The Revolution Within

The Revolution Within: AMH-2010 Notes

Agenda

  • Democratizing Freedom
  • Toward Religious Toleration
  • Defining Economic Freedom
  • The Limits of Liberty

Democratizing Freedom

The Dream of Equality
  • Three Levels of the American Revolution
    • National independence
    • Global battle between Europeans and Native Americans
    • Conflict to determine the new nation's identity
  • American freedom is intrinsically linked to the idea of equality:
    • Equality before the law
    • Equality in political rights
    • Equality in economic opportunity
Expanding the Political Nation
  • Definition of Democracy: Governance by the entire populace directly.
  • Concerns:
    • Risk of mob rule.
    • Suitability for early societies versus complexity of modern governance.
    • Government should serve the populace rather than a privileged elite.
    • Consideration of political minority rights.
  • Aspirations for Greater Equality:
    • Inspired by the struggle for independence.
    • Issues discussed among the masses:
    • Universal male suffrage.
    • Religious toleration.
    • Abolition of slavery.
State Constitutions
  • Each state established its own constitution guided by republican values:
    • Authority based on the consent of the governed.
    • Variability in specific forms, yet aligned with public good.
    • Considerations included:
    • Unicameral vs. bicameral legislatures.
    • Role of a governor.
    • Existence of a judiciary.
    • Voting eligibility.
The Right to Vote
  • Pennsylvania's Voting Policy (1776):
    • Most democratic: Allowed all tax-paying men over 21 to vote with no property requirements.
  • New Jersey (1776-1807):
    • Property ownership of £50 required, included unmarried women and free blacks.
  • Maryland and South Carolina:
    • Less progressive with high property qualifications limiting voting to an elite minority.
  • By the 1780s:
    • A significant majority of free, white men had gained voting rights.
    • Public perception linked freedom directly to the right to vote.

Toward Religious Toleration

Religious Pluralism
  • Pre-Revolutionary Context:
    • Churches often funded by public money.
    • Discrimination against minority faiths:
    • Catholics: 25,000 to 40,000 (1-1.6% of the population).
    • Jews: 2,000 to 3,000 (~0.1%).
  • Changes Post-American Revolution:
    • Diminished Catholic prejudice due to alliances with France and Spain.
    • Maryland granted Catholics the right to worship.
    • Notable figures:
    • Haym Salomon: Financial backer of the military contributing approximately $650,000 (equivalent to $374 million today).
State Conventions and Requirements
  • New state constitutions required affirmation of faith/belief in a god, but not specific to any denomination; generally aligned with Christianity.
  • Disestablishment of official churches occurred, although some states continued to allocate funds for Protestant denominations.
The Founders and Religion
  • Characterized religion as foundational to public morality.
  • Advocated for the protection of religious freedom from state control.
  • Jefferson's Principle:
    • Promoted a "wall of separation" between church and state in his letter to the Danbury Baptists (1802).
    • Assurance that religion is a God-given right, not a government-granted one, thus beyond government control.
Religious Liberty
  • Protection of religious practices resulted in flourishing of diverse faiths:
    • Clear demarcation between public authority and private life.
    • Post-Revolution, religious influence grew significantly.
    • A remarkable increase in the variety of religious denominations.
    • Freedom in worship acknowledged and upheld.
Christian Republicanism
  • Marriages of political and religious frameworks during the independence struggle:
    • Personal virtue seen as foundational for a free society.
    • Affirmation that freedom, both religious and political, was essential for the development of virtue.
    • Public authority supported by religious values.
    • Due to the separation of church and state, leaders were not/ could not be adversarial towards religion.

Defining Economic Freedom

Toward Free Labor
  • The spectrum between free and unfree labor diminished:
    • Indenture servitude had nearly ended by 1800.
    • Decline in apprenticeships noted.
    • Increase in paid domestic servants.
    • Rise of republican citizenship.
    • Definition of Free Labor:
    • Wage labor or ownership of farms/shops.
    • Increased focus on distinguishing free labor from slavery.
Economic Freedom
  • Concept of Equality understood as equal opportunity instead of equal condition or outcome.:
    • Emphasis that a lack of economic resources equates to a lack of freedom.
  • Virginia abolished restrictive inheritance laws:
    • Entail: System limiting inheritance to specified heirs.
    • Primogeniture: Laws where land was passed entirely to the eldest son.
Economic Conditions Post-Revolution
  • Transition in wartime economy leading to post-war inflation:
    • Effect of hoarding, disruption in trade and agriculture.
  • Paper Continentals:
    • Currency created during war showed extreme inflation and loss of value.
Free Trade
  • Challenges of controlling inflation through wage and price fixing.
    • Resistance from merchants due to market realities.
  • Advocacy for Free Trade Policies:
    • Proposed removal of arbitrary price and wage controls to allow for market self-regulation.
    • Established principles of valuing products based on supply and demand.
    • Encouraged economic development through self-interest.
Morality and Wealth
  • Adam Smith - Scottish economist and philosopher:
    • Wrote "The Theory of Moral Sentiments" in 1759 - foundation for ethical and methodological economic thought focusing on self-interest, free exchange, and sympathy.
    • Published "The Wealth of Nations" in 1776 advocating limited government intervention in free markets, leading to self-regulation thereof.
    • Introduced the concept of the Invisible Hand, promoting free trade and natural reduction in costs through innovation and efficiency.

The Limits of Liberty

Colonial Loyalists
  • Definition of Loyalists: Those who remained loyal to the British crown.
  • Estimated 20-25% of the population were Loyalists;
    • Around 20,000 fought alongside the British.
    • Present in all colonies including New York, Pennsylvania, and Southern backcountry regions.
    • Many Loyalists experienced arrest and property seizure by the states post-war.
    • Approximately 60,000 Loyalists emigrated from the U.S. to Great Britain, Canada, and the West Indies after the war.
Geographic Distribution of Loyalsim
  • Map indicating areas of strong Loyalist support versus strong patriot support, neutral colonists, and Native Nations aligned with Loyalists.
Native Americans and Freedom
  • Post-war western lands perceived as a reward of victory, with the end of British restrictions.
  • The Treaty of Paris ceded all British land east of the Mississippi River.
  • Native Americans utilized revolutionary rhetoric to assert their rights regarding territorial sovereignty, land policies, and trade.
The Language of Slavery & Freedom
  • Revolutionary discourse juxtaposed themes of freedom with slavery:
    • Use of slavery as a political category in revolutionary rhetoric.
    • Acknowledgment of moral contradictions by many, leading to increased awareness and the rise of abolitionist societies.
Abolition and its Obstacles
  • Noteworthy that most founding figures of the nation owned slaves at some point.
  • Legal and societal barriers to emancipation included:
    • Inheritance, purchase, and manumission complexities.
    • Virginia imposed stringent measures against emancipating slaves, involving debt, inheritance, dowry, financial implications, abandonment requirements, and property rights arguments.
Arguments for Abolition
  • Public Debate on abolition gained traction:
    • Moral and economic arguments against slavery.
    • Freedom petitions presented in courts by enslaved individuals advocating for liberty.
    • Resulted in the abolition of slavery in several northern states between 1777 and 1804 in Vermont, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey.
    • Enactment of the Northwest Ordinance (1787) prohibiting slavery in the territory.
Emancipations
  • Emancipation through military service noted:
    • Approximately 5,000 on the American side and around 20,000 on the British side.
    • A notable wave of emancipation in Chesapeake was recorded during the 1780s.
    • Many were mandated to navigate restrictive laws, with minimal voluntary emancipation in South Carolina and Georgia.
Black Founders
  • Significant Individuals:
    • Lemuel Haynes: MA Militiaman and minister.
    • James Armistead Lafayette: Served as a spy for General Washington.
    • James Forten: Soldier, businessman, and abolitionist.
    • Richard Allen: Founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME Church).
Revolutionary Women
  • Women's Roles in public activism grew significantly:
    • Concept of Republican motherhood evolved, emphasizing women's role in educating future citizens.
    • Viewed as foundational for national morality within the family.
    • Expansion of educational opportunities for women was encouraged, coupled with a societal duty to educate sons.
    • Emergence and emphasis on companionate marriages.
Founding Mothers
  • Notable Figures:
    • Abigail Adams: Confidante and advisor to her husband; advocate for women's rights.
    • Mercy Otis Warren: Writer who made a case for revolutionary ideals through her writings.
    • Betsy Ross: Credited with the design and creation of the first American Flag.
    • Phillis Wheatley: The first published African American poet, formerly enslaved, known for her works promoting American Independence.

Conclusion

  • The document concludes with provisions for more information on social and cultural developments following the Revolutionary Era and encourages reference to Chapter 6 for further insight.

Questions?

  • The final slide prompts audiences to engage and ask questions, suggesting an open dialogue on the material presented.