Revolutionary America, 1750-1815 Sources and Interpretation

by Kierner, Cynthia A.

• ISBN13: 9780130898678
• ISBN10: 0130898678
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-08-20
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

This innovative collection of primary documents, maps, illustrations, and original interpretive essays provides an unusually "well-balanced" introduction to the "entire" era of the American Revolution (1750 to 1812) beginning with an examination of sources of both stability and discontent within the British Empire itself, and ending with the War of 1812 (which many Americans saw as "securing" independence and the ideals of the Revolution). Unique in focus, the book covers traditional political and military subjects as well as the newer social and cultural history of the era--providing readers with a broad understanding of the Revolution as both a war for independence "and" an occasion for political, social, and cultural conflict and transformation. The wide variety of documents range from classic texts--such as "Common Sense" and the "Federalist"--to excerpts from diaries and travelers' accounts to newspapers advertisements and selections from contemporary histories and novels. Covers themes such as: The Bonds of Empire. Languages of Liberty. Reform and Resistance. The Road to Rebellion. Asserting Independence. Times that Tried Men's Souls. A World Turned Upside Down. Who Should Rule at Home. Confederation and Constitution. Federalists and Antifederalists. The Federalist Era. Forging a National Culture. Securing the Revolution. Remembering the Revolution. For anyone interested in American history and the American Revolution in particular.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
The Bonds of Empire	1	(28)
Documents
``The Revolution Ode'' (1760)	10	(1)
Montesquieu, ``Of the Constitution of England'' (1748)	11	(3)
Britain's Commercial Interest Explained and Improved (1757)	14	(2)
Letter to the People of Pennsylvania (1760)	16	(3)
Observations on the Charter and Conduct of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (1763)	19	(5)
Jonathan Mayhew
John Adams on the British Constitution (1766)	24	(2)
The Supremacy of Parliament (1766)	26	(3)
Suggested Reading	27	(1)
Notes	28	(1)
Languages of Liberty	29	(25)
Documents
The Dangers of an Unconverted Ministry (1740)	37	(1)
Gilbert Tennent
The Essential Rights and Liberties of Protestants (1744)	38	(2)
Elisha Williams
Some Considerations on Keeping Negroes (1762)	40	(5)
John Woolman
The Paxton Boys' Remonstrance (1764)	45	(2)
The Colonel Dismounted...Containing A Dissertation upon the Constitution of the Colony (1764)	47	(2)
Richard Bland
The Rights of the Colonies Examined (1765)	49	(2)
Stephen Hopkins
A Vindication of the British Colonies (1765)	51	(3)
James Otis
Suggested Reading	53	(1)
Notes	53	(1)
Reform and Resistance	54	(31)
Documents
A French Traveler Visits Virginia's House of Burgesses (1765)	64	(2)
Considerations on the Propriety of Imposing Taxes in the British Colonies (1765)	66	(3)
Daniel Dulany
Destruction of the Home of Thomas Hutchinson (1765)	69	(2)
Proceedings of the Stamp Act Congress (1765)	71	(3)
The New York Stamp Act Riot (1765)	74	(1)
Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania (1767-68)	75	(5)
John Dickinson
``Address to the Ladies'' (1767)	80	(1)
The ``Liberty Song'' and the Parody (1768)	81	(2)
An Exemplary Funeral (1769)	83	(2)
Suggested Reading	84	(1)
Notes	84	(1)
The Road to Rebellion	85	(29)
Documents
The Soldiers and the ``Mob'' (1770)	94	(2)
The Boston Massacre (1770)	96	(4)
Bostonians Oppose the Tea Act (1773)	100	(1)
A Gentleman Fears the Power of the People (1774)	101	(2)
The Continental Association (1774)	103	(3)
A Virginia County Committee Punishes an ``Enemy to America'' (1775)	106	(3)
``The Testimony of the People Called Quakers'' (1775)	109	(1)
Janet Schaw on the Mistreatment of North Carolina Loyalists (1775)	110	(4)
Suggested Reading	113	(1)
Notes	113	(1)
Asserting Independence	114	(27)
Documents
The Mecklenburg Resolves (1775)	122	(2)
Proclamation of George III (1775)	124	(2)
Lord Dunmore's Appeal to the Slaves of Virginia (1775)	126	(1)
A White Virginian's Response to Dunmore's Proclamation (1775)	127	(1)
A Call to Revolution: Thomas Paine, Common Sense (1776)	128	(5)
An Appeal to Caution: James Chalmers, Plain Truth (1776)	133	(3)
The Declaration of Independence (1776)	136	(5)
Suggested Reading	140	(1)
Notes	140	(1)
Times That Tried Men's Souls	141	(29)
Documents
``The Crisis #1'' (1776)	149	(3)
Thomas Paine
Anne Terrel Addresses the Wives of Continental Soldiers (1776)	152	(2)
Baroness Riedesel at Saratoga (1777)	154	(5)
The Burning of Fairfield, Connecticut (1779)	159	(3)
A Winter Encampment (1779-80)	162	(3)
The Murder of Hannah Caldwell (1780)	165	(1)
The Sentiments of an American Woman (1780)	166	(4)
Suggested Reading	168	(1)
Notes	169	(1)
A World Turned Upside Down	170	(27)
Documents
The British Capture Savannah (1778)	178	(2)
Eliza Wilkinson's Wartime Experience (1779)	180	(3)
Partisan War in the Carolina Backcountry (1779-81)	183	(3)
Life and Death on the British Prison Ships (1780-81)	186	(2)
A Common Soldier's Account of the Battle of Yorktown (1781)	188	(3)
Petition of the Whig Women of Wilmington, North Carolina (1782)	191	(2)
The British Evacuate Charleston (1782)	193	(4)
Suggested Reading	196	(1)
Notes	196	(1)
Who Should Rule at Home	197	(30)
Documents
``A Dialogue between Orator Puff and Peter Easy'' (1776)	205	(2)
A Vindication of the...Inhabitants of Vermont (1779)	207	(2)
Ethan Allen
Petition of the Inhabitants of the Western Country (1785)	209	(2)
Virginia Baptists Oppose Religious Privilege (1776)	211	(1)
Philadelphia Jews Seek Civil Rights (1784)	212	(4)
The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1786)	216	(2)
``Remember the Ladies'' (1776)	218	(1)
``On the Equality of the Sexes'' (1790)	219	(2)
Judith Sargent Murray
Massachusetts Antislavery Petition (1777)	221	(1)
Virginia Proslavery Petition (1785)	222	(5)
Suggested Reading	225	(1)
Notes	226	(1)
Confederation and Constitution	227	(28)
Documents
Liberty and Peace: A Poem (1784)	235	(1)
Phillis [Wheatley] Peters
``The Continentalist, No. VI'' (1782)	236	(2)
Alexander Hamilton
``Primitive Whig, No. II'' (1786)	238	(2)
William Livingston
Shays's Rebellion (1786)	240	(2)
``Our Affairs Are Drawing Rapidly to a Crisis'' (1786)	242	(1)
The Constitution of the United States (1787)	243	(12)
Suggested Reading	254	(1)
Notes	254	(1)
Federalists and Antifederalists	255	(31)
Documents
The Federalist, #1 (1787)	264	(3)
Alexander Hamilton
The Federalist, #10 (1787)	267	(5)
James Madison
The Federalist, #51 (1787)	272	(3)
James Madison
``Brutus,'' #3 (1787)	275	(4)
``Objections to the Constitution of Government Formed by the Convention'' (1787)	279	(2)
George Mason
Patrick Henry's Speech to the Virginia Ratifying Convention (1788)	281	(2)
A Procession in Honor of the Constitution of the United States (1788)	283	(3)
Suggested Reading	285	(1)
Notes	285	(1)
The Federalist Era	286	(26)
Documents
``First Report on the Public Credit'' (1790)	295	(4)
Alexander Hamilton
``Public Opinion'' (1791)	299	(1)
``The Union: Who are Its Real Friends?'' (1792)	300	(2)
Washington's Indian Policy (1791)	302	(1)
Virginians Celebrate the French Republic (1794)	303	(2)
``Thoughts on the Excise Law'' (1792)	305	(2)
Hugh Henry Brackenridge
``Incendiaries of Public Peace'' (1794)	307	(1)
The Sedition Act (1798)	308	(4)
Suggested Reading	311	(1)
Notes	311	(1)
Forging a National Culture	312	(33)
Documents
Notes on the State of Virginia (1782)	321	(2)
Thomas Jefferson
Plan for the Establishment of Public Schools (1786)	323	(3)
Benjamin Rush
Thoughts upon Female Education (1787)	326	(3)
Benjamin Rush
Preface to The Columbian Magazine, or Monthly Miscellany (1787)	329	(2)
The American Spelling Book (1789)	331	(2)
Noah Webster
``Essay on the City of Washington'' (1795)	333	(3)
Charlotte; A Tale of Truth (179I)	336	(5)
Susanna Rowson
The Life of George Washington (I809)	341	(4)
Mason Locke Weems
Suggested Reading	344	(1)
Notes	344	(1)
Securing the Revolution	345	(31)
Documents
A Federalist Views the Election of 1800 (1801)	355	(2)
Jefferson's First Inaugural Address (1801)	357	(4)
``The Greatest Cheese in America for the Greatest Man in America'' (1802)	361	(1)
Peopling the West (1803)	362	(3)
Oration on the Cession of Louisiana to the United States (1804)	365	(2)
David Ramsay
Madison's War Message (1812)	367	(4)
Margaret Bayard Smith's Account of the Burning of Washington (1814)	371	(2)
``Our Heroes Died Not in Vain.'' (1815)	373	(3)
Suggested Reading	374	(1)
Notes	375	(1)
Remembering the Revolution	376	(28)
Documents
``Adams and Jefferson Are No More'' (1826)	385	(2)
``All Men and Women Are Created Equal'' (1848)	387	(3)
The Domestication of Deborah Sampson (1848)	390	(3)
Crispus Attucks and the Quest for African-American Citizenship (1851)	393	(2)
``What, to the American Slave, Is Your 4th of July?'' (1852)	395	(2)
The Age of Romantic Nationalism (c.1860)	397	(2)
The Fourth of July: A Confederate Holiday? (1861)	399	(1)
``The Revolutions of 1776 and 1861 Contrasted'' (1863)	400	(2)
George Fitzhugh
Abraham Lincoln Interprets the Revolution (1863)	402	(2)
Suggested Reading	404	(1)
Notes	404

Excerpts

The American Revolution is the single most important event in the history of the United States. It occasioned the world''s first colonial war of liberation and resulted in the creation of its most stable and enduring republic. The Revolution transformed American politics, uniting thirteen disparate colonies, first in war and then in peace, and leading loyal subjects of George III to reject first their king and then monarchy itself. Revolutionary notions of liberty and equality informed a wide range of political and social reforms, from the liberalization of suffrage requirements to the abolition of slavery in the northern states. The ideals and achievements of the Revolution also justified the westward expansion of the United States and encouraged Americans to undertake a second war against Britain in 1812. Revolutionary Americans engaged in a process of nation-building in both the institutional and cultural senses. They established political institutions that represented and empowered a republican union of states--a process that culminated with the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Although most Americans today regard the drafting and adoption of the Constitution as the logical, even inevitable, result of American independence, many contemporaries opposed ratification because they saw the document''s strongly national orientation as antithetical to the ideals of revolutionary republicanism. Members of the revolutionary generation also attempted to construct and define an American national identity. Seeking to promote national self-consciousness among citizens of the republic, they encouraged those citizens to imagine themselves as a purposefully united political and cultural community. A protracted and far from conclusive project, defining what it meant to be an American was nonetheless a central part of the revolutionary phenomenon for both contemporaries and subsequent generations. Although fighting and winning the War of Independence was an essential aspect of Americans'' revolutionary experience, the Revolution proved to be much more than a military conflict. Because the Revolution was also a political event, this book examines the ideas, interests, and actions that contributed to changes in how people thought about politics. In turn, these changes in political thought brought about the destruction of the old colonial order and the creation of new state and national governments. Because the Revolution was a social and cultural phenomenon, this book also explores how social rank, religion, gender, and race affected and were affected by the revolutionary experience, and how Americans used education, civic ritual, and material culture to respond to the challenges of their times. A broad understanding of the Revolution as both a war for independence and an occasion for political, social, and cultural conflict and transformation requires an equally expansive chronology. Even if the War of Independence ended officially in 1783, and the implementation of the Constitution in 1789 formally resolved the most pressing political problems arising from independence, it took years--sometimes even decades--for Americans to sort out some of the most important ramifications of the Revolution. At the same time, while the Declaration of Independence marked the formal beginning of the Revolution--at least from the perspective of its supporters--the causes of that declaration reach back to the imperial crisis of the mid-1760s and sometimes even farther. In order to examine the sources of both instability and strength in the British Empire, my narrative begins in the mid-eighteenth century; it ends with the more or less successful conclusion of the War of 1812, which secured the ideals and objectives of the Revolution in the minds of many Americans. This book includes both contemporary documents and an interpretive narrative. Although the latter can tell students what historians have said about the revolutionary era and supply background and context for the uninitiated, my main purpose in writing this book was to allow a representative cross section of people from the revolutionary era to speak for themselves. I have benefited from the assistance and insights of many individuals and institutions in the course of preparing this text. The Interlibrary Loan staff at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte flawlessly processed my countless requests for obscure books and documents. The Graduate School at UNC-Charlotte provided funding for some of this book''s illustrations. Students in my seminar on Revolutionary America tested documents for the final chapter on historical memory. Professor Jean B. Lee, University of Wisconsin, Madison, offered valuable input. At the New-York Historical Society, Mariam Touba reproduced a particularly rare newspaper that was not available on microfilm, for which I am most grateful. At Prentice Hall, Charles Cavaliere was patient, knowledgeable, and supportive--in short, an ideal editor. Jean Lapidus ably saw the project through production, and Stephen C. Hopkins was an excellent copyeditor. At home, Tom, Zachary, and Anders let me work, and then went to the beach with me when I was done. The author also thanks the following reviewers for their valuable input: Professor Sheila Skemp, University of Mississippi; Professor Scott Casper, University of Nevada, Reno; Professor Stanley Harrold, South Carolina State University; Professor Joseph C. Morton, Northeastern Illinois University; and Professor Virginia DeJohn Anderson, University of Colorado. Cynthia A. Kierner Charlotte, North Carolina