American revolution

Question 1

modern vs premodern revolution

Answer 1

• Hannah Arendt: The meaning of revolution → premodern and modern concept → fundamental difference
  
  • American rev: started as premodern but became modern rev → wanted to restore ancient liberties but ended up with declaration of independence and new gov
  • modern rev: double goal/purpose → to liberate of oppression (french rev) and build a new house → new political system
  • modern rev: they break away from past and want to build a new house
  • premodern rev: etymological origins of rev → latin verb: revolvere → Astronomical term: rotation/revolving motions around the sun → consistency and repetition → metaphoricaly used to indicate a reoccurring movements of politics

Question 2

Before revolution

Answer 2

• east american continent british were living
  
  • colonies founded in 17th century
  • then: scattered group of independent colonies of different contries → no contact or communication, only fights abt resources
  • difference in economy in north and south → trade (north)
  • trading city: boston
  • south had plantations
  • no sense of unity

Question 3

relation with brittain before rev

Answer 3

• brittain was a constitutional and parlamentary monarchy after glorious rev
  
  • british colonies were loyal to britain
  • colonies enjoyed autonomy → due to salutary neglect
  • → britain was not interfering with colonies politics: own governemnt, politics etc

Question 4

Events leading up to american war of independence

Answer 4

• seven years war: (french and indian war) england vs french, england won → support of british → colonies: supplied them with resources and troops and food
  
  • high patriotism afterwards
  • budgetary crisis in Britain bc 7 years war was expensive → went into depht
  • get money with taxing: tax british population to finance war deptht
  • american colonies were also taxed → colonial taxation: stamp act 1765: every official document (news paper, contract) was to be printed on stamped paper → stamping was expensive
  • colonies were angry → said they already supplied England financially already and were paying taxes already/have their own tax systems
  • legal objections: we do not have our representatives in the parlament → parliamnet had granted the taxtation law
  • wanted representations in parlament for tax laws
  • stamp act had unintended outcomes: was targedting lawyers, merchants, journalist: vocal and educated part of population
  • colonies were joined through taxtation → sense of cooperation and unity
  • stampt act crisis: the massachussets assembly invited the other colonial assemblies to participate in the stamp act congress in NY
  • economic sanctions: commercial boycott of british goods → expressing discontent

Esclation of the conflict: Boston Massacre -> fight escalated between citizen and troops: troops fired against ppl

* Boston tea party: tea tax, made it cheaper for colonies, upset colonies bc they thought britain wants to influence the market → sons of liberty dressed up as native americans threw lots of tea into the sea 
* → consequence: Massachusetts was placed under military rule of britain 
* still a lot of moderate voices on both sides: reconciliation and restoration, not warfare

Question 5

Start of American revolution

Answer 5

• colonies wanted to cooperate: continetal congress in Philadelphia: to create, Train, and supply an army →
  
  • continetal army under command of George waschington and olive branch petition was still the premodern rev
  • the american declaration of independence and the articles of confederation and perpetual union was the modern rev
  • (Kings not cooperation played into colonies violence tendenties, fail of Olive branch petition →)
  • the declaration of independence: unites colonies declared themselves as free and independent states → impact: the final break away from mother state
  • Britain accepted America as independent in 1783 in the end of the war
  • coloines had turned into states, did not accept british monarchy anymore
  • → build a new house
  • the articles of confederation and perpetual union: articles did not create unitary state: every state kept its’s independence: confederation of sovereign states
  • result: weak central gov, supply shortages during war, gradual rise of federalism,
  • → end of war 1783 and start of federal US constitution in 1787
  • france helped american states to win war and britain had supply problems → disadvantage of britain
  • → won britains recognition as sovereign states
  • US was turned into federal and democratic republic
  • it was inevitable → britain at fault