THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

STATEMENT OF INQUIRY
Revolutionary

ideologies
and
innovative
ideas
tend
to
significantly transform a peoples
perceptions of its own identity,
aspirations of good governance
and the proper application of
power.

VOCABULARY

What is a NATION?
Benedict

(1936- )

Anderson (1983) in his book Imagined Communities:

I propose the following definition of the nation: it is an imagined

political community - and imagined as both inherently limited
and sovereignIt is imagined because the members of even the
smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet
them, or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image
of their communionThe nation is imagined as limited because
even the largest of them encompassing perhaps a billion living
human beings, has finite, if elastic boundaries, beyond which lie
other nations. No nation imagines itself coterminous with mankind
It is imagined as sovereign because the concept was born in an age
in which Enlightenment and Revolution were destroying the
legitimacy of the divinely-ordained, hierarchical dynastic realm
Finally, it is imagined as a community, because, regardless of
the actual inequality and exploitation that may prevail in
each, the nation is always conceived as a deep, horizontal
comradeship. Ultimately it is this fraternity that makes it possible,
over the past two centuries, for
soterm
many
millions of
people,
notLatin
so
The
ultimately
derives
from
much to kill, as willingly to die for such limited imaginings.
nasci meaning to be born! This
accounts for the feeling of affinity of
shared land of birth and language.

What is a NATION?
(1925-1995)

Ernest

(1983):

Gellner in his book Nations and Nationalism

A mere category of persons (say, occupants of a

given territory, or speakers of a given language, for
example) becomes a nation if and when the
members of the category firmly recognize
certain mutual rights and duties to each
other in virtue of their shared membership of it.
It is their recognition of each other as fellows of this
kind which turns them into a nation, and not the
other shared attributes, whatever they might be,
which separate that category from non- members.

COLONY
A

collection of people whose origin is in some mother country, and

who retain the language and customs of that country, but whose
social and economic life is sustained in the place to which they have
moved.

country or territory governed internally by a foreign power.

(Modern

World History, 346)

NATION-STATE

A state organized for the government of a nation, whose territory

is determined by national boundaries, and whose law is
determined, at least in part, by national customs and
expectations.
NOTE: All definitions from Roger Scruton, Macmillan Dictionary of Political Thought , 3rd edition 2007,
unless specified otherwise.

(1944- )

REFORM

A process of political change within the framework of a

constitution, and without questioning the legitimacy of the
sovereign power.

REVOLT

to fight in a violent way against the rule of a leader or government

to act in a way that shows that you do not accept the control or
influence of someone or something (Merriam Webster.com)

REVOLUTION

[A]ny major transformation that occurs simultaneously on the

social and the political level, upsetting expectations and
conformities that were sufficiently well established to define all
important forms of association under the preceding order.

SOVEREIGNTY [Essentially the ability to assert and enforce a claim

to power=potential to use violence or make peace by agreement]
This

is an attribute which political bodies possess in relation to

other such bodies. Thus sovereignty in international law implies
the recognition of a state as having rights of jurisdiction over a
particular people and territory, and being solely answerable for that
jurisdiction in international law. This legal idea is meant to
correspond to an actual power to assert itself over the territory in
question. (External sovereignty)

This

is an attribute possessed by a political body in relation to a

society that falls under its government. Sovereignty in this sense
lies in supreme command over a civil society, and it has a de jure
(legal) aspect, as well as a de facto (coercive) aspect. Legal
sovereignty vests in that person, office or body whose decisions
cannot legally be challenged in the court. Coercive sovereignty
vests in that person, office or body which in fact controls the powers
exerted and enforced in the name of government. (Internal
sovereignty)

STATE
(as a legal concept)

Hobbes Leviathan

Both a juristic [i.e. legal] person in

international law, and a kind of quasiperson in popular thinking, with rights,
obligations and also a personal
identity over time distinct from the
identity of its members.
(As a sociological concept)
[A]

(1864-1920)

human community which

(successfully) lays claim to the
monopoly of the legitimate use
of physical force within a given
territory. (Max Weber, Politics as a
vocation, 1919)

Colony- a nation
thats not an
independent
state

political

Nation
cultural

People with
similar
aspirations
shared
membership
possibly through
language
Can identify
the Not-Us

Nation
State

Did SCOTLAND
become an
independent nationstate? NO.

Personification
of government

Use of force
(Sovereignty)
is exercised
by the
member(s) of
the nation

Claims
successful
monopoly of
violence in a
territory
Empire- may be
multinational

State

Drivers
license

INTERNAL
SOVEREIGNTY
Supreme
command over
civil society (Able
to enforce the
laws, protect
society vs crimes)

US Federal
System
Police

STATE/
LOCAL
GOVT

Diplomac
y and War

FEDERAL
GOVT
SOVEREIGNTY
(Ability to
enforce a claim
to power)
US
Constitution,
Trade,
Counterterrorism

Armed
Forces

Recognition by
other political
bodies as having a
claim to power
over a territory
(Able to defend
against other
states)

US
GOVT

EXTERNAL
SOVEREIGNTY

Doesnt the 1651

Navigation Act remind
you of which
economic policy?
(p.206)
Molasses Act of 1733: What was it for?
However colonists were
forbidden to occupy the
newly-won territory they
fought for. Why?
What was the
Quartering Act?
How did John Green describe
the Declaratory Act?

Who made the drawing

of the Boston Massacre?
What were these group
of patriots called?
What were the Intolerable
Acts?
True or False: All 13
colonies were present in
this First Congress.

A phrase from the US

Declaration sounded
similar to whose ideas?

True or False:
George
Washington was
the head of the
United States
government at the
start of the
American
Revolution.

Why would France join in

the war?

True or False: To
encourage AfricanAmericans to fight for
the British, they were
promised freedom.
True or False: None of
the 13 colonies had
any anti-slavery laws
before the Revolution.
Articles of Confederation
ratified.
What was this peace
treaty called and its
terms?

Why did Shays Rebellion occur and whats that got to do

with the problems of the post-Revolutionary period?

1789. GW
becomes first
US President.

What was James Madisons role?

Source: Timeline of the Revolution. <http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle_timeline.html.>

There were a number of European expeditions,

explorations and settlements.

Origins of the Thirteen US

Colonies
Connecticut (ceded by the Dutch)
Delaware- (ceded by the Dutch)
Georgia
Maryland- privately owned for Catholic settlement
Massachusetts Bay- Puritans from England and Pilgrims
New Hampshire
New Jersey- (ceded by the Dutch)
New York- (ceded by the Dutch)
North Carolina
Pennsylvania-owned (ceded by the Dutch)
Rhode Island
South Carolina
The Dutch-owned colonies
were called New Netherland
Virginia
until 1674

The beginnings of Colonial America. The Pilgrims migrated to

America partly for religious reasons. They were dissatisfied with
the Church of England which they felt was too Catholic.

The Seven Years War (1756-1763)

Technically a European war but the causes and

scope were so deep and broad that it was
anything but a war that lasted Seven Years!
Because of the alliances involved, it was fought
in Asia (India, the Philippines), Africa and the
Americas (North America, Caribbean, South
America) as well, some calling it the First
World War.
French and Indian War (1754-1763), for
example. Tanacharison (Half-King) and
George Washington may have started it!
The cause of the war goes all the way back to
the War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748).
Frederick the Great of Prussia seized the territory
owned by Maria Theresa of Austria (Silesia),
whom he thought was a pushover.
Fredericks main allies: France and Bavaria
Theresas main allies: Great Britain and the
Dutch.

Battle of the
Enlightenment
despots!

The Seven Years War (1756-1763)

Then, in 1756, the Diplomatic Revolution occurred.

The alliances switched.

Frederick: Britain, Portugal

Maria Theresa: France, Spain, Sweden and Russia.
In the French and Indian War, the French were largely aided by
Native Americans from Canada. One third force was the Iroquois
Confederacy which had jurisdiction over the Ohio Valley, who
wanted to play off the French and the British against each other to
preserve territory. The French were better to deal with because
they left the Indians alone.
The Iroquois were composed of Six Nations: Mohawk, Oneida,
Onandaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora. Except for the Mohawk
(who joined the British) and the Canadian Mohawk (who joined the
French), the others stayed neutral until the British started winning.
Territory meant area where Native Americans could plant, fish
and hunt, not own (stewardship= take care). European/ American
concept of territory was private ownership (takeover!).

The French and Indian War (1754-1763): Why the

Indians supported the French more than the
British:

Tanacharison
The Half King
(Seneca Nation)

(They sympathized with the Indians

cause.)

CAUSES
Proclamation of 1763
The Colonists helped the British
win the French and Indian War.
The victory gave England the land
west of the Appalachian
Mountains until the Mississippi
River.
However, colonists could not
settle past the Appalachians
because of the Native Americans.
WHY? (To respect Native
Americans and prevent future
conflict.)
Angered the colonists because
they helped fight for that land.
They thought that this what the
war was all about. (Conflicting
ideas of property)

Quartering Act 1765

King George originally sent British soldiers to
the colonies to protect the colonies from the
French during the French and Indian Wars.
In exchange, the colonists were required to
provide supplies and housing for the troops.
While the War ended in 1763, the emergency
was over. However, the British extended it.
Thus, the colonists questioned why they still
have to feed an army whose enemy was
already defeated.
In a way, this was an indirect tax on the
colonists.
Colonists successfully refused this
imposition. However in 1774, the British
reimposed it. It was part of the Intolerable
Acts.

Stamp Act 1765

Required colonists to pay a tax on every
piece of paper they used, from legal
documents, newspapers and playing cards.
The result of the French and Indian War.
The revenue will be used to pay for the
British troops guarding Americas frontier.
Colonists boycotted British goods in a move
to have it repealed. (This favors local
producers.)
The law was repealed due to business and
public pressure.

Townshend Act 1767

Indirect tax on items such
as lead, glass, paper and
tea.

This was collected at sea

ports before reaching retail
stores so the tax was
included in the price. Unlike
the Stamp Act, this was not
made explicit.

It was hoped that the price

increase wouldnt be
noticed by the colonists but
The British Parliament, however, passed the
they did.
Declaratory Act stating that Parliament
"had hath, and of right ought to have, full
power and authority to make laws and
statutes of sufficient force and validity to
bind the colonies and people of America...
in all cases whatsoever".

Boston Tea Party 1773

The tax on tea was actually cut because England flooded the colonies
with cheap tea, which was the drink of choice then.
It did affect smugglers and local tea merchants but the whole point that
this was imposed without their consent.
The Sons of Liberty, headed by Samuel Adams led the raid and dumped
the tea in Boston Harbor.
The colonists hoped that like the Stamp Act it would be repealed, but
King George thought that this was too much.

Intolerable Acts 1774

This was in response to Massachusetts
continuing resistance to British impositions.
Closure of Boston Harbor until the East India Tea
Company was repaid for the lost tea.
Reimposed the Quartering Act 1765 and
extended it to publicly occupied buildings.
British Officials could now only be tried in
Britain, instead of Colonial Courts.
Annulment of colonial charters (constitutions)
so British Governors directly ran things. (e.g.
Massachusetts Government Act).
Canadian border extended to Connecticut,
Massachusetts and Virginia. (Quebec Act)

Resistance Strategies

Smuggling

Ongoing then because

Britain wanted America
to be dependent on
English goods.
Colonial courts were
more lenient against
smugglers

Active protests (Boston Massacre)

Sabotage (Boston Tea

Party)

Intimidation, shaming and attacking pro-British supporters (Tories)

Tar and
Feathering

Thomas Hutchinson was that

governor.
I never think of the measures necessary

for the
peace and good order of the colonies without pain.
There must be an abridgment of what are called
English libertiesI wish the good of the colony when I
wish to see some further restraint of liberty rather
than the connection with the parent state should be
broken; for I am sure such a breach must prove the
ruin of the colony.

Boycott (no trade) of

British goods.

 Print media (Boston Massacre, Hutchinson affair)

* Benjamin Franklins
1754 Join, or Die
political cartoon on
the French and
Indian War became a
1754 new symbol against
the Stamp Act in
"The Confidence of the French in
1765.
this Undertaking seems wellgrounded on the present disunited
State of the British Colonies, and
the extreme Difficulty of bringing so
many different Governments and
Assemblies to agree in any speedy
and effectual Measures for our
common defense and Security;
while our Enemies have the very
great Advantage of being under
one. Direction, with one Council,
and one Purse...

 Print media

Paul

Revere
would later
print a different
version, seen
fighting the
English dragon,
a symbol for St.
George, the
patron saint of
England.

1775 (Why Franklin chose the rattlesnake as a symbol)

I recollected that her eye excelled in brightness, that

of any other animal, and that she has no eyelids. She
may therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance.
She never begins an attack, nor, when once
engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an
emblem of magnanimity and true courage she
never wounds till she has generously given notice,
even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the
danger of stepping on her. Was I wrong, Sir, in
thinking this a strong picture of the temper
and conduct of America?

 Colony-wide
coordination of
protest actions

First Continental Congress

met (except Georgia).
The first US Government
Committees of
Correspondence created to
make sure everyone was
observing the boycott of
British goods.
Preparation for war.
Encouraged local
manufacturing.
Why didnt Georgia join
initially???

Second Continental Congress met in May 1775.

By this time, Americans and British were already
shooting at each other.
They even sent King George III a letter proposing
autonomy and reconciliation. (Olive Branch
Petition)
ONLY IN JULY 1776 DID THEY FORMALLY DECLARE
INDEPENDENCE! NOW, THE FIGHTING BECAME A
WAR OF INDEPENDENCE.

Thomas Paine
(1737-1809)
Common Sense
(1776)

Any
historical
analogies
in applying
this
argument?

Declaration of
Independence

We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall

all hang separately.

-Attributed to Benjamin Franklin

With your
understanding
of Anderson
and Gellner,
did the
American
Revolution
create a new
nation? Why?

TREATY OF PARIS
(1783)

(Painting by Benjamin West. Uncompleted.

Why?)

Great Britain recognized the United States as an independent

country, thus ending the war.
Other participants in the war (French, Spanish and Dutch) made
separate agreements.
The US side almost got Quebec.
Established boundaries between the US and British North
America. The British ceded a lot of territory.
Prisoners of war (POWs) were to be released.
All British property including slaves are to remain with the US.
Compensation to Loyalists of seized property and a promise to
prevent future confiscations.
Aside from the British, who lost?

QUESTIONS

Outline the causes of the American Revolution.

Why might Parliament want to restrict colonial trade?
How did geography affect the colonists sense of independence?
Why would taxation without representation seem unfair to
Enlightenment thinkers?
Was the Declaration of Independence justified or was it treason?
How did the notion of the social contract influence the colonists?
Why were the colonists able to achieve victory in the American
Revolution?
Do you think the American Revolution was revolutionary or not?
Why or why not?
Do you think the American Revolution would have happened if
there had not been an Age of Enlightenment?

ACTIVITY: ANTHEMS
Application of concepts by Anderson and Gellner
1.We will listen to National Anthems. (20 mins.)
2.On

your worksheets, each pair will analyze

contents reflecting these theories. (20 mins.)
3.After the analysis, break into bigger groups
to share views on their anthems. (20 mins.)
4.Reflection and summary. (20 mins.)

How does poetry reflect ideas of a

nation?