THE REVOLUTION WITHIN

C H A P T E R 6

A P U S H I S TO RY

HOW TO ANSWER MULTIPLE CHOICE:• The Multiple Choice portion will test 4 items:

– Content

– Comprehension

– Intuition

– Preparedness

• The Multiple Choice portion is STIMULUS based!

Stimulus will include:

– Text

– Maps, graphs, and charts

– Cartoons and photographs

• What do YOU have to do?

– Examine the document and answer the questions

one at a time.

– Read the questions carefully

– Choose the best answer

Consider:

1. Historical period, movement, or individual being discussed.

2. The speaker’s Point of View (POV).

3. Context of the document.

PRACTICE…“The authors and promoters of this desperate conspiracy have…meant only to amuse, by vague expressions of attachment to the parent state, and the strongest protestations of loyalty to me, whilst they were preparing for a general revolt…The resolutions of Parliament breathed a spirit of moderation and forbearance; conciliatory propositions accompanied the measures taken to enforce authority…I have acted with the same temper, anxious to prevent, if it had been possible…the calamities which are inseparable from the state of war; still hoping that my people in America would have discerned the traitorous views of their leaders, and have been convinced, that to be a subject of Great Britain, with all its consequences, is to be the freest member of any civil society in the known world.”

King George III, Speech to Parliament, October 27, 1775

1. Based on the excerpt, which of the

following best describes King

George’s view of the colonists?

(A) They were personally loyal to him

(B) Their problems were with

Parliament

(C) They always had planned to revolt

(D)They misunderstood the King

PRACTICE…“The authors and promoters of this desperate conspiracy have…meant only to amuse, by vague expressions of attachment to the parent state, and the strongest protestations of loyalty to me, whilst they were preparing for a general revolt…The resolutions of Parliament breathed a spirit of moderation and forbearance; conciliatory propositions accompanied the measures taken to enforce authority…I have acted with the same temper, anxious to prevent, if it had been possible…the calamities which are inseparable from the state of war; still hoping that my people in America would have discerned the traitorous views of their leaders, and have been convinced, that to be a subject of Great Britain, with all its consequences, is to be the freest member of any civil society in the known world.”

King George III, Speech to Parliament, October 27, 1775

1. Based on the excerpt, which of the

following best describes King

George’s view of the colonists?

(A) They were personally loyal to him

(B) Their problems were with

Parliament

(C) They always had planned to

revolt

(D)They misunderstood the King

PRACTICE…“The authors and promoters of this desperate conspiracy have…meant only to amuse, by vague expressions of attachment to the parent state, and the strongest protestations of loyalty to me, whilst they were preparing for a general revolt…The resolutions of Parliament breathed a spirit of moderation and forbearance; conciliatory propositions accompanied the measures taken to enforce authority…I have acted with the same temper, anxious to prevent, if it had been possible…the calamities which are inseparable from the state of war; still hoping that my people in America would have discerned the traitorous views of their leaders, and have been convinced, that to be a subject of Great Britain, with all its consequences, is to be the freest member of any civil society in the known world.”

King George III, Speech to Parliament, October 27, 1775

2. According to the excerpt, which of

the following does King George

hold primarily responsible for the

American revolt?

(A) The “desperate conspiracy” by some

members of Parliament

(B) The “expressions of attachment” by

some colonial leaders

(C) The “spirit of moderation” of some

of Parliament’s resolutions

(D)The “traitorous views” of some

colonial leaders

PRACTICE…“The authors and promoters of this desperate conspiracy have…meant only to amuse, by vague expressions of attachment to the parent state, and the strongest protestations of loyalty to me, whilst they were preparing for a general revolt…The resolutions of Parliament breathed a spirit of moderation and forbearance; conciliatory propositions accompanied the measures taken to enforce authority…I have acted with the same temper, anxious to prevent, if it had been possible…the calamities which are inseparable from the state of war; still hoping that my people in America would have discerned the traitorous views of their leaders, and have been convinced, that to be a subject of Great Britain, with all its consequences, is to be the freest member of any civil society in the known world.”

King George III, Speech to Parliament, October 27, 1775

2. According to the excerpt, which of

the following does King George

hold primarily responsible for the

American revolt?

(A) The “desperate conspiracy” by some

members of Parliament

(B) The “expressions of attachment” by

some colonial leaders

(C) The “spirit of moderation” of some

of Parliament’s resolutions

(D)The “traitorous views” of some

colonial leaders

PRACTICE…“The authors and promoters of this desperate conspiracy have…meant only to amuse, by vague expressions of attachment to the parent state, and the strongest protestations of loyalty to me, whilst they were preparing for a general revolt…The resolutions of Parliament breathed a spirit of moderation and forbearance; conciliatory propositions accompanied the measures taken to enforce authority…I have acted with the same temper, anxious to prevent, if it had been possible…the calamities which are inseparable from the state of war; still hoping that my people in America would have discerned the traitorous views of their leaders, and have been convinced, that to be a subject of Great Britain, with all its consequences, is to be the freest member of any civil society in the known world.”

King George III, Speech to Parliament, October 27, 1775

3. Which of the following groups or

individuals would have been most

likely to agree with King George?

(A) Patriots

(B) Loyalists

(C) Backcountry farmers

(D)Indentured Servants

PRACTICE…“The authors and promoters of this desperate conspiracy have…meant only to amuse, by vague expressions of attachment to the parent state, and the strongest protestations of loyalty to me, whilst they were preparing for a general revolt…The resolutions of Parliament breathed a spirit of moderation and forbearance; conciliatory propositions accompanied the measures taken to enforce authority…I have acted with the same temper, anxious to prevent, if it had been possible…the calamities which are inseparable from the state of war; still hoping that my people in America would have discerned the traitorous views of their leaders, and have been convinced, that to be a subject of Great Britain, with all its consequences, is to be the freest member of any civil society in the known world.”

King George III, Speech to Parliament, October 27, 1775

3. Which of the following groups or

individuals would have been most

likely to agree with King George?

(A) Patriots

(B)Loyalists

(C) Backcountry farmers

(D)Indentured Servants

DISCUSSION QUESTION?

How did equality

become a stronger

component of

American freedom

after the Revolution?

Ezra Stiles sketch of a flag in his diary 1783.

13 stars surround the coat of arms of

Pennsylvania. The banner illustrates the link

among virtue, liberty, and independence.

WHO WAS ABIGAIL ADAMS?

• Adams was born in Massachusetts

(1744)

• She is the wife of John Adams

• Very articulate and influential: she gave

her political views in letters to him.

• Adams questioned the “absolute

power” of many institutions:

– Slavery and indentured servitude

– The role of women

– The treatment of Indians

– The plight of apprentices and

property-less men

• Did questioning of these unequal relationships change after the

Revolution? Not really!!!

– By the Revolution’s end, the authority of male heads of households

was intact.

– Free men experienced very democratic effects, especially in

challenging the traditional limitation of political participation to

property owners.

• What does “democracy” mean?

– Before the revolution democracy = direct rule by the population (a

condition of primitive societies).

– During the Revolution democracy = a form of government that served

the interests of the people, rather than an elite.

• In the colonies that became states, members of all classes debated

universal male suffrage, religious toleration, and even the abolition of

slavery.

• Demands by disenfranchised militiamen for the right to elect their

officers and vote in political elections established a precedent for

enfranchising veterans.

“LIBERTY OR DEATH”• Where were the radical ideas of the revolution MOST evident?

– Pennsylvania

• Why Pennsylvania?

– The elites feared that it would cause the “rabble” to rule and attack

property.

– Their opposition encouraged pro-independence forces!

• Artisans and the lower classes organized in militias led by men

of modest means, such as Thomas Paine and Benjamin Rush, a

physician.

• Paine and Rush criticized property qualifications for voting and

holding office.

• After independence, Pennsylvania adopted a new constitution:

– Constitutional changes:

• abolished the governor’s office

• ended property qualifications for holding office

• concentrated power in a one-house legislature

– elected annually

– all men over the age of twenty-one who paid taxes.

• established public schools

• guaranteed freedom of speech and religion.

A pewter mug by William Will,

depicting the popular slogan

“Liberty or Death.”

THE OPPOSITE OF DEMOCRACY…

• How do Americans define

freedom?

– the idea of freedom is

usually defined by relating

it to its opposite.

• What is the opposite at this

time?

– The 18th century meant

highly unequal societies of

the Old World. The Coronation of Louis XVI of France illustrates

the old world of fixed, unequal classes and social

privilege.

THE NEW CONSTITUTIONS…• How many states adopted new constitutions after the Revolution? EVERY state!

– The majority of Americans agreed that state governments should be republican!

• What did this mean? State government authority should rest on the consent of

the governed.

• No king or hereditary aristocracy would be established.

• Did Americans agree on the form the republican governments should take to best

promote the public good? NO!

– John Adams and others criticized Pennsylvania’s one-house legislature as too radical.

• Argued that the new constitutions should establish governments reflecting the

division of the society: an upper house, and a lower house.

• A powerful governor and judiciary would check the ability of one class to infringe

on the rights of the other.

• How did this influence the new constitutions?

– Every state except Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Georgia established two-house

legislatures.

– Only Massachusetts gave its governor the power to veto laws passed by the

legislature.

– Americans preferred a strong legislative branch.

THE RIGHT TO VOTE…• What became a greater controversy in the new governments? Limits on voting and

holding office.

– Conservatives tried to restrict voting and holding office to property owners

• Argument: men without property were too dependent on others to have their

own judgment.

– Radicals like Thomas Paine wanted to eliminate traditional social ranks.

• What can we see in the constitutions that reflects this issue between conservatives and

radicals?

– The new state constitutions reflected the balance of power between conservatives

and radicals.

– Virginia and South Carolina: least democratic

• landed gentry controlled politics

– retained property qualifications for voting

– the legislature to elect the governor.

– More democratic constitutions moved toward making voting an entitlement!

– Did these more democratic constitutions actually establish suffrage for all? NO!

• Only Vermont would remove the requirement of voters to own property or pay

taxes.

• Did the Revolution even expand voting rights? YES!

– Ultimately, the Revolution greatly expanded

voting rights.

– By the 1780s, except for Virginia, Maryland, and

New York, a large majority of adult white men

met voting requirements.

– New Jersey allowed all inhabitants with property

to vote.

• NOTE: This allowed women to vote in that

state until the vote was restricted to white

men only in 1807.

– For women and non-whites, getting the vote

would be a much longer process.

– By the end of the Revolution, freedom and the

right to vote and participate in politics had

come to mean the same thing.

John Dickinson’s copy of the

Pennsylvania Constitution of

1776, with handwritten

proposals for changes