Revolution and the American Mind

before the French Revolution, the wordnhad no political definition. Revolutionndenoted circularity and was frequentlynapplied to the movement of celestialnbodies. In the 17th century revolutionnacquired a political meaning but retainednthe element of circularity. HencenSamuel Johnson in his celebrated dictionaryndefined revolution in one sensenas "a change in the state of government,"nfor . . .