Reason and Revolution

The American Dream - A New Nation

Events and Philosophies leading up to the American Revolution and American Independence

• April 5, 1764 Britain's Sugar Act lowers previous taxes on colonial trade, however, this act goes farther in the enforcement of the collection of the tax, and the economic impact of taxation without representation, became the main focus for the Americans.

• March 22, 1765 Britain passes Stamp Act

• ( required all legal documents, permits, commercial contracts, newspapers, wills, pamphlets, and playing cards in the colonies to carry a tax stamp. Once in effect, the tax met with great resistance in the colonies.).

• October 7, 1765 Stamp Act Congress approved Declaration of Rights and Grievances by John Dickinson "the penman of the Revolution" arguing that colonial taxation is to come from their own assemblies, not the British.

• March 18, 1766 Stamp Act is repealed.

• June 29, 1767 Townshend Acts impose new taxes on colonies "...The troops to be kept up in America should be paid by the Colonies respectively for whose defense & benefit they were employed” (placed a tax on common products imported into the American Colonies, such as lead, paper, paint, glass, and tea, while giving revenues from these taxes to the British governors and other officials that were normally paid by town assemblies.)

• February 11, 1768 Sam Adams calls for colonial unity in Circular Letter. Britain sends troops to enforce order in Boston.

• March 5, 1770  The Boston Massacre. Five colonists killed.

• December 16, 1773 The Boston Tea Party• The Sons of Liberty thinly disguised as either Mohawk or Narragansett

Indians and armed with small hatchets and clubs Swiftly and efficiently, brought up casks of tea from the hold to the deck, opened them and dumped the tea overboard; the work, lasting well into the night, was quick, thorough, and efficient. By dawn, over 342 casks or 90,000 lbs (45 tons) of tea worth an estimated $1.87 million USD in 2007 currency) had been dumped into the waters of Boston harbor.

• September 5, 1774— The First Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia. Called in response to the passage of the Coercive Acts by the British Parliament, the Congress was attended by 56 members appointed by the legislatures of the Thirteen Colonies, except for the Province of Georgia, which did not send delegates. The Congress met briefly to consider options, organize an economic boycott of British trade, publish a list of rights and grievances, and petition King George for redress of those grievances.

• March 23, 1775  Patrick Henry gives stirring speech at the Virginia Assembly. (We will come back to this.)

• April 18, 1775 British soldiers are sent to Concord to destroy the colonists' weapons depot. That night, Paul Revere sets out from Boston to warn colonists. He reaches Lexington about midnight to warn Sam Adams and John Hancock who had been hiding out there. Listen my children and you shall hearOf the midnight ride of Paul Revere,On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;Hardly a man is now aliveWho remembers that famous day and year.

• from The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

• April 19, 1775 The first battles of the American Revolution, Lexington and Concord.

• It is believed that the enemy fired the first shot. Known as “The shot heard round the world.”

• July 4, 1776 - More than a year later, the Second Continental Congress officially signed the Declaration of Independence.

• October 19, 1781 - Five years later, British General, Charles Lord Cornwallis, surrendered to American and French forces at Yorktown, Virginia, bringing to an end the last major battle of the Revolution.

• September 3, 1783 - with the signing of the Treaty of Paris with Britain in 1783, the United States formally became a free and independent nation.

The Age of ReasonThe 18th century “Enlightenment”

was a movement marked by:

• an emphasis on rationality rather than tradition

• representative government in place of monarchy

• scientific inquiry instead of unquestioning religion

• thinkers and writers were devoted to the ideals of justice, liberty, and equality as the natural rights of man

Natural Rights

• The Enlightenment: Using reason, man could discover God’s laws.

• Natural Laws: God created the universe and established the rules by which the universe operates (Deism). It’s our job to figure out the laws. Example: Things fall down. The natural law? Gravity.– Deism is the belief that a supreme God exists and

created the physical universe, and that religious truths can be arrived at by the application of reason alone, without dependence on revelation.

Natural Rights

• When a person is born, God endows him or her with certain natural rights.

• Man’s laws should never conflict with natural laws.

• John Locke took this a step further: Politics is a science. Using reason, man could discover God’s rules for government. It would be morally wrong to disobey God’s natural laws.

Philosophers of the Enlightenment

John Locke1632-1704

In 1690, leading British philosopherJohn Locke published adocument that maintained thatgovernment was founded on a“social contract” based on “government with the consent of the governed” to protect theindividual’s rights to “life, libertyand estate.”Almost 90 years later, ThomasJefferson referred to Locke’swork when he wrote theDeclaration of Independence.

Social Contract

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

In order to live in society, human beings agree to an implicit social contract, which gives them certain rights in return for giving up certain freedoms. Each person will enjoy the protection of the common force whilst remaining as free as they were in the state of nature.

All men pursue only what they perceive to be in their own individually considered best interests – they respond mechanistically by being drawn to that which they desire and repelled by that to which they are averse. Given that men are naturally self-interested, yet they are rational, they will choose to submit to the authority of a Sovereign in order to be able to live in a civil society, which is conducive to their own interests. People in a state of nature give up their individual rights to a strong power in return for his protection, so social contract evolved out of self-interest.

Thomas Hobbes

Charles de Montesquieu1689-1755

Charles de Montesquieu was oneof the most influential legaltheorists and politicalphilosophers of the 18th century.His ideas about the separation ofpowers and checks on the powerof the executive also had a profound impact on the architects of the American constitution.

Age of Reason Late 1770s to Early 1800s This period was a time when authors were

focused more on their own reasoning rather than simply taking what the church taught as fact. During this period there was also cultivation of patriotism. The main medium during that period were political pamphlets, essays, travel writings, speeches, and documents.

Also during this period many reforms were either

made or requested, for instance during this time the Declaration of Independence was written.

Authors of the Age of ReasonAbigail Adams (1744-1818)

An avid letter writer, she wrote letters that campaigned for women’s rights. Her grandson, Charles Francis Adams, published The Familiar Letters of John Adams and His Wife Abigail During the Revolution. Her letters--pungent, witty, and vivid, spelled just as she spoke--detailed her life in times of revolution. They tell the story of the woman who stayed at home to struggle with wartime shortages. She was a remarkable patriot and First Lady, wife of one President and mother of another.

Authors of the Age of ReasonBenjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

His accomplishments as a scientist, publisher and statesman are remarkable. Franklin began as an apprentice to his brother who was a printer. Because his brother would not allow him to write for his newspaper, Franklin wrote letters to the paper in the persona of a middle-aged woman named “Silence Dogood.” By 1730, Franklin created “The Pennsylvania Gazette” where he was able to publish articles and essays on his thoughts. From 1732 to 1757, Franklin created a yearly almanac called Poor Richard’s Almanack. Franklin adopted the name “Richard Saunders” while he was writing for the almanac. From quotes within the almanac, he created “The Way to Wealth.”He dedicated himself to the improvement of everyday life for the widest number of people and, in so doing, made an indelible mark on the emerging nation.

Authors of the Age of ReasonThomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

American president, philosopher, and statesman Jefferson is best known for writing the Declaration of Independence. He was also the first secretary of state, the second vice president, and the third president of the United States. As president, Jefferson successfully negotiated, or bargained for the terms of, the Louisiana Purchase, which nearly doubled the country's size. A man of broad interests and activity, Jefferson remains an inspiration, for both his political accomplishments and his vision for America.

Authors of the Age of ReasonThomas Paine (1737-1809)

Throughout most of his life, his writings inspired passion, but also brought him great criticism. Known as the most radical of the Age of Reason writers, he communicated the ideas of the Revolution to common farmers as easily as to intellectuals, creating prose that stirred the hearts of the fledgling United States. Most famous for : Common Sense and The Crisis, No.1, he had a grand vision for society: he was staunchly anti-slavery, and he was one of the first to advocate a world peace organization and social security for the poor and elderly. But his radical views on religion would destroy his success, and by the end of his life, only a handful of people attended his funeral.

Second Continental Congress

Second Continental Congress met again on May 10, 1775.

June 7, 1776Lee Resolution

Richard Henry Lee, a delegatefrom Virginia, read aresolution before theContinental Congress "thatthese United Colonies are, andof right ought to be, free andindependent States, that theyare absolved from allallegiance to the BritishCrown, and that all politicalconnection between them andthe State of Great Britain is,and ought to be, totallydissolved."

June 11, 1776Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston were appointed to a "Committee of Five” to draft the Declaration of Independence.

The Drafting Committee

July 4, 1826, Jefferson and Adams died within hours of each other. Their deaths occurred -- perhaps appropriately -- on the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Unaware that his friend had died hours earlier, Adams' family later recalled that his last spoken words were, "Thomas Jefferson survives."

Did you know that while Jefferson and Adams were friends, they were also political enemies. Despite their close friendship, Jefferson wrote that he and Adams were often separated by "different conclusions we had drawn from our political reading."

June 28, 1776The committee draft of the Declarationof Independence is read in Congress.During this period the "Committee ofFive" (John Adams, Roger Sherman,Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston,and Thomas Jefferson) drafted theDeclaration of Independence. ThomasJefferson drafted it, Adams andFranklin made changes to thedocument.

Jefferson’s rough draftof the Declaration

June 12-27Jefferson, at the request of thecommittee, drafts a declaration,of which only a fragment exists.Jefferson's clean, or "fair" copy,the "original Rough draft," isreviewed by the committee.Both documents are in themanuscript collections of theLibrary of Congress

July 1-4Congress debates and revises the Declaration of Independence.

July 2Congress declares independence as the British fleet and army arrive at New York.

Independence is Declared!

July 4, 1776Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence.

July 4, 1776

King George III wrote in his diary,

"Nothing of importance today."

Declaration of Independence

Three parts1. Description of the rights of man

2. Grievances against the king3. Official declaration of war

Virginia

• Virginia presents an interesting paradox in the years leading up to the War for Independence. The colony produced some of the most effective revolutionary leaders, writers, and orators, such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry, but the general populace was not radical in the manner of Massachusetts, nor were they convinced that war was the best choice.

Virginia

• Tension between opposing sides in Virginia was clearly evident in the response the assembly made to the Boston port closure in 1774. The burgesses (first legislative assembly of elected representatives in North America) declared a day of fasting and prayer, an action that offended the governor, Lord Dunmore. He reacted by dissolving the assembly, but the legislators defied his order by holding sessions in other locations. This illegal Virginia Convention later elected delegates to the First Continental Congress.

• At this convention, Patrick Henry initiated a program for defensive action and presented his celebrated "Give me liberty or give me death" speech, which inspired the colonists to follow the cause.

• This illegal Virginia Convention later elected delegates to the First Continental Congress.

Patrick Henry

• Born May 29, 1736 in Hanover County, Virginia

• Homeschooled by his father, John Henry

• Studied law on his own, and obtained law license in 1760

• He was twice married, to Sarah Shelton, and to Dorothea Dandridge.

• Lawyer, patriot, orator, and willing participant in virtually every aspect of the founding of America.

• Protested British tyranny • He argued that a king who would veto a law passed by a locally elected legislature was

"a tyrant who forfeits the allegiance of his subjects." This was the beginning of his struggle to ensure independence for the 13 Colonies.

• Delivered the famous "Give me liberty or give me death!" speech at the Second Virginia Convention

• Symbol of the American struggle for liberty

• Wrote numerous other speeches throughout his lifetime

• Henry served in the Virginia House of Burgesses; he was a member of the Virginia committee of Correspondence, a delegate to the Virginia Convention, and a delegate to the Virginia Constitution Ratification Convention

• Five-term governor of Virginia

• Died June 6, 1799 at Red Hill Plantation, Virginia

Patrick Henry

The date is Thursday, March 23, 1775.

The place: St. John's Church in Richmond Virginia.

The event: A meeting of Virginia's colonial leaders at the Second Virginia Convention.

Henry was the delegate from Hanover County at the meeting to discuss the recent proceedings of America's First Continental Congress. Peyton Randolph was President of the Convention attended by 120 delegates, including such notables as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Richard Henry Lee.

In fact, the meeting turned into a series of debates over whether or not to arm the colony of Virginia as a defense against possible incursions by the British army.

Henry's reputation as a fiery and passionate orator preceded his appearance at the convention. Ten years earlier in 1765 his Virginia Stamp Act Resolutions before the House of Burgesses were met with angry cries of treason. Henry's reply: "If this be treason, make the most of it."

At the end of the four-day meeting in Virginia, Patrick Henry rose to deliver his speech, facing his fellow delegates. Many at the meeting were loathe to oppose the mother country, instead favoring conciliatory measures. But Henry's stirring and persuasive call to arms won the day, and the delegates voted to support his resolutions.

Thomas Jefferson described Henry as the man who "set the ball of Revolution rolling" in Virginia. Patrick Henry's immortal words have been described as "the most famous cry for freedom in the world."

The following is the speech he gave that day.