I agree with you that there was a thriving middle class in 1776. I will continue to assert that the expansion of the middle class was largely due to industrialization, which occurred in the early 1800s.
The Revolutionary War muster rolls, as well as the tax rolls indicate that a segment of the population that fought were farmers, and not wealthy landowner type farmers. The muster rolls further show that a large number of those who fought were, not landholders, but employees or sharecroppers. The have nots were firmly embedded in the metro areas of the 13 colonies.
The need for a large skilled labor force, came about beginning in the 1820s, when cotton mills began producing woven goods from raw materials in the south. Other forms of industrialization, such as railroads and steel production began during this time. As the country grew more wealthy, so did it's workforce. The skilled, and the supervisors became the core members of the "middle class". The labor movement didn't even get any traction until the late 1800s. When they began to try to improve the lot of all workers. I'm not trying to denigrate their role in our society, but they came to the party later than the rise of the middle class. IMHO
Ted
