Modern History: Exam 2

What is a revolution?

• Revolution- rapid and significant change class, religion, or politics in a society

  • Does not necessarily require wars or violence

    • Ex: Digital revolution (transitioning from analog to digital technology)

  • Requires mass participation and mass organization

  • Does not necessarily result in success

    • Ex: U.S. civil war where Southern states lost

The American Revolution vs. Revolutionary War

• The American Revolution is different from the Revolutionary War

  • Revolutionary War was one component of the American Revolution

  • The American Revolution was a mass movement by colonists in British North America that wanted to establish their identity and independence

Describe the government in British North America. Who was the Royal Governor and Royal Council. Describe proprietary government.

• The Royal government is technically at the top of the hierarchy

  • Was present in most colonies, BUT not EVERY single one

• The main goal of the royal government was to ensure that the British Board of Trade and the Crown's policies are enforced

• The Royal Governor was appointed in colonies to ensure that the King's interest was implemented

  • Could also veto any bill by colonial legislatures

• The Royal Council was appointed by the royal governor to serve as his advisors

  • This was a way for the royal governor to by the Royal Council's loyalty to maintain control over the lives of everyday people

• Proprietary government is where men were granted a whole colony and had authority to set up their own government

What are general assemblies?

• Popularly elected legislatures, also known as general assemblies were able to draft and pass colonial laws

  • These laws included local taxes, Native American relations, voting rights, voting districts, etc.

• General assemblies were dominated by colonial oligarchs

  • These oligarchs consisted of elite men in major cities, like Boston

Describe politics during the colonial period.

• Elections could become heated and contested

• There were proto-political parties

  • Came about due to shared economic or regional interest

  • There were no established political parties, like Democrats or Republicans

    • Except in Pennsylvania where they had more established political factions

• There were more "freeholders" in the colonies than in England

  • Freeholders were people with voting rights (typically white men)

Who was really “in charge” in government or held the most power during the colonial period?

• Colonial assemblies became increasingly more powerful

  • They paid the royal governor his salary

• Royal governors were frustrated as legislatures were reluctant to pass unpopular laws that the Crown favored

• Assemblies were very protective of their autonomy

• Disagreements emerged over colonial assemblies' rank within Great Britian's political hierarchy

  • At this point, colonial assemblies were considered beneath any form of British government; however, it became more widely believed that they were at the same rank as Parliament

Were the colonists more free or politically advanced than other regions, like in England and Scotland?

• Colonists in British North America were more freer than their peers in England and Scotland

  • Colonists in British North America were more politically advanced

What is the British Board of Trade?

• The Board of Trade controlled trade coming in and out of Britain as well as the Caribbean

  • They were also creators of unpopular taxes like the tea tax, etc.

How did the Crown view British North America in terms of the trading market?

• The general view of British North America in the perspective of the Crown was that it was a source of raw goods and served as a vital market for British manufacturers

  • Britain believed they should have first dips on tobacco (Virginia), sugar (Caribbean), and any other goods

  • The colonists were only able to buy things made from these raw goods, like clothes

What was the primary goal of the Navigation Acts? Give an example.

• Ensured that the British colonies benefited primarily England/Britain

• The Original Navigation Act (1651)- passed by Parliament that ensured that colonial goods were transported only in English-owned vessels (boats)

• There were also additional laws passed that hurt colonial merchants by placing restrictions on colonial trade

• Examples…

  • The Hat Act was passed so the British people could dominate the hat industry over New England's

  • Molasses Act- implemented a tax on molasses imported from non-British colonies

Describe the economy of New England during the American Revolution.

• NEW ENGLAND

  • Freight carrying- ships that charged for the transportation of goods from one place to another

    • Included Caribbean sugar and enslaved West Africans

  • Domestic trade consisted of rum, sugar, flour, and shoes

    • Much of these goods was sold in New England, but also the South

  • Exports of fish, wood, whale products, and fish all went so specific places that the British Crown would allow the colonists to sell

Describe the economy of Mid-Atlantic during the American Revolution.

• MID-ATLANTIC

  • Major ports were in New York and Philadelphia

  • Had a balanced economy

  • Very involved in freight services

  • Grain was the central export to the Caribbean, Southern Europe and the Southern colonies

Describe the economy of South during the American Revolution.

• SOUTH

  • Tobacco was a major cash crop still in Virginia

    • All of this tobacco by law went to Great Britain

  • A lot of grain was also made in Virginia and exported to Europe and the Caribbean

  • South Carolina was still producing rice and also indigo

  • The Caribbean made much of the money for the British Empire when compared to British North America

Describe population levels in British North America. What caused this? Which colony was the most populous?

• During the mid-18th century, population drastically increased

  • This was caused by…

    • A natural increase

    • Immigration (German-speakers from Rhineland and the Scots-Irish from Northern Ireland)

    • Increase in enslaved Africans

  • Viriginia was the most populous, followed by Pennsylvania and Massachusetts

Who fueled the Westward expansion? What was a consequence?

• During the 18th century, colonies from Pennsylvania to South Carolina expanded westward

• This Westward expansion was fueled by immigrant farmers (Germans and Scots-Irish)

• This led to major divides culturally and politically

  • Western Counties were more rural with a small trading town, while eastern counties, were urban with surrounding farms

What was the Anglicization Paradigm?

• Between 1740-1765, British colonists were very proud that they were British

  • They wanted to demonstrate that the colonies were fully developed British societies

• Every colony had its own separate identity, but united because they were all British

  • British goods (like tea) played a major role in them celebrate their "Britishness" and colonists even loved the monarchy

How did the French & Indian War start (Seven Years’ War)? What is Fort Duquesne? Who won?

• Both Britain and France wanted the Ohio country

• The French built Fort Duquesne

  • The British sent George Washington to force the French to abandon Fort Duquesne

  • One of Washington's allies, an Iroquoian chief, started the fight with the French

• Ben Franklin and other allies wanted to unite the colonies for defense, but this effort failed because each colony had its own identity and were not a collective other than they were all British (Anglicization Paradigm)

• The war initially went very poorly for Britain, but eventually things began to turn around

• In the Battle of Quebec, the British began to control the war and ended America's theater in the war

What is William Pitt’s role in the French and Indian War? What were some effects of the Seven Years’ War?

William Pitt (prime minister of Great Britain) put Britain into immense debt because he wanted to win the war

Effects…

• Immigrant families, especially Germans and Scot-Irish, were decimated by Native raids

  • Built resentment amongst western counties against Eastern leadership

  • This built racism against natives

• Natives in Ohio country refused to acknowledge British authority

• Pontiac's War (1763)- a campaign against immigrant communities (Germans and Scot-Irish) in western counties where dozens were killed

  • Broke out after French and Indian War

Who were the Paxton Boys (1764)?

• Angered at Quaker pacifists, a group of mainly Scots-Irish immigrants took up arms against Pennsylvania government and killed innocent Native people

  • They blamed the Quakers for failing to respond to Native raids that hurt immigrant families

• The Paxtons also targeted Christian natives, Moravian Indians, because they believed they were also involved in Pontiac's war

  • The Moravian Indians were protected by the Quakers

What was the Regulator Movement?

• The Paxtons inspired other small rebellions in Virginia

• The Regulator Movement- angry colonists rising up against the royal government in the colonies (local government), not the Crown

What was a common complaint amongst the Westerners during the 1760s?

• Upset at the lack of representation they had at local assemblies

  • Western immigrants were upset about their lack of representation in government

• They made effort to give less representation to western counties

Describe strategic districting.

• Strategic districting- when politicians intentionally draw county lines to where it would work in their favor and disperse votes for the opposing party

  • Modern day gerrymandering

What were some plans that Great Britain had for America after the Seven Years’ War?

• The Board of Trade and Parliament reacted by deciding to take a more proactive approach to North America

  • Aimed to make Americans repay enormous war debts

  • Sought to gain more revenue through colonial taxation (passing Acts)

  • They wanted to decide where and how British North America expanded (Royal Proclamation of 1763)

What is the Royal Proclamation of 1763? Was it effective?

• The Royal Proclamation of 1763- prohibited expansion westward of the Appalachian Mountains to mediate relations with the Native Americans

• Incentivized settlement in Nova Scotia and Florida

  • They wanted to turn Florida into a major sugar producer

• Western counties and speculators were upset by the Proclamation Line

  • They continued to move and purchase land beyond the line and moved westward

What is the Currency Act (1764)? List and describe other acts passed by Parliament that angered the colonists?

• Sugar Act (1764)- intended to raise revenues to pay for the running the colonies and their defenses

  • Cut sugar tax in half; however, there was stricter enforcement and harsher treatment of smugglers

• Currency Act (1764)- colonial merchants could not pay debts with colonial currency

  • Also limited the production of colonial paper money

• Stamp Act (1765)- tax on paper (even cards)

  • Stamp taxes could NOT be paid in colonial currency, ONLY British sterling

• Townshend Acts (1767-68)- series of laws meant to increase revenue for Great Britain and decrease smuggling

  • Implemented new taxes on glass, lead, paint, and tea

  • Ensured that colonial courts could not preside over cases involving smuggling or other violations

• Tea Act (1773)- dictated that the East India Company could export directly to the colonies, instead of going to Great Britain first

  • This angered colonies because much of the tea going into the colonies was smuggled to avoid the tea tax

  • The East Indian Company sold tea cheaper than the smuggled tea!!!

Which act did the colonists first start protesting? Which state first protested the Stamp Act?

• Colonists slowly protested these acts starting with the Sugar Act and eventually turned into a movement

• Then, there were a series of Stamp Act protests

  • Virginia was the first state to show their dissatisfaction with the Stamp Act

  • People refused to follow the Stamp Act and did not use items that require stamped paper and stopped importing British goods

  • Franklin was called by Parliament to explain why the colonists were so upset about the Stamp Act

What was the Declaratory Act?

Result: Parliament repeals the Stamp Act and passed instead the Declaratory Act where Great Britain had right to tax any colony as they see fit

Which state first reacted to the Tea Act? What is the Boston Tea Party?

• The reactions to the Tea Act were not only central in Boston, but also in New York and Pennsylvania

• South Carolina started their first destruction of tea where locked it away and let it rot

• A few weeks after this, the Boston Tea Party occurred

  • The colonists dressed as natives, and dumped all the tea from the Dartmouth ship

    • Dressed as natives made it apparent that "America" was doing this, but also to conceal their individual identities

• A group in Philadelphia forced a tea ship to return to England

• New Yorkers dumped tea from a ship into the Hudson River

What happened as a result of the Boston Tea Party? What is the Boston Port Act and the Committee of Correspondence?

• Britain increased their military presence in Boston

• The Boston Port Act- closure of the Boston Harbor in response to the Boston Tea Party

• The Committee of Correspondence- it was a way for activists in Boston to communicate with people elsewhere in the colonies

  • Called for the creation of the Continental Congress and also they decided how to react to the Boston Port Act

• The First Continental Congress passed a series of declarations and resolves

  • Americans began targeting the Boston Port Act and other laws that they disagreed with

First vs. Second Continental Congress

• The First Continental Congress issued resolves and wanted to decide a new course for the colonies

• The Second Continental Congress behaved as an extra legal semi-national government

  • Established themselves as the main authority in British North America

How did radical revolutionaries ensure that those who disagreed with them still followed the rules after winning the revolution?

Establishment of the committee system

• The development of the Committee of Correspondence ensured that there was open communication between colonies and issued propaganda during the revolutionary movement

• Committee of Inspection main goal was to ensure no one was importing or selling British goods

  • Public shaming was a common form of punishment for violators

• Committees of Safety was the de facto local government of each county in each colony

  • They would pass wartime laws and function as basic courts

Describe the importance of Patrick Henry & Thomas Gage to the revolutionary cause.

• Patrick Henry stated that the colonies are already at war and Boston was already occupied by British soldiers

  • He delivered his "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech

• Thomas Gage, royal governor of Massachusetts, received orders from British forces to arrest revolutionary leadership, specifically John Adams and John Hancock

  • In response to this, Paule Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott were sent out to warn those who may be targeted

What events led up to escalation of the American Revolution?

• The Crown declared Massachusetts in a state of rebellion due to the Massachusetts government assembling which was prohibited by the Crown

  • The Crown did not allow any form of assembly

• The Battle of Lexington and Concord occurred (April 1775)

• The First Continental Congress issued resolves and wanted to decide a new course for the colonies

• The Second Continental Congress behaved as an extra legal semi-national government

  • Established themselves as the main authority in British North America

  • Encouraged all colonies to remove any remaining royal government and establish their own independent government

• There was the creation of the Continental Army and George Washington was put in command

Radicals vs. Moderates in the American Revolution

• There was a series of debates between moderates and radicals later in 1775

  • Moderates believed that the King was misled by his advisors and proposed the Olive Branch Petition

  • Radicals believed that they were already at war

  • King George refuses to acknowledge the Olive Branch Petition and declared all the colonies in a set of a revolution

What was Common Sense? What was its importance?

• Common Sense was published by Thomas Paine in 1776

  • Wanted a revolution and targeted the Crown instead of just blaming British Parliament

  • Pushed many colonists to support the Radicals who wanted to separate from Great Britain

Describe the timeline of the Declaration of Independence

• July 2, 1776, Congress voted on independence which passed

• Only July 4, 1776, Congress accepts Jefferson's draft of the formal Declaration of Independence

• On August 2 the document was signed by members of the Continental Congress

Describe what colonial American society looked like in terms of social class.

• 70% of white colonists were farmers

• Elites accounted for 3-4% of the population

• Lots of middling sorts, though, who were hyper-literate

  • These people had enough income to by British goods, and were also well informed

  • This was the target population to convince people to join the revolutionary cause because they were not necessarily hurt from prohibition of imports and also well read

• Almost half of the population was under the age of 16

Give an estimate of the amount of people that supported, disapproved, or were undecided about the revolution

• Between 40-45% of people supported the revolution (Patriots)

• Loyalists, people who supported Great Britain, were 15-20% of the population

• People who did not want any part or who could not decide were 35-45% of the population

Describe the types of punishment that people received for not supporting the revolutionary cause. What happened to James Rivington and Thomas Brown?

• Public admission of guilt was a common form of punishment that would often result in non-violence

• Committees of Safety targeted estates of men who refused to cooperate

• Some forms of violence include destroying property of violators, such as that of James Rivington, who was a loyalist

• Thomas Brown was also victim to violence who was almost burned by a fired and tarred and feathered to force him to sign a pledge of allegiance to the Patriots

Where was revolutionary propaganda present? What was usually publicized?

• Was frequently published in newspapers and broadsides (one large sheet printed on one side for announcements)

• There was a lot of freedom rhetoric published

• Propaganda was also publicizing Great Britain's use of "proxy armies"

  • Proxy armies involved the hiring of German soldiers and Natives

    • Upset colonists because the British were hiring outsiders to fight for them. The British weren't even directly fighting the colonists.

Why did Ben Franklin believe that the rattlesnake was a good American symbol?

• Ben Franklin believed the rattlesnake was a good symbol for a America because it signified solidarity and each parts of the animal are distinctive yet together are firmly united

  • Individual parts of a whole are coming together which was important to America's identity

Describe the “Progressive” School in terms of historiography.

• The "Progressive School"- these historians argued that a ruling class of merchants and landholders rebelled because British taxes and regulations were harming their businesses

  • Some people wrote that the American Revolution emerged from merchants acting in their own economic self-interest

  • The progressives believe that everything was about class warfare

    • Colonial businessmen (ruling merchants) and poorer classes (farmers/artisans)

  • Resulted in an era wanting to reform parts of American society, such as closing wealth gaps

Describe the Neo-Whigs in terms of historiography.

• Neo-Whigs- group of historians that were more focused on ideology (forwarded ideas of the Whigs)

  • Ideology can refer to the science of ideas (positioning the revolution as a philosophical one focused on the exchange of ideas) OR it can be a set of doctrines or beliefs (positions that the revolution was based on how governments should and should not operate)

  • Edmund Morgan wrote about the Stamp Act in a book pertaining from a ideological perspective

    • His major point is that progressives were telling us to not take revolutionaries for their word; however, he thinks that probably the revolutionaries meant exactly what they said

Who were the Whigs?

• Whigs- a British political party that consisted of politicians that believed in privacy in the House of Commons and monarchical systems were a form of tyranny

  • They favored the House of Commons because it checked the power of the Crown

  • The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution argued that revolutionaries did not act out of self-interest, but out of paranoia and revolutionaries believed that the British government was inherently corrupt

T.H Breen vs. Pauline Meier

• Pauline Maier- she was a Neo-Whig historian that focused on how orderly the American Revolution was rather than its disorder

  • She believed it was structurally organized

• T.H Breen- published a book that argued the opposite of Maier

  • He saw all hallmarks of a insurgency (violent armed rebellion carried out by small forces of armed men)

    • Insurgencies commonly use terrorism as a tactic

What is insurgency?

• He saw all hallmarks of a insurgency (violent armed rebellion carried out by small forces of armed men)

  • Insurgencies commonly use terrorism as a tactic