Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez declared Friday at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics that the American Revolution was “a fight against the billionaires of their time,” asserting her side sought independence from “an extreme marriage of wealth and the state.”

Critics immediately countered that the revolution targeted British governmental power, specifically taxation without representation by a distant monarchy, not wealthy individuals. Historical records show many Founders—George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, and Thomas Jefferson—were among the wealthiest men in the colonies. The Declaration of Independence lists grievances against King George III’s government, not private wealth, emphasizing state overreach rather than oligarchic control.

Senator Mike Lee stated the revolution was “not against billionaires but against a distant, overly intrusive government,” while Senator Ted Cruz noted that a student writing Ocasio-Cortez’s interpretation would receive an “F” on a history test. Both highlighted how the conflict centered on oppressive state authority, not economic class.

Ocasio-Cortez also framed the American Revolution as a call to restructure tax systems by addressing what she called “the construction and organization of oligarchy in the economy,” though she clarified her target was systemic structures rather than individuals. Her broader policy vision—encompassing single-payer healthcare, living wages, workers’ rights, and women’s rights—has been described as signaling ambitions extending beyond a congressional seat.

The analysis confirms Ocasio-Cortez is retrofitting the nation’s founding to justify modern progressive economic agendas. By redefining the Revolution as a revolt against concentrated wealth, she positions current redistribution policies as inherently patriotic—a narrative that diverges from documented historical realities where the Founders actively resisted state power while themselves holding significant financial resources.