An armed revolution will not work in America because it will never get to the level of coordination needed for it to succeed. The NSA, FBI, CIA and any other government agency that may examine the activities of the public with a critical eye have been aware of the potential threat of an armed revolt for a long time now. Which explains their aggressive pursuit of domestic militia groups.
In order for any potential uprising to occur it needs a stable and independent method of communication. This allows the members of the revolt to spread ideology, recruit new members, and plan and execute their actions while hopefully avoiding retaliation. That is why social media has become so integral in many of the Arab spring movements. It gave the population an uncensored space to share ideas, and coordinate actions.
If those nations had employed extensive digital surveillance programs, many of these revolts would have been crushed before they began. However, the companies that ran the media networks felt no obligation to work with the governments that were being threatened by their use. Here in the U.S., it is another matter.
We have several regulatory bodies that could put extensive pressure on service providers to shut down any communication networks utilized by dissenters and combatants. The government forces that would be fighting to maintain control would have full access to incredible networks. That is a huge disadvantage for any attempt at revolt.
So I think a complete overthrow of the government is almost impossible through armed resistance. The only hope such a movement would have, would be to try and lure government forces into causing extensive collateral damage to try and incite outrage in the remaining populace. This would weaken government support, but alone it would not be enough to enact change, much less improvement. The only real result from such activity would be ever increasingly stringent and direct control measures from the government to try and prevent further actions of that nature.
The government security organizations thrive on attacks and terrorism right now. These events fuel their efforts like nothing else. Every attack gives them huge pull with the american public to go further with their control programs. So an attack may force a reaction from the government that causes them to lose public approval. However, if they simply dole out a measured response and instead use the attacks as an excuse to seize more power, then such a program of revolt would be very counter productive.
If the U.S. government experiences an extensive weakening through economic collapse, then their ability to combat a revolt will be greatly hindered. Also social unrest will be heightened due to the poor economy, so finding support for such a movement would be easier. As long as people think they can purchase some happiness, then they will not want to disrupt the system and will actively work to support it. Take that away and people want change, drastic or otherwise.
