The Empire Strikes Out: Toward Independence

Question 1

Patrick Henry

Answer 1

• Leader of the Wigs / rebels and a member of the colonial government in VA
• Lawmaker who led VA’s efforts against the Stamp Act
• “give me liberty or give me death”
• Instrumental in helping sway colonial opinions about the war

Question 2

Common Sense

Answer 2

• Widely distributed pamphlet published in 1776 that pushed many in the colonies towards supporting independence
• Second in popularity only to the Bible;
• Took the most popular arguments against independence, parodied them, and dismantled them

1. Economic Ruin - once independence is achieved, Britain would still trade with the colonies
2. Can’t defeat British in war - Paine predicted that other countries would assist the Americans in their independence / “millions against a small island”
3. Love of the King - Monarchy is a flawed system of government (hereditary, pre-enlightenment)

Radical, power arguments that did much to sway public opinion

Question 3

Declaration of Independence

Answer 3

• Drafted in July 1776 and produced by the Congress; Thomas Jefferson becomes lead author and writes 95% of the Declaration
• In the Declaration, Jefferson builds the arguments for independence on two important political ideas from the Enlightenment

1. Natural Rights: “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, liberty and pursuit of happiness”
2. Social Contract: “whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it”

Declaration had made an incredibly bold promise that our society failed to uphold; more than 75% of the men drafting the document owned slaves // Hypocrisy

Dangerous ideas:
- The revolution didn’t make people equal; the revolution spread the idea that they should be equal
- Didn’t revolutionize people’s status, but their mindset: “I deserve equality” - minority groups & oppressed people begin to rebel… have that right according to the declaration

Question 4

Articles of Confederation

Answer 4

• To help govern, the Congress eventually signed the Articles of Confederation which held:
  1. Every state retains its sovereignty and independence, unless expressly given up
  2. States enter into alliance together to provide their common defense, security of their liberties, mutual welfare

FORBIDDEN FROM:
1. Issuing taxes
2. Draft an army

Government with only a legislative branch; no executive or judicial branch to interpret and enforce laws

Poor gov’t for managing and winning the war, but was a logical reaction to the fear of big gov’t