Course:HIST102/American Revolution Debate: Team A 2011

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Hello Team. This is the page I created for us to share ideas and notes with each other for the debate assignment. I have copied over Taylor's notes already so that gives us a good start. Thanks Taylor! Also, try and remember to leave large enough spaces between entries for ease of reading and to click on the "signature and stamp" button at the top so we can follow the entries better.

Let's get this show on the road... :-P

Taylor's notes: In THE RADICALISM OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION Gordon Wood challenges a generation of scholarship by consensus historians who have interpreted the American Revolution as a conservative rebellion in defense of the status quo. Extending the Revolutionary era backward to the 1760’s and forward to the early nineteenth century, Wood argues that the country experienced a genuine social transformation. One class did not overthrow another, but social relationships—the connecting links between people—were permanently changed.

Wood develops this thesis by examining the country’s transition from monarchy to republic to democracy. Monarchical society linked people to those above and below them in a hierarchy of rank. The small depended on the great and such personal relationships constituted the ligaments that held society together. The republicanism that the colonists embraced during the Revolution dissolved the old monarchical connections of hierarchy, patronage, and dependency; in this sense it was as radical for the eighteenth century as Marxism would be for the nineteenth.

The patriot leaders envisioned the new American republic as a nation of freeholders governed by gentlemen of disinterested virtue whose leisure and independence from petty commercial concerns elevated them above the corruptions of self interest. Instead, artisans and mechanics took to heart the rhetoric of equality and elected men of the middling ranks who promised to champion local interests. As a result, America became the first modern society to bring ordinary people into government as rulers as well as voters—a bloodless transition to democracy that the Founding Fathers had neither anticipated nor desired. --CharmaineGrundy 20:19, 13 January 2011 (PST)


I think it is definitely important to note that social relationships did change. America as the 13 colonies was under British Imperial rule and was set up as an "organic society" where it's subjects were expected to serve the Crown. They rejected the subordination and the taxation that were imposed on them by a distant authority. In a world that was structured in a very hierarchical and monarchical manner the republicanism and equality of the colonists was pretty radical at that time, as noted by Taylor. It signified the beginning of a wave of consciousness of liberty, freedom, and sovereignty in the people that has rippled throughout the world.--CharmaineGrundy 13:03, 17 January 2011 (PST)

Hi Team,

So the start of this debate is fast approaching, I am sorry I wasn't able to get in touch earlier, I am supper busy with school and all, but I was able to get some books and do some research for our topic. I don't mind writing and submitting the position, opening statement and submitting the supporting evidence, but obviously I have to run it though you. I want to combine all of our ideas in the position paper and concentrate on 3 main points:

The AMERICAN revolution was a genuine social revolution as it transformed

1) the relationship between the social classes (hence Taylor's point) 2) the institution of slavery (slavery was gradually abolished in the North after the revolution) 3) system of land holding

combining these 3 elements together would give us a decent opening statement.

I will also send you this message on vista, in case you don't check this page (excellent idea by the way Charmaine :)

anyway hope you are ok with this proposal, I am going to work on further research and send you proposal before it is ready to submit so you can make further changes.

Eva --EvaGoncalvesova 21:55, 20 January 2011 (PST)


That's great Eva. If you would like to put the proposal together, either myself or Taylor can submit the rebuttal. Then the closing statement can be done by whoever is left. I think this is a fair way to break up the work and come together so everyone is involved. Let me know if you both agree. I am happy to take one of the main points and research it more in depth and then send you my notes to add to the proposal if you haven't covered one of them yet or would like the help. I am not sure how far along you are at this point... I will be checking this pretty frequently over tomorrow and Sunday so just let me know if you do. --CharmaineGrundy 16:37, 21 January 2011 (PST)


Hey Charmaine,

thanks for the offer, it would be great if you could maybe explore the institution of slavery issue (point 2). I would be posting a tentative version of the opening statement today and we can do some touch ups tomorrow.

Thanks a lot,

--EvaGoncalvesova 11:29, 22 January 2011 (PST)



Eva,

Here are the notes I have been taking on slavery and the American Revolution. I hope they are helpful.


During the American Revolution, the hypocrisy of the situation in the colonies where the Colonists were demanding their rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” while participating in the bondage of slaves became increasingly apparent. On April 14 1775 in Philadelphia the first anti-slavery group was formed as a result of these egalitarian ideals. The Superior Court of Massachusetts acknowledged that the by the declaration that “all men are born free and equal” slavery had been abolished in that state. All states sought to abolish slavery, and laws were passed either abolishing slavery, or at least to begin the gradual abolishment of it (ex. to a certain age or till end of duty). African American men joined the military in exchange for freedom. In 1861 the 1st Confiscation Act labeled slaves as contraband so that they could be enlisted in the military. Then, the 2nd Confiscation Act allowed slaves to be recruited for service in the military in exchange for the freedom. As well, white Americans and African Americans fought to have slaves emancipated on the grounds of equality rights. On January 1st 1863, President Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, which frees all slaves within the confederate states. The civil war becomes a war to end slavery. In 1865 slavery becomes illegal. 14th amendment to the constitution gives “African Americans citizenship and protection under the law”. Then, the 15th amendment gives black “male citizens full constitutional rights”. It is some time before African Americans are able to assure their freedom in America, but the origin of the mentality and motivation that eventually secured them their freedom and equality can be traced to the American Revolution. This is one more contribution to the social shifts that occurred during and as a result of the American Revolution. --CharmaineGrundy 23:28, 22 January 2011 (PST)

Hello guys,

The opening statement is due today, and this is what I have got so far. Its not polished yet and is still going through a grammar check, but I thought to post it here so you can look it over and maybe make suggestions:


It is vain to think of the American revolution solely as a series of political and military events given the profound social effects the Revolution had on the American society. As a result of the Revolution many social aspiration were set free altering numerous aspects of the former colonial order. The Revolution permanently transformed social relationships, dissolving the former monarchical connections of hierarchy, creating relationships based on equality. Moreover the revolution initiated the process of abolition of the institution of slavery. The revolution did not result in complete removal of slavery, however substantial efforts were made to free slavery from the face of American society. Apart from the change of the status of a person, American Revolution led to substantial changes in the system of land holding. Confiscating land from the aristocracy and enabling masses to easily acquire it permanently modified the face of the American society. The American Revolution was a major event contributing to the transformation of former social order and creating a society based of democratic principles of liberty and equality we know today.

So as I said its not polished yet, I will also post a clean version before I post it.

Charmaine: the notes are great, but I also need your bibliography, since I need to submit that too.

Anyway have a good day,

let me know how you like the opening statement.

--EvaGoncalvesova 11:33, 23 January 2011 (PST)

Hello Eva,

It is looking good. I do realize you still need to finish it so I am not going to comment on anything but the bones, so to speak. I think that our main argument here is how the American Revolution really altered these social relationships and I think that is covered. The ideals and the principles that were fought for really applied to all men, not just white men so the abolition of slavery was a natural result otherwise they would just be hypocrites. Also, even though it was mainly geared towards men it also gave feminists a similar basis to fight for equality. I am a little confused about the second line. I am not sure what you mean by "many social aspiration were set free". Perhaps 'aspirations' isn't the best word to use. I'm not sure. As well, the word 'vain' might not be the best either. It is a draft so I'm sure you will have gone through it all so I will leave it to you. Good job so far! :-) Below you will find my bibliography for the notes I posted.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Jameson, J. Franklin. “The Revolution as a Social Movement.” The American Revolution: How Revolutionary Was It? 3rd ed. Ed. George Athan Billias. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston,1980. 104-110. -Used for research on the social effects of the American Revolution and how it affected slavery in particular.

Boston, Nicholos and Jennifer Hallam. “Freedom & Emancipation.” Slavery and the Making of America. Retrieved Jan. 23 2011. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/experience/freedom/history.html -Used for research on the abolishment of slavery in the United States. Mintz, S. (2007). “The American Revolution: How Revolutionary was the American Revolution?” Digital History. Retrieved Jan. 22 2011. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article.display.cfm?HHID=274 -Used to research the revolutionary impacts of the American Revolution.

--CharmaineGrundy 16:58, 23 January 2011 (PST)




Did you know that New Jersey women voted in the 1790s?

by Bob Blythe Everyone knows that American women first got the vote in 1920 with the passage of the 19th Amendment. Right? Wrong! Some New Jersey women voted as early as 1776. Historians argue about just what Thomas Jefferson and his colleagues meant when they declared "that all men are created equal." Did the founders mean males only or were there some situations when "men" could mean all humans? What natural or political rights, in their view, did women possess? The unique case of women voters in New Jersey offers some clues. The framers of New Jersey's first constitution in 1776 gave the vote to "all inhabitants of this colony, of full age, who are worth fifty pounds ... and have resided within the county ... for twelve months." The other twelve new states restricted voting to men. Although some have argued that this gender-neutral language was a mistake, most historians agree that the clear intention was to allow some women to vote. Because married women had no property in their own names and were assumed to be represented by their husbands votes, only single women voted in New Jersey. But, in the 1790s and 1800s, large numbers of unmarried New Jersey women regularly participated in elections and spoke out on political issues. In 1807, the state's legislature ignored the constitution and restricted suffrage to white male citizens who paid taxes. This was largely a result of the Democratic-Republican Party's attempt to unify its factions for the 1808 presidential election. A faction within the party wanted to deny the vote to aliens and the non-tax-paying poor. The liberal faction within the party gave way on this, but also took the vote from women, who tended to vote for the Federalist Party. In this way, New Jersey's 30-year experiment with female suffrage ended-not mainly because of opposition to the idea of women voting, but for reasons of party politics. A renewed focus on the importance of women in the home (as opposed to the public realm) may also have been a factor in the change. Some historians have viewed the New Jersey episode as evidence that the founders entertained the possibility that women could have political rights. The emphasis on liberty and natural rights in the Revolutionary period brought previously excluded groups into the political process. For example, women took the lead in organizing boycotts of British goods in the disputes over colonial rights that led up to the Revolution. The writers of New Jersey's 1776 constitution took the natural rights sentiment further than other states were willing to go. Pretty clearly then, the idea of some women voting was considered one possibility among others in the Revolutionary era. By 1807, Revolutionary fervor was a distant memory, and New Jersey fell into line with the practice of the other states. What changes in American society led to a renewed push for women's voting rights around 1900?

HEY TEAM, I just thought this would be great to use for our closing statement. The prof said we should say something different than what we said in the opening so this seems like a great way to go!


--EvaGoncalvesova 22:51, 23 January 2011 (PST)


Okay, so here is my paragraph on slavery and the American Revolution. I will be back online around 7ish to work with you guys on putting together the final submission. Please let me know if you have any suggestions to improve what I've submitted so far.


During the American Revolution, the hypocrisy of the situation in the colonies where the Colonists were demanding their rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” while participating in the bondage of slaves became increasingly apparent. These revolutionary ideals, of liberty, freedom, and equality, inspired reform in America and on April 14 1775 in Philadelphia the first anti-slavery group was formed. Within the following decade, several states banned the importation of slaves or enforced larger duties on those that were imported. Also, many either abolished slavery or passed laws to begin the gradual abolishment of it. For example, the Superior Court of Massachusetts announced that by the mere declaration that “all men are born free and equal” slavery had been abolished in that state. Then, in 1861 the 1st and 2nd Confiscation Acts labeled slaves as contraband so that they could be enlisted in the military and allowed for them to be recruited for service in exchange for their freedom. As well, on January 1st 1863, President Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves within the confederate states, and in 1865 slavery becomes illegal. Eventually, the 14th amendment to the constitution gives “African Americans citizenship and protection under the law”, which was followed by the 15th amendment that gave black “male citizens full constitutional rights”. --CharmaineGrundy 13:31, 24 January 2011 (PST)



Relationship between social classes; leading to a genuine social revolution 

 The end of the eighteenth century marked a decisive turning point in the history of Western Civilization. Divine Absolute Monarchy and Aristocratic society were accepted as the norm until the 1800’s, were growing voices spoke for civil liberties and constitutions. Developing European capitalism, expanding population, growing cities, and a rising middle class began to undermine traditional monarchies by 1750 as the idea of enlightenment was approaching fruition. 
 
 Monarchical society placed people to those above and below them in a hierarchy of rank. The apparent Monarchical disputations that many in Western and European societies felt led the patriot leaders to envisioned a new American republic as a nation of freeholders, governed by gentlemen of disinterested virtue whose leisure and independence from petty commercial concerns elevated them above the corruptions of self interest.
 

 By examining the transition from monarchy to republic to democracy it is clear the American Revolution of 1776 was a genuine social revolution. A Genuine social transformation when one class did not overthrow another, but rather improving connecting links between people. The republicanism that the colonists embraced during the Revolution dissolved the old monarchical connections of hierarchy, patronage, and dependency; in this sense, it was a radical transition for the eighteenth century.



Hey team, so this is ma part:


The Revolution was followed by a profound change in the system of land holding, what promoted growth of social and political democracy. Before the revolution man's social standing, including his ability to vote, was determined by the ownership of land. Through laws such as entails and primogeniture large estates were kept in a private ownership of rich aristocratic families, which thus formed the priviledged social strata. After the revolution the states abolished entails and primogeniture, confiscated the aristocratic land properties and facilitated sale and lease of these lands to broader population. Making land available to the masses resulted in more per capita land ownership, what in turn resulted in the formation of more equal society and broadening of voting rights. Further social reforms brought about equal status of land owners and mere land tennats further enlarging voting right of the society. Resulting in social change neither intended, nor anticipated by the political leaders of the revolution.

I would say we have 600 words right about now, so now the challenge is to cut down on some parts to provide space for a moderate intro and conclusion.

Charmaine I will be back here around 7 so we can work on putting it together

--EvaGoncalvesova 17:34, 24 January 2011 (PST)

Okay so I put them together and got this:


The end of the eighteenth century marked a decisive turning point in the history of Western Civilization. Divine Absolute Monarchy and Aristocratic society were accepted as the norm until the 1800’s, where growing voices spoke for civil liberties and constitutions. Developing European capitalism, expanding population, growing cities, and a rising middle class began to undermine traditional monarchies by 1750 as the idea of enlightenment was approaching fruition. Monarchical society placed people to those above and below them in a hierarchy of rank. The apparent Monarchical disputations that many in Western and European societies felt led the patriot leaders to envision a new American republic as a nation of freeholders, governed by gentlemen of disinterested virtue whose leisure and independence from petty commercial concerns elevated them above the corruptions of self interest. By examining the transition from monarchy to republic to democracy it is clear the American Revolution of 1776 was a genuine social revolution. A Genuine social transformation when one class did not overthrow another, but rather improving connecting links between people. The republicanism that the colonists embraced during the Revolution dissolved the old monarchical connections of hierarchy, patronage, and dependency; in this sense, it was a radical transition for the eighteenth century. In addition to the shedding of an old monarchical society, the relationship between the colonists and their African American slaves was altered by the ideals of the American Revolution. The hypocrisy of the situation in which the Colonists were demanding their rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” while participating in the bondage of slaves became increasingly apparent in the colonies. These revolutionary ideals, of liberty, freedom, and equality, inspired reform in America and on April 14 1775 in Philadelphia the first anti-slavery group was formed. Within the following decade, several states banned the importation of slaves, enforced larger duties on those that were imported, and either abolished slavery or passed laws to begin the gradual abolishment of it. For example, the Superior Court of Massachusetts announced that by the mere declaration that “all men are born free and equal” slavery had been abolished in that state. Various Acts were passed throughout the states that gave African Americans more chances for freedom such as the 1st and 2nd Confiscation Acts until on January 1st 1863 President Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves within the confederate states. Then, in 1865 slavery became illegal. Eventually, the 14th amendment to the constitution gives “African Americans citizenship and protection under the law”, which was followed by the 15th amendment that gave black “male citizens full constitutional rights”. Lastly, the Revolution was followed by a profound change in the system of land holding, that promoted growth of social and political democracy. Before the revolution man's social standing, including his ability to vote, was determined by the ownership of land. Through laws such as entails and primogeniture large estates were kept in a private ownership of rich aristocratic families, which thus formed the priviledged social strata. After the revolution the states abolished entails and primogeniture, confiscated the aristocratic land properties and facilitated sale and lease of these lands to broader population. Making land available to the masses resulted in more per capita land ownership, that in turn resulted in the formation of more equal society and broadening of voting rights. Further social reforms brought about equal status of land owners and mere land tennats further enlarging voting right of the society. Resulting in social change neither intended, nor anticipated by the political leaders of the revolution.

What do you guys think? I did not add an intro because it felt like Taylor had a good start. A final word would be good to round it out. An--CharmaineGrundy 20:01, 24 January 2011 (PST)y ideas?


Sorry the spacing got a bit messed up. I messaged each of you an attachment though. I have my bibliography up already so if you guys want to post yours I can put them on one attachment also. I am not the strongest with conclusions so if either one of you has an idea of a good way to pull it together at the end that would be cool. Otherwise I can try and figure something out. The word count is 588 so we don't have a lot of space unless you see some things we can cut back on. --CharmaineGrundy 20:15, 24 January 2011 (PST)


Here is a beginning for the rebuttal. I know You or Eva has better writing skills than I do but I know a good technique in debating is, "Give and Inch, take a mile" meaning we acknowledge that taxation played a part in the revolution but it is only a small issue ect ect(continue to downplay the financial side and play up the moral and racial aspects. ) I think this is our best route.

There is no doubt that “unfair taxation” imposed from the British Government played a role in the American Revolution, but financial constriction is only superfluous compared to the greater moral issues at the center of the American Revolution of 1776. The age of enlightenment had a profound impact on intellectual, scientific and cultural life in the 18th century. Also known as the age of reason, enlightenment advocated a source of legitimacy with authority. The movement is considered a direct success in regards to the American Revolution and the principals are significant part of the American Declaration of Independence and United States Bill of Rights. (The Age of the Democratic Revolution (1964)


Although our opponent in this debate has leaned solely on financial aspects of the issue they have over looked why these financial constriction were primarily created. It is believed that root cause of “unfair taxation” is a underlying factor of racism and prejudice against the American Colonies. The French and Indian war placed great debt upon Britain and to fix the problem Britain passed taxes onto the American Colonies. The British had no problem taxing the colonies states due to prejudice. (either Eva or Charmaine help me with this one. I am not the best writer but what I am trying to say is its human nature when people or groups are separating away from the mother land to view them as defective people.) making it easy to impose harsh laws or taxation.) let me know what you think?


That one came through fine Taylor. I have no problem reading it. Great ideas! I have played around with it a bit and added some of my own comments to create a rough draft for the rebuttal. I am going to do some editing and revising just to finish it off but I wanted to post it so that you two can take a look and let me know what you think.


REBUTTAL DRAFT:

There is no doubt that “unfair taxation” imposed from the British Government played a role in the American Revolution, but financial constriction is only superfluous compared to the greater moral issues at the center of the American Revolution of 1776. The French and Indian war placed great debt upon Britain and to fix the problem Britain passed taxes onto the American Colonies. It is believed that root cause of “unfair taxation” is an underlying factor of prejudice against the American Colonies where a growing sense of nationalism and independence was occurring as a result of the enlightenment thinking of the time. Also known as the age of reason, the enlightenment advocated a source of legitimacy with authority. The movement is considered a direct success in regards to the American Revolution and the principals are a significant part of the American Declaration of Independence and United States Bill of Rights. Thus, it was the injustice of the taxation without American approval that inspired the desire for a government that was responsible to the people paired with the egalitarian ideals of the Enlightenment that provided the initiative for the Americans to fight for freedom from imperial oppression and sovereignty of the people not merely the desire for economic liberation. --CharmaineGrundy 16:08, 27 January 2011 (PST)


Here is my final post for the rebuttal. I will wait till later in the evening to post it in case either of you want me to make any adjustments but otherwise this will be it. Please let me know what you think.


There is no doubt that the “unfair taxation” imposed by the British Government played a role in the American Revolution, but financial constriction is only superfluous compared to the greater moral issues at the center of the American Revolution of 1776. The French and Indian war placed great debt upon Britain and in order to retrieve some of these costs Britain passed taxes onto the American Colonies. Americans felt that this taxation was unfair because they did not have representation in the supreme council, and they felt that taxation without representation was to deny them their rights to equality, liberty, and freedom. As a result of these enlightenment ideals, they advocated a source of legitimacy with authority. Thus, it was this injustice paired with the egalitarian ideals of the enlightenment that provided the initiative for the Americans to fight for freedom from imperial oppression and sovereignty in the people, not merely the desire for economic liberation. The movement is considered a direct success in regards to the American Revolution and the principals are a significant part of the American Declaration of Independence and United States Bill of Rights. --CharmaineGrundy 19:10, 27 January 2011 (PST)

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