Reason and Revolution 1750-1800

A rational society is one that, “informs the mind,

sweetens the temper, cheers our spirits, and

promotes health.”

Jefferson

Population

1610 210

1640 27,950

1670 114,500

1750 1,207,000

1790 4,000,000 1st U.S. census

Voice of the Age of Reason:

Independence

Strongly Emotional

“Life and Death” time of history

Visions of Liberty

Expressed through writing

50 years before the Revolution

Colonies beginning to prosper

Colonies less like “dangerous settlements in

the wilderness”

Colonies communicating with each other

Colonies sharing mutual political and

economic concerns

Colonies sharing anger over policies of

British Government

Infuriating laws and taxes

Stamp Act of 1765

stamps required for purchases of newspapers,

licenses, pamphlets

Quartering Act of 1765

Colonists had to house/feed British troops

Townsend Acts of 1767

tax on tea, glass, lead and paper

American Response

Decisions to NOT follow new British laws

Disseverment of assemblies by England

Resulting violence

Boston Massacre 1770 (British troops firing on taunting

crowd)

Boston Tea Party 1773 (Colonists dumped tea in Boston

Harbor)

Colony petitions to George III

Desire to share in government

“No Taxation without Representation”

American Response

Response from England

Intolerable Acts 1774 (punishment for the Boston Tea Party)

Revocation of rights/privileges

Seizing of American weapons

Colonial response to English policies

Continued discussion of break from England

Skirmishes between British and Colonists

Common Sense by Thomas Paine (January 1776- before the

Revolutionary War)

Addressed separation from England

Affected public opinion

100,000 sold in 3 months (spoke plainly)

Effects on American Literature

1770’s

no professional American poets, playwrights, novelists

Political writings addressing issues of the time

Newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, letters

“Poet’s Corners”

section in the newspaper for locally written poems and songs,

issues of the day

Political broadsides

sheets of paper tacked up around town. Contained essays,

poems, etc.

Emerging new sense of national identity

Literary heritage as extraordinary as political heritage

Effects on American Literature cont.

Declaration of Independence

Voice of the people, not one person

Explains to the entire world why they were leaving

England

Culmination of writing of the time, showing that King

George was tyrannical and deserved to be overthrown

Declaration states:

Unalienable rights: “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”

Government obtains power by “consent of the governed”

Government exists to protect the rights of the governed; it

should be abolished or changed if it fails to do so

Thoughts to Remember: our government didn’t happen by accident

Method of government

result of much thought and debate

“Life or Death” time in history

Success of revolution was amazing; to

successfully stand the test of time is even

more so

In the Library of Congress

“ My country, right or wrong

When right, keep it right

When wrong, set it right.”

Unit Objectives

Analyze and Interpret facts and extended meanings

Discuss predetermined themes

Respond to critical opinion

Analyze persuasion and style

Identify and analyze audience

Develop vocabulary skills

Write a creative composition

A New Nation factors that led to the American Revolution

Representative government

Natural rights

Freedom

Separation of Church and State

American Identity

A national literature

Representative Government

The idea of a representative government was

in keeping with long-standing English

traditions of limiting royal power

Natural Rights

The writings of the British Philosopher John

Locke profoundly influenced America’s

founding fathers and eighteen-century thought

in general

Locke justified limiting royal authority and

proposed that all human beings have natural

rights and are entitled to political and

economic freedoms regardless of birth

Freedom

Many early immigrants to the colonies left

Europe hoping for religious, political, and

economic freedoms

Separation of Church and State

The ideas of separation of church and state

owe much to the writings of Voltaire, the

leading philosopher of the French

Enlightenment

American Identity

With the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution in

Britain, England’s factory owners sought raw materials

and markets for their goods, both of which they felt the

American colonies should provide

The colonists, in turn, objected to laws that discouraged

factories in the colonies

After the French and Indian War (1756-1763) the mother

country expected the colonies to pay for their own

protection and instituted taxes for this purpose

The colonists objected, for they felt that England’s

constant quarreling with France was not their fight

Common themes

Peace through Unity

Mutual Respect

Government by Consent

Individual Rights

Personal Courage

Confronting Obstacles

Nobility of America

Freedom as a Worthy Cause

Titles and Authors

Benjamin Franklin The Autobiography

Patrick Henry Speech in the Virginia Convention

Thomas Jefferson Declaration of Independence

Ben Franklin pg.56

October 18, 1706 – December 1, 1788

Franklin opposed the 1765 Stamp Act. Franklin soon learned of the extent of colonial resistance to the Stamp Act, and his testimony before the House of Commons led to its repeal. With this, Franklin suddenly emerged as the leading spokesman for American interests in England.

Pre-reading vocabulary

1. Censure

2. Elevation

3. Ingenuity

4. Temperance

5. Libeling

6. Enumerations

7. Arduous

8. Eradicate

9. Rectitude

10. Frugality

11. Incorrigible

12. Speculative

13. Admonish

14. Allotted

15. Dissuaded

16. Annexed

17. Squander

13 Virtues

Temperance

Silence

Order

Resolution

Frugality

Industry

Sincerity

Justice

Moderation

Cleanliness

Tranquility

Chastity

Humility

Timed Writing #1

Write about one of the old-fashioned-seeming

virtues, such as silence or frugality. What type

of experience do you imagine led Franklin to

consider it important?

Reflecting on the Selection

How do you think Franklin’s maturity

affected his views of his early experiences?

Patrick Henry pg. 65

1736-1799

Was a prominent figure in the American Revolution known and remembered primarily for his “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech. Along with Samuel Adams and Thomas Paine, he was one of the most influential (and radical) advocates of the American Revolution and republicanism (a government not ruled by a king), especially in his denunciations of corruption in government officials and his defense of historic rights.

If we wish to be free, if we mean to preserve inviolate

those inestimable privileges…we must fight!

Pre-reading vocabulary

1. Disposed

2. Ministry

3. Solace

4. Insidious

5. Comports

6. Implements

7. Subjugation

8. Supplication

9. Remonstrated

10. Prostrated

11. Inviolate

12. Contending

13. Supinely

14. Extenuate

Seeking out Literary Elements

Allusion The classical and biblical allusions Henry cites place America’s predicament into

universal perspective

Rhetorical Questions Henry’s repeated rhetorical questions force his audience to weigh the intangible

hopes for reconciliation against the real and present danger posed by the British military forces

Metaphor The image of bondage Henry conveys with such words as “bind” “rivet” “chains”

and “forging” add grim intensity to his warning about British intentions

Repetition and Parallelism Repetition of we would inspire a sense of unity in the audience. Parallel

constructions are powerful devices in which the symmetry and rhythm off the sentence add to the persuasiveness of the words

“Speech in the Virginia Convention”

1. How do you think this mention of responsibility affected the delivery of Henry’s speech?

2. What do you think Henry means when he says he is ready to “provide” for the truth?

3. Why do you think Henry focuses on these three failed attempts to deal with the British?

Henry’s Speech to the

Virginia Convention

10 min.

Listening

As you listen to these famous political speeches,

describe your reactions to the speeches and analyze

them in terms of the literary focus on pages 68-69 of

your textbook.

Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkinaugural.htm

“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you

can do for your country.”

Thomas Jefferson pg. 76

1743-1826

Was the third President of the Unites States (1801–1809), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of Republicanism in the United States. Major events during his presidency include the Louisiana Purchase (1803) and the Lewis and Clark expedition (1804–1806).

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are

created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator

with certain unalienable rights…

Pre-reading vocabulary

1. B

2. D

3. C

4. A

5. D

6. D

7. C

8. B

9. A

10. C

11. B

12. D

13. C

14. D

15. D

Jefferson writes the Declaration of Independence

5min.

Seeking out Literary Elements

Tone Jefferson creates a calm, reasoned tone and infuses the Declaration with

majesty by using straightforward adjectives and highly evocative nouns and

verbs

Audience By identifying his audience as members of “the candid world” Jefferson

seeks to legitimize America’s sovereignty and enlist the approval of other

nations

Word Choice Jefferson adds emotional intensity as he shifts from more objective, legalistic

language to such strong verbs as plundered and ravaged to attack the crown

Declaration of Independence

1. How would you explain the meaning of the phrase the pursuit of happiness?

2. Why do you think the colonists saw British rule as tyranny?

3. In his arguments against British rule, why does Jefferson include pleas made earlier to the British people?

4. What elements do you think contribute most to the persuasive power of the Declaration of Independence?

Congress passes the Declaration of Independence

3 min.