned ▁with ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁liberty ▁in ▁England , ▁and ▁the ▁rights ▁English men , ▁which ▁they ▁claimed ▁were ▁the ▁proper ▁her itage ▁of ▁the ▁colon ists . ▁These ▁intellect uals ▁were ▁especially ▁influenced ▁by ▁Britain ' s ▁ ▁" country ▁party " ▁( which ▁opposed ▁the ▁Court ▁Party ▁that ▁actually