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American revolution and their causes
American revolution and their causes
How does Zinn describe the American Revolution in this chapter
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Howard Zinn was a communist that wrote a book about his view on how and why our government was created. He believed that the goal of our Founding Fathers was not to create a new better government, but to give the power to themselves; and give just enough power to its people for them to think that things were better. In an excerpt called, “A Kind of Revolution,” from the book, A Peoples History, Zinn explains why the Revolution was fought, what the impacts of these wars created for those who were not white men, and why the Constitution was written.
Howard Zinn believed that the Revolution was not intended to do anything but raise the social class of the certain group of people who were controlling the reins of the Revolution. He states that getting rid of the British was merely just a way to ensure that the leaders of the Revolution could become the most powerful. The example he sets makes it clear, everything before and after the Revolution dealing with what peoples were free was already set in place before the Revolution, and nothing changed after. The
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This evidence just adds to the obvious fact that the Founding Fathers didn’t truly care. The revolution allowed a certain group to become the richest and leave the poor where they were. With the Revolution won and British out of the way, America had the soul say in what to do with the Native Americans. Which ultimately allowed America to kick them out of their own land. The same went for blacks. Although most thought after the Declaration of Independence that all men would truly be equal: people were still allowed to own slaves for quite some time after. Things like these are what show how the leaders of the Revolution truly felt. Howard states that the revolution was basically a bunch of oppressed people fighting each other. Before the Revolution even happened there was no equality for Blacks or Native Americans and the American Revolution did nothing to change
Howard Zinn agrees with the notion that the United States Constitution was created largely with the economic interests of the upper classes. He cites early 20th century historian Charles Beard’s book, “An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution,” to bolster his point that the Constitution was drafted in such a way to predominantly benefit the upper class. In his book, Beard claimed that the wealthy must either control government directly or influence its laws to protect their interests (150). That claim makes sense when looking at the constituency gathered in Philadelphia in 1787; a large majority of the 55 men present were wealthy and owned capital of some sort.
Throughout the American Revolution, the colonists were completely resentful towards their British 'king'. They yearned for their own government, and to finally set themselves apart from George III's rule and his legislation. When the Articles of Confederation were mandated, the expectation was to provide the colonies with a stable government. The Articles were then replaced by the Constitution, which had corresponding values. Essentially the document was written to salvage and improve the new government. The Constitution did many positive things for the nation, and was the perfect remedy for the failures of of the Articles. However, it is manifest that the authors of the document were not as honorable as they may have been assumed to be. How they drafted the document and the bias they have put into it is still greatly effects us. The Constitution is a counter-revolution because it contradicts the fails of the Articles, and is evident that some authors had more self-beneficial and narrow mindsets.
During the Revolution, there were social changes that affected several different races, classes and genders. The four groups that the Revolution had an effect on the social changes were: white men, White women, Black Americans, and Native Americas. With the Revolution effecting the white men by “wearing homespun clothing in support of boycotts of British goods (Boyer, “Defining Nationhood”, p. 128). When the Virginia planters organized militia companies in 1775, they wore plain hunting shirts so that they didn’t embarrass the poorest farmer for his clothes so that they could enlist” (Boyer, “Defining Nationhood”, p. 128). While men were out in the war the “women stayed home and managed families, households, farms and businesses on their own” (Boyer, “Defining Nationhood”, P. 129). For the Black Americans, it started to show others that slavery was not a good thing. “The war, nevertheless, presented new opportunities to African-Americans” (Boyer, “Defining Nationhood”, P. 130). “The slaves were even trying to escape as all the confusion that was going on and pose as a freeman” (Boyer, “Defining Nationhood”, p. 130). Even though the Revolution showed new opportunities to the African-Americans it “didn’t end slavery nor brought equality to free blacks, but it did begin a process by which slavery could be extinguished” (Boyer “Defining Nationhood”, p.
Oppression is the birth of revolution no matter ones loyalty to their oppressor. The American Revolution proved this. When peaceful alternatives to British oppression of unfair taxes and policies on the colonies failed, it was finally the killing of innocent people at the Battle of Lexington and Conquered that started the American Revolution against the British.
Taylor believed that the revolution was more than just gaining independence from Great Britain, and not only did he believe there was other motives that fueled the revolution, he also believed that the solution of the revolution didn’t completely end once the colonies gained their independence, but continued for about 20 years after there was still an internal revolution on home ground being fought between the upper and lower classes throughout the colonies. Taylor does agree that part of the American Revolution was becoming independent and free of the British control, but Taylor disagrees with the fact that that was the only purpose and outcome of the movement. This prize winning author adds that the revolution was more or less two parts, part one was gaining independence and achieving a successful democracy throughout. While part two of the movement, was the internal issue facing the colonies, the differences between the classes and the inequality that influenced the division. Unlike Brown’s article, Taylor didn’t emphasize Great Britain’s role in the revolution, but instead he focused on what he
...ay from certain races, people, or women. This wouldn’t be quite as terrible, but the hypocrisy of promising rights to all, where everyone is created equal and then doing the exact opposite makes the matter worse. Women, natives, the poor, and black had to fight countless years just to be on the same level as their oppressors, with some taking much longer to gain anything close to equality. If there’s one thing that Howard Zinn’s shows us, is that America is not as great as portrayed and some of our great American heroes are quite monstrous and supports Mary Elizabeth Lease’s opinion that “this is nation of inconsistencies.”
In the essay written by Gary Nash, he argues that the reason for the American Revolution was not caused by the defense of constitutional rights and liberties, but that of “material conditions of life in America” were not very favorable and that social and economic factors should be considered as the driving factor that pushed many colonists to revolt. The popular ideology which can be defined as resonating “most strongly within the middle and lower strata of society and went far beyond constitutional rights to a discussion of the proper distribution of wealth and power in the social system” had a dynamic role in the decisions of many people to revolt. The masses ideas were not of constitutional rights, but the equal distribution of wealth in the colonies that many felt that the wealth was concentrated in a small percentage of the population in the colonies. The Whig ideology that was long established in English society had a main appeal towards the upper class citizens and “had little to say about changing social and economic conditions in America or the need for change in the future.” The popular ideologies consisted of new ways of changing the distribution of wealth. Nash in his essay continued to give good evidence to prove his point that the American Revolution was not caused by the defense of constitutional rights and liberties, but by improper distribution of wealth. During the pre-American Revolutionary times, the “top five percent of Boston’s taxpayers controlled 49 ...
According to Webster’s Online Dictionary, revolution is “a sudden, radical or complete change.” During the early settlement of the British colonies, settlers became so culturally different from those in Great Britain that they already seemed to be their own country. This is what John Adams meant in saying, “What do we mean by the Revolution? The war? That was no part of the Revolution; it was only an effect and consequence of it. The Revolution was in the minds of the people… years before a drop of blood was shed at Lexington.” In fact, the revolution began years before the colonists began to feel mistreated by the British. As they arrived in the new colonies, they noticed many major differences in the society and culture of this new place. As time went on, they learned about the colonies and the society there, and eventually, they evolved their cultures and lifestyles to comply with this new society. The primary changes the colonists the colonists made were in their economic system, their lifestyle, and their freedoms. In England, the economic system was primarily industrious, while in it was agriculture. In addition, the colonists, especially those in the south, relied very heavily on slave labor for agricultural purposes. In Great Britain, however, slavery did exist, but it was not relied upon for a functional society. The final change the settlers made in the New World was religion. In Great Britain, the king forced everyone to join the Church of England and leave the Roman Catholic Church. When in the colonies, settlers could go back to whatever religion they desired, so colonial religion was extremely diverse. Therefore, three main changes or “Revolutions”
According to Carl N. Degler, the entire Revolution should be viewed as a conservative change. In “A New Kind of Revolution,” Degler talked about how the new actions taken place by the English had help structure and shape the colonial government. Not only did the colonies lack the affection of their motherland, Britain, they were also taxed unfairly. On the other hand, “The Radicalism of the American Revolution,” by Gordon S. Wood talks about how the American Revolution was a radical movement. His thesis covered how the country was transitioning from monarchy to republic, and now, democracy. The framers wanted to create a free nation where no single person rule. As well as, the people of the nation having the ultimate say so.
The third primary source is a book written by Howard Zinn, “Voices of a People’s History of the United States” (2004). The author’s intention is stated right from the beginning “the American Revolution was a war for independence.” The documents in “Half a Revolution” illustrate this fight and the way in which it was carried out during and immediately after the Revolutionary War. The context of this source is to tell people the poor soldiers served their country well during the war, and yet they were “fed slop, marched in rags without shoes, paid in virtually worthless continental currency, or not paid at all for months.” They were afraid to say or to do anything for the fear of punishment. This source is biased, because it tells us that those
Most often when you hear someone speak of blacks and indigenous people, it is represented in an undesirable light or of one that is nonequal. Well, we both played an impactful roll in the American Revolution, and unfortunately, it is a part of history that has been hidden from the masses for decades. In fact, Gilbert states that “the man believed to be the first martyr of the American Revolution, Crispus Attucks, an escaped slave of black and Native American parentage who became a sailor, fiercely take on the Redcoats in the Boston Massacre? Attucks is part of a complex history that reveals how much the Revolutionary War and the Fourth of July are a day that belongs to African Americans.” (2016)
the colonists saw the American Revolution as an entrenchment on their right to self-government and as a way to dismantle Britain’s rule of tyranny on the American colonies. African Americans used the war as a way to implement change for themselves and their families either by running away during the distraction of the war or even joining the war effort to secure their freedom. Thus, whereas the white patriots or white loyalists
Zinn, Howard. "A People's War?" Howard Zinn's A People's History. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Mar. 2014. .
"You're a human being, not an animal. You have the right to be loved" (262). "Son of the Revolution" by Liang Heng and Judith Shapiro was a book that showed how inhumane many of the aspects of Chinese life were during the Cultural Revolution. The book followed Liang Heng through many of his childhood memories to his departure from China in his twenties. The book applied a real face to the important movements during the Cultural Revolution, the effects that "the cult of Mao" had on society and Heng, and the way the period affected Heng's personal family life.
When you learn about African American’s during the Revolutionary era you get to perceive the American Revolution from a new perspective. The American revolution, also known as the Great Rebellion took place from 1765 to 1783. The United States declared their independence in 1776 and African Americans had a big part to do with it. In 1619 when the first slaves came to America they contributed more to making this country great than the biggest plantation owners ever would. The American Revolution was an important time for the Patriots and the British but it was an even bigger time for African Americans.