Give Me Liberty Chapter 6

Dr. Samuel Johnson

"How is it that we hear the loudest yelps from the drivers of Negroes?"

James Otis

"What man is born free if every man is not?"

A Well Ordered Society in Britain

- Britain- obedience authority; power of rulers over subjects -America challenged this with idea of equality -"The floor of freedom is as level as water"

Land Distribution

- John Adams hoped every member of society could acquire land, "so that the multitude may be possessed of small estates" -Noah Webster newspaper editor- "a genral and tolerably equal distribution of land is the whole basis of national freedom", "equality is the very soul of the republic" -equality meant equal oppurtunity -Jefferson abolishes entail and primogenture which helps end aristocracy

Decline of Anglican church

- Presybitarian farmer in VA refuse to pay taxes supporting anglican church -Jefferson rejects bibical accounts of creation -states disenstablish churches

Hypocrisy of America

- Thomas Jefferson owned 100 slaves(all founding fathers owned slaves)

Democritization of voting

- least democratic in south b/c highly deferential traditions -VA and SC keep property qualifications for voting and allowed gentry gov't to elect governor -VT severs all qualifications for voting; just free whtie male - dramatic departure of limiting suffrage to economically independent

Expansion of political nation

- militia- "a of political democracy for the lower orders" - boston letter writer 1774- "we are all, from the cobbler up to the senator, become politicians"

influence of churches

- presybitarian leader- church leaders learned to adapt at a time when "a spirit of liberty prevails" -new demoninations such as free will baptists and universalists form

Pennsylvania Revolution

- prewar elite opposed independence - young lower class radicals rose (T Young, Paine, B Rush) who strongly believed in equality - PA adopts new unicameral annuallt elected legislature w/ no goernor, voting for all above 21 taxpayers and no property qualifications for voting

Loyalists in America

-20-25 percent of free americans remained loyal esp in NY, PA, and backcountry (SC and GA) mostly farmers and tenants -feared that local majorities would infringe on rights -colonists required to take oath of allegiance and barred from voting if not pleaded -100,000 loyalists banished or left; confiscated property returned

Definitions of democracy

-Aristotle- a system in which the entire people governed directly - the condition of primitive societies -During Rev- aspirations for greater equality inspired by struggle for independence (gov't served interests of ppl., not elite

Republican Motherhood

-Benjamin Rush women need to have a "suitable education" to enable them to "instruct their sons in principles of liberty and gov't" -enforces idea of "companionate" marriage where marriage is a voluntary union by mutual affection and dependency -Ann Carson left her husband bc she felt like a slave to him

Virtuous Citizens

-PA constitution requires citizens to recognize god and urges legislature to enact "laws for the prevention of vice and immorality" -religious values helped reinforce moral qualities necessary to prosper -sacrifice self interest for good of public

Abigail Adams

-She urged her husband to remember America's women in the new government he was helping to create by writing letter on home front in MA -Resented absolute power men had over women -"women will not hold ourselves bond by any laws if we have no voice or representation" -Johns Adams replied saying that women, slaves, etc were becoming insolent and natural order of things were not aligned

Bill For Establishing Religous Freedom

-Thomas Jefferson 1786 passed by house of burgess -established churches= despotism, "i have sworn on the altar of god eternal hostility towards all forms of tyrany" -barred state from forcing indv to follow one religios

Indians

-Treaty of Paris recognized all lant east of MI river as American so indians had little land now -Lord Dunmore, royal governor of Va, said it was impossible to restrain colonists from taking Indians land -GW launched an expedition led by General John Sullivan in 1779 against the hostile Iroquios who sided with the British to totally destroy their villages -Thomas Jefferson- driving the indians away from ohio would "add to the empire an extensive - group of indians traveling in St Louis- "American indepencence was the greatest blow that could have been dealt to us" -to indians freedom meant defending their own independence and reclaiming land -Iroquios claimed they were, "a free ppl subject to no power on earth" -MA creates gurandianship over tribes but tribes claim rights of man and infringement of freedom

New Constititions

-all gov't adopted new constitutions and are republics (authority rested on consent of governed, objective: Public Good (T Paine))

Caveats of Religious Freedom

-all states except NY bar jew from voting and office holding - 7 states only allow protestant officeholders -MA retains Congregationalist establishment

Rights of Women

-coverture still existed where man held legal authority over wife -women could not own land bc they are subject to husband -women not allowed to participate in political debate

Petitions of Freedom

-freedom petition were arguments for liberty presented to NE courts, How could Americans "seek release from English tyranny and not seek the same for disadvantaged Africans in the midst" -Africans yearned to be back in Africa

Free Laborr

-lack of freedom in indentured servitude and apprenticeship became incompatible with republican citizenry - northern economy relies on free labor while southern relies on slavery

Separation of Church and State

-religous leaders adhere to christian liberty(subjection to gods will) but dont believe gov't needs to be involved -Jefferson needs to be a "wall of separation -creates sharp line b/w public authority adn rpivate rights; reinforces idea that rights exist as restrains on power of gov't -James Madison- reinforces principle that new offered ,"asylum to the persecuted and oppressed of every nation and religion."

Catholic Americans

-support from France in the war strengthened idea that catholics had a growing role in gov't - James Carrol of MY (first catholic bishop of America) received cordial welcome in MA -MA consitution restores catholics political and civil rights

Moravian Brethren

-younger member of community assert their indv freeom and do not obey orders of elder -elders say that indv liberty was litte more than "an oppurtunity for temptation"

Slave exodus

100,000 slaves left patriots cause for Britain to obtain their freedom; 15,000 accompanied british out of America

Black communities

200,000 free blacks by 1810; created schools and churches; male blacks who were taxing could vote except in GA VA SC

The Wealth of Nations

Adam Smith- "invisible hand" of free economy regulates power more effectively and fairly than gov't intervention; natural liberty will regulate prices

Phillis Wheatley

African American poet who proves that black are not intellectually inferior to whites

Lemuel Hayes

African American who joined the Patriots; black writer who sought to articulate the lessons of the revolution to Blacks -"even an african had an equally as good right in liberty in common w/ his Englishman"

PA emancipation act

All children born of a slave mother had to serve 28 years before they can be free

America vs Britain

America was country of freeman and Britain was a kingdom of slaves -America claimed that slavery was necessary to free the economically dependent whites (war veterans often received slaves) -government seizing slaves (property) was infringing on rights; t would reduce owners to slaves

Deborah Sampson

Dressed as a man and fought in the war and was honorably discharged; earned a soldiers pension

Propertyless men voting

John Adams- men without property have "no judgement of their own"; equality and liberty were opposites

Thoughts on Government

John Adams- new constitutions should create a balanced gov't that represent divisions of society - two legislative branches w/ powerful governor and judiciary to ensure neither infringed on ppls rights - all states except PA, GA, VT have two house legislature -MA is only state w/ governor w/ veto

Voluntary emancipation

Many slave owner voluntarily emancipated their slaves; Robert Carter III freed 400 of his slaves in VA

Esther Reed and Sarah Bache

Organized Ladies association to raise money to assist soldier

Liberty Displaying the Arts and Sciences

Samuel Jennings includes a broken chain showing freedom became identified with emancipation now

Slow abolition in north

Still 21,000 slaves in NY and 11,000 in NJ by 1790; only 6 six voluntary emancipations

Lucy know

Wrote to her husband saying that he should not "consider himself commander in chief of your own house but be convinced of equal share

Ebenzer Fox

apprentice on MA farm who liberated himself by running away to RI on eve of revolution

John Wentworth

governor of NH whose 28 estates were seized for being loyalist

Inflation

large inflation after war bc Congress issued millions of dollars of paper money; 30 incidents where mechants were accused of hoarding goods; prices in philadelphia jumped 45%

1784 NY shipload of indentured servants

status was "contrary to the idea of liberty this country has so happily established"

Dr. Abner Beebe

CT doctor who spoke freely of brithish and was assaulated by mob and his house was ransacked

Price control

Committee of Safety tries to control prices bc of inflation and colonial expending huge sums on rich dinners