The radical revolution

2017-09-18

Map Quiz

American Enlighten-ment



1649

The Enlightenment (late 18th century)

  • Subject everything to logical criticism
  • Question all traditions, customs, and superstitutions
  • Trust in reason to discover the answers to all questions.
  • Belief in perfectability of man

Coffee

Benjamin Franklin


University of Pennsylvania

The Enlightenment (late 18th century)

  • Subject everything to logical criticism
  • Question all traditions, customs, and superstitutions
  • Trust in reason to discover the answers to all questions.
  • Belief in perfectability of man

Guillotine

Self government

The Ideology of Revolution

English Constitutionalism

  • No written constitution, but belief in heritage back to 1215
  • Rule of law over even the king
  • Principle of consent of the governed.

Republicanism

  • The people should rule themselves
  • History (Greece, Rome) teaches that freedom will be eroded
  • Standing armies, patronage networks, and taxation may be the eroders
  • To preserve freedom and good government, there should local control by virtuous people.

Augustus

The intense desire for self government comes out of a fear of its opposite

  • Slavery
  • Debt

Massacre?

"A master-piece of policy for accomplishing the purpose of enslavement

  • Massachusetts House of Representatives on the Tea Act

Why such upheaval at tea act?

  • Gave privileges to massive monopoly at expensive of locals
  • Treated colonists as part of imperial system, and not the most important part.
  • Reaffirmed parliament's ability to tax locals without consent
  • Kept local officials (governors) from dependence on local revenues

The Revolution

Statue of King George III



Thomas Jefferson



UVA

Victory



Lafayette