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The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution

“The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution” was written by Bernard Bailyn, an American author of historic documents and a professor at Harvard University. This book had won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1968. It was published by the Belknap Press of Harvard University Press in 1967. Bernard Bailyn researched and organized the documents and pamphlets during the Revolutionary era. Bailyn explained that these popular documents at times obviously proved that the American Revolution was the inevasible event in the British North America colonies.

Chapter 1 – The Literature of Revolution

The heroes of American Independence had written numerous amounts of official documents including public addresses, preaches, and newspapers. The purpose of these written achievements is to press their thoughts, arguments, and principles. Especially, the Revolutionary writers published “the pamphlets” to influence crowds most efficiently in the cities. These pamphlets usually contain seventy to eighty pages which express detailed explained arguments of freedom. In the middle of pamphlets, they also carry developmental maps or statistics or quotes that support the basic American political point of views, the public may understand principles easily through these documents. The pamphlets had three strong functions to the American public. First, the pamphlets were highly flexible because it was cheap in price and very easy to purchase. Therefore, Americans could learn about a lot of events in those days in the motherland such as The Stamp Act, Townshend Duties, and Boston Massacre. Secondly, through the pamphlets, individuals could share their thoughts and arguments, and then people’s responses were “chain-reacting.” For example, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense led patriots to share their desire for the American Revolution. Finally, the pamphlets also delivered the individual revolution to people; it awaked nations to think about “freeholders and voting eligibility.” The pamphlets had been using for political messages for election days in Massachusetts and Connecticut. The communication through the transformed narratives, Americans finally realized the important points of comprehension and desired achievements about the America’s destiny. The literatures in Revolutionary Era had functioned well to lead social movements for the freedom.

Chapter 2 - Sources and Traditions

Most of American leaders began to have developmental point of views through the events of the time. These events caused to accumulate dissatisfactions which led to the origins of the American Revolution. The sources of Americans’ thoughts were spread unofficially through the official documents which kept their private remarks. Their revolutionary thoughts were influenced by Greek writers such as Plato, Aristotle, and Epictetus and Roman characters such as Tacitus, Caesar, and Gaius. Ancient doctrines brought the importance of the liberty. The literature of ancient world supported persuasion of the Revolution. Not only ancient resources were alike, but valuable works at times were also marvelously persuasive. American Founding Fathers like John Adams, Ben Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson fought for the natural right for their colony. Their classic citations of the American Enlightenment were greatly influential works. Other fabulous writers such as John Locke, young Alexander Hamilton, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau were a great part of revolutionary ideas among the American colony. The common law from the Britain also inspired American colonies to have a meaning of the American Revolution. Laws in England were dangerous and harmful to the colonies. British documents from famous characters such as Sir Edward Coke and Sir John Holt did not result in a good shape. It just helped Americans to have obvious reasons of the movement. Americans at times began to identify themselves as the heroes of liberty. Through the numerous sources, the colonists started to have an opposition thought against the British Kingdom. Both old and young Americans began grouping to support and to express the thoughtful ideas against England.

Chapter 3 – Power and Liberty

3.1 - A Theory of Politics

The political literature and its traditions awaked the theory of politics in following decades. Most American colonists fully understood about the controversy of every single politic system and they were aware of the reorganization of the power. They knew that politics are all about the power. Americans began to associate and to discuss about the political power. Social participants connected past and present with the power. Colonists verbally used all kinds of literature skills such as metaphors, similes, and analogies and they eventually had defined the power. It gave the importance of liberty over the power, unavoidable victims, and necessary laws and rights. However, the fear was widely spread in the colony while the meaning of liberty was also surely widespread. Then, American politics began to adapt the theory of “constitution” to ensure the liberty over the power which had been dominated the colony incorrectly.

Chapter 4- The Logic of Rebellion

The idea and attitudes of American colonists firmly formed after events after 1763. People realized seriousness of the British government’s tyranny since the Stamp Act. Americans saw that British policies were mistakes and evil which took their own freedom. The principles of justice seemed like no more existed. It was the fact that colonists and their motherland were struggling from the destruction. Americans also noticed that existed conspiracy of authority against freedom was dangerous and they needed to overcome it. The struggles of American colonists emerged from the evil systems from the British Empire. First was the Stamp Act which was the first real tax for documents and newspaper. Then, the Townshend Duties occurred in 1767 which brought taxes on items that colonies could not make by itself such as paper, paint, lead, tea, and glass. The grievance of colonists filled up and the logic of Rebellion was also created. Americans began to protest against evil systems which took their liberty and rights in their motherland. The author of The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution, Bernard Bailyn explained that the British Empire did not realize that the colonial taxation was an engine of the American Revolution at times.

4.1 - A Note on Conspiracy

Bernard Bailyn explained that American Revolutionary leaders faced English conspiracy which tried to demolish the liberty in their colony. According to the author, Bailyn, in his opinion, the Revolution theory was arose a half century before the actual Rebellion era. However, the first conflict between the U.S. and British Empire emerged in the early 1760’s. Thomas Jefferson claimed the Declaration of Independence which proves that they started to fight against the despotism of George III’s Parliament.

Chapter 5 – Transformation

Americans’ vision transformed with the perfect moral and strong confirmation to defend their liberty and their victory. Battle heroes were ready to fight against the Empire and the Founding Fathers declared the freedom of religions and the authority. It was the enlightenment of reform, refresh, and resurrect their life.

5.1 - Representation and Consent

The role of representation was the first key solution of the conflict between colonies and British administration. Colonies decided to select agents who could speak for their party in the Empire. Then, colonists faced the issue of Anglo-American controversy. But later on, representation just required having virtual political experiences and a lot of interests in the society. Colony leaders consented that representations are no different than the electors and the non-electors.

5.2 - Constitutions and Rights

The leaders of American Revolution contended that there should be the principal institution which can protect their natural rights. Creating the Constitutions was the first step of the transformation of their society. It was opposition to the Parliament of the Revolutionary opponents. The Parliament was a part of the constitution but it is not able to control its own power and it cannot be changed.

5.3 – Sovereignty

The problems above such as representation, consent, constitution and rights were fundamental issues which created the character of American administration. Then, the sovereignty was a following issue that Americans had to deal with. American leaders discussed about their sovereignty and decided that their authority is under God and the ultimate power of nation is an opposition of England. There will not be the crown and its Parliament, or together. This type of sovereign power characterized American power.

Chapter 6 – The Contagion of Liberty

The United States assumed that their natural rights should exist above the law. Americans even decided before the revolution that the fundamentals of government will be related with their society. Since they decided that there will never be the absolute sovereignty in the U.S., they allowed few agencies to share the power and keeping the liberty together through following categories.

6.1 – Slavery

Before a year of 1776, no one brought the issue of slavery in the United States. Then by 1776, many writers put out the question about the Slavery issue. The word of “Slavery” was the main political principle in the eighteenth century. John Dickinson wrote that they were also slaves of the Empire because they were taxed without any consent. Slavery was just a simple political concept which next generation would have a different point of view. The next slavery problem was an unanswerable argument. There were developing antislavery movement but a lot of people felt the weakness of living in the country without slaves. It was the appeared hypocrisy of the American liberty.

6.2 – Establishment of Religion

The religion problem had been always existed from the first generation in America. The first community did not really involve with the establishment of religion problems. There was the Church of England in the south. Protestants and Roman Catholics declared that they should be excluded from the government laws. Finally after the Revolutionary years, the government allowed the establishment of religion in everywhere which became clear.

6.3 – The Democracy Unleashed

The United States would create the election which would give millions of people strong power and great opportunities to establish the fair government. It was socially and politically fair depends on the democracy.

6.4 – “Whether Some Degree of Respect be Not Always Due From Inferiors to Superiors”

Many unexpected challenges such as slavery and establishment of religions, and connection between society and politics appeared. It was not nearly the transforming result of the American Revolution movement in the U.S. Americans continued to assume that major power in the government would be favored by three elements – money, education, and power. Social leaders would keep their political leadership through these elements. However, revolutionary leaders adopted the theory that liberty is guaranteed by our established government. “Rights” was the most important item in the North American colonies.

References

Bailyn, Bernard, The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution, the President and Fellows of Harvard College, 1967