The American Revolution by Edward Countryman
Did the American Revolution end slavery as it did in other revolutions? Explain.
All slavery in America did not end as a direct result of the American Revolution, but it was a step in the process of ending slavery. Slavery ended in the North before it ended in the South. The Declaration of Independence said that all people were equal, but another war had to be fought to enforce that.
How were property boundaries established in the new world?
Boundaries were mostly established and enforced by individuals. They were created and enforced by force of will and if you had the strength, you could do whatever you wanted. Charters were established in Britain, but couldn't be enforced by those people.
How did the Seven Years War affect Britain and what did they do about it?
Britain went into massive amounts of debt and to alleviate the issue they taxes the American colonies.
Was the American Revolution more about internal conflicts or independence from Britain?
Internal conflicts because at that time everyone was British, patriots vs loyalists (?)
What was the level of importance that religion played in colonial life?
Protestantism was an important part of being British, but there was tolerance for some other religions (ex. Catholics and Quakers were tolerated). People had Sunday off from work. Really only Christian religions were tolerated - Jews were not. There were no Muslims at all in the colonies. Expected to be Protestant/Puritan in the North. Expected to be Calvinists, Methodists, or Baptists in the South (strict Anglicans mostly).
What type of person participated in the American Revolution?
The American Revolution involved all types of people, but wealthy, white men held most of the power. (?)
Compare the economic role the British expected the colonies to play and the economic role the colonies expected to play.
The British expected the colonies to produce, and ship "home", raw materials and goods that were not available in England; as well as consume finished products from Britain. This arrangement was greatly beneficial for Britain, but not for the colonies. The colonies, on the other hand, expected to have a reciprocal and equal economic relationship with Britain.
Did the British government believe the colonies belonged to them? Explain.
The British government believed that the colonists belonged to them (as in ownership), but the colonists viewed it as membership. They were citizens of the British Empire.
What did it mean to be British of you did not live in England, Wales or Scotland?
You did not have actual representation unless you lived in England, but you were still obligated to pay taxes and be loyal. (virtual representation vs actual representation)
Describe the theme of The Creation of the American Republic
(Gordon Wood) talks about the Whig science of politics (political party who believed transformation and revolution came from the common people, not the elites)
Describe the theme of The Radicalism of the American Revolution
(Gordon Wood) transformation of American politics from the mid-eighteenth century until the age of Andrew Jackson - includes the evolution from monarchy to republicanism to democracy the revolution came from the bottom up, not from the elites; internal transformation
What are the four types of liberty?
- Collective liberty: from the community - Reciprocal liberty: equality, rights for everyone - Hegemonic liberty: get liberty from who you are, some people have more - Natural liberty: liberty comes from your strength, law of survival of the fittest
Describe the theme of Beyond the American Revolution
the revolution was caused by the British government
What type of political systems did the colonies develop during the years of Revolution against Britain?
- Communication systems: Committee of Correspondence → The point of this committee was to unify states in rebellion, passing information to get everyone on the same page. - Assemblies: (Stamp Act Congress, First Continental Congress and Second Continental Congress) - Organizations: Sons of Liberty → not assembly; choose to be part, not elected. Corporatist violence. Non Militia organizations, no guns more like tar and feather - Regional military organizations: (state militias, Massachusetts Minutemen, and eventually Continental Army) - International organizations: (secret missions to negotiate with England/France/Canada)
What were the difficulties in ratifying the Constitution?
- Each state had their own constitutional convention - People distrust power - People distrust authority - People distrust the aristocracy - People wanted a bill of rights - Birth of two political parties (Federalists vs Anti-Federalists - Anti-Federalists opposed the Constitution because they did not want to have a too powerful central government)
What were the difficulties in winning a war against an Empire?
- Raising and disciplining the army (needed a lot of people to volunteer - not professional soldiers) - Financing the war (needed a lot of supplies and just didn't have enough money) - Conflicts between loyalists/rebels/neutrals (America was ⅓ of each) - Outnumbered by British Army - Farm or fight (most soldiers were also farmers) - Maintain enthusiasm in the Army - Valley Forge was difficult (had no food, shoes, freezing cold) - Corporatism (good of community) vs self interest - Rural colonists vs urban colonists (rural more likely to be rebels and urban more likely to be loyalists or neutral) - The colonies had no Navy
List the main issues in the American Revolution.
- Space: land - land means wealth, wealth means power, power means freedom - Identity: colonists trying to find new identity (wanted to belong to themselves, not Britain) - Power: self government (wanted power over themselves) - Economics: didn't like paying taxes - Contradiction: full of contradictions: all men created equal but there were slaves, rights for all but women were property of husband - if not for contradictions, it would be perfect (which is impossible)
What other liberties came out of the American Revolution?
- The idea that people were sovereign NOT the government - The idea that ALL the states (former colonies) would be allowed free trade with each other (one big common market) - People are free to invent new technologies and the government should protect those inventions
How were the boundaries of political jurisdiction determined in the new world? How would each jurisdiction be governed?
- chartered colonies: given a grant of property and authority from the British monarch - proprietary colonies: feudal domains/ruled by a family - royal colonies: ruled directly under the Crown each colony was run differently and force of will was important
Describe the groups that sprang up to oppose the acts of Britain on the colonies? How were they similar and different? What were their goals?
- political leaders: concerned with trade issues - literate elites: interested in philosophy (natural rights, etc) - assemblies: interested in self government - Virginia planters: (rich ppl) concerned with internal taxes
Compare and contrast urban violence with rural violence.
Both: had legitimate purposes, involved lots of different types of people Urban: used sticks and rocks, no guns, had more specific grievances, usually corporatist (for the public good), usually dispersed when the militia came Rural: often involved Indians, used guns (had them for hunting), general in nature/attacked power in general, usually about power/boundaries, put down with force by militias
Compare and contrast the Articles of Confederation with the US Constitution?
Components of Articles of Confederation - Unicameral legislature - Single vote per state - 9 votes to make law - 13 votes to change the articles - No power to tax - No power to raise an army - Committee of legislators enforce the law (no executive branch) - Committee of legislators interpret the law (no judicial branch) - power to regulate international commerce Components of Constitution - three branches of government - bicameral legislature (House - proportional representation, Senate - equal representation, majority of both chambers to make law) - executive has veto power (legislative can override veto with 2/3 vote) - power to regulate international commerce - Supreme Court with Judicial review of all laws
What was the importance of the years 1764, 1765, 1767, 1773 in the American Revolution?
During all of these years the forced rule of the British was becoming too much. A lot of acts were being made: British attempt to regain power. British tried to take property and money from the colonies through these acts without the colonies having a say in it. The colonists did not want the British to take their natural rights (life, liberty, property). 1764: Sugar Act 1765: Stamp Act & Quartering Act 1767: Townshend Duties 1773: Tea Act
Compare the development of political systems among the different colonies during the revolution.
Each colony developed their own constitution, republic, and government. North was more democratic, south was less democratic - Radical Democracy: Pennsylvania → equality for all men, all government officials were elected, no upper house/governor, term limits for government officials, all taxpayers vote - Limited democracy: Maryland → lower house elected (elected by the people), upper house chosen by elections (lower house), governor chosen by upper house for one year, must be wealthy to be elected - Balanced: New York & Massachusetts → had a little democracy, but it had limits, it was mixed
What was the controversy (confusion) regarding the rejection by the colonies of the Stamp Act?
The British thought that the colonists had an issue with the Stamp Act because it was an internal tax (collected where they did business, tax on products made in the colonies). They thought this because the colonists had previously submitted to external taxes (collected in ports, tax on a product made somewhere else) such as the Sugar Acts and Navigation Acts (in realty, people were just smuggling). Also, Benjamin Franklin miscommunicated the colonists' grievances in London. The colonists actually hated the Stamp Act because they had no say in it. No taxation without representation!
What was the role of the Sons of Liberty in the American Revolution?
The Sons of Liberty were like the shock troops of the American Revolution. They engaged in corporatist violence. They acted directly against authority, attacked symbols of the British/elite, they attacked rich people who opposed them, and they tarred and feathered soldiers and customs officials. They did not attack random people and they had the support of the people. They were not poor people and low lifes, they were intellectuals, merchants, and artisans. They were inspired by the English Civil War, the Glorious Revolution, Oliver Cromwell, and the Magna Carta. They had branches all around the colonies, but no national organization. It was a movement from the bottom up.
What was the level of equality in the colonies among its residence?
There was no equality in the colonies at first. Not even among white men (differences between rich and poor existed). Also slavery, natives treated as inferiors, and women did not have the same rights as men. However, the Mayflower Compact started to create equality, as did the Declaration of Independence. The United States is based on the idea of human equality - this did not come directly from England, it was sparked by the Enlightenment.
Was there real fear in Britain that political and economic power would transfer to the colonies?
There was real fear in Britain that the colonies would become the new superpower and advance even further; scared that colonies would gain more power and wealth than them. England was only an island but colonies were the whole continent and had lots of resources. England tried to prevent their colonies from developing (India, Ireland, Scotland etc.)
What were the issues of conflict before the adoption of the Constitution in 1787? What were the difficulties in the creation of the Constitution?
There were a lot of internal conflicts, compromise was necessary. - All states had their own before the national one - States refused to sign it because they wanted reform first - Some states were divided within themselves (not everyone would be happy) - Supposed to meet in Annapolis, but lots of states didn't show up → Rhode Island didn't show up (small states did not want to revise) - Should the Articles of Confederation be revised or rewritten? - Federal power vs state power - Large vs small states - Aristocracy vs common people - Proportional representation vs equal representation for states - Slave states vs wage states (South vs North) - Executive vs legislative power
What role were the economic elites of the colonies expected to play in the colonies themselves?
They were expected to maintain relationships with the elites in Britain, lead by example (be honest, virtuous, and hardworking), and take care of the community.
Was the American Revolution radical or conservative?
This was a conservative revolution because we were revolting to protect rights that we believed we already had from God (natural rights). A radical revolution would be to fight for something we did not have - but the colonists believed the British were taking away rights that were given to us by God (enlightenment thinking).
What role did violence play in the colonies on the eve of the American Revolution?
Violence was considered normal. Common in both colonies and Britain which led to violence between groups/individuals/regions and fighting for independence. Green Mountain Boys, Shays' Rebellion, Paxton Boys, Regulators, Sons of Liberty, etc. There was also violence with the Indians and French. Violence was used to resolve issues. Nation born in violence, revolution was violent, 2nd amendment (to defend yourself against violence bc it's a violent world) There were no police, mobs took care of law and order. Mobs (all types of people included) protested various things Two types of violence: individual violence (crazy people) and corporatist violence (for the public good - i.e. Sons of Liberty - this is generally accepted in America)
Was the American Revolution an actual revolution?
Your opinion. Revolution = massive change. In many ways it was not a revolution. The same people (rich white men) dominated the society and many groups of people still lacked rights (natives, blacks, women). But in other ways it was a real revolution. The colonies broke away from England, which was a big change. The idea of Natural Rights was a major part of the revolution. Social Mobility (ability to change status) was something new that came out of the revolution. (We will learn later) that women who participated in the revolution in many ways started to demand equal rights to men. Many slaves were freed by northerners because of the ideals set forth in the Declaration of Independence ("All men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights...) There are many ways that the colonial society changed when we became the United States.
Describe the theme of A Struggle for Power
conflict between elites in Britain and in the colonies
At what point did the rebels become Americans as opposed to British subjects?
depended on how people identified themselves - before the war, after the war, during the war, or never (?)
How was the American Revolution the result of economic, political and social movements?
economic: taxes and trade restrictions political: virtual vs actual representation in Parliament social: self-identity, social mobility, inspired by Enlightenment (?)
Was the American Revolution truly revolutionary? Why or why not?
opinion (?)
What does it mean to belong?
ownership or membership/citizenship broad meaning & everyone has a different perspective
What were the difficulties in creating a national constitutional government (corporatism, slavery)?
philosophical questions having to do with different ideologies - couldn't agree about what kind of government to have after the war - Individualism vs corporatist actions - Democratic ideals vs slavery (divided colonies, planters thought slaves were necessary and others opposed slavery) - Law and order vs mob rule (sons of liberty) - Aristocracy vs common people
