Claiming We the People: Political Participation in Revolutionary America

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1 Claiming We the People: Political Participation in Revolutionary America In this activity you will learn about how groups without political power--african Americans, women, and working-class men--sought to expand their political power in the Revolutionary era. You will analyze primary sources to determine the methods by which non-voting groups made their claims on being part of "We the People". Objectives 1. You will be able to identify the methods that ordinary people without voting rights participated in revolutionary politics. 2. You will analyze the extent to which non-voting groups exerted political influence in revolutionary America. Instructions 1. Step 1: Think back to our activity Rights in Early America to help you understand the extent of political rights in the 1770s and 1780s. The story of the American Revolution is not just about the leadership of elite white men like John Adams or George Washington. In this activity you will be learning about how different groups in society participated in and were inspired by the American Revolution. 2. Step 2: We sill split into groups of 3-5 students with each group representing one of the following social groups: women, African Americans, or working-class men. Please locate the worksheets and appropriate primary sources to each group. You are to read the pair of documents, answering the questions at the top first, then answering the questions at the bottom. 3. Step 3: Next, your group is to summarize their documents in 1-2 sentences to share with the whole class. Your group is also to share one thing that the group found surprising about each document. The documents will be projected for the class to see, so be able to point to specific parts of the document. 4. Step 4: Next, we will participate in a discussion of the following questions: In what 3 ways did people without political power use non-voting methods to expend the definition of We the People? Historical Context What do these documents reveal about tensions in society over the definition of "We the people"? As war erupted between the American colonies and Britain, and as the colonies declared their independence, great numbers of workingmen and women took up the patriot cause. Ordinary people helped bring about the military successes that secured independence, questioned older hierarchical assumptions, and claimed for themselves a stake in political sovereignty. Following the Revolution, Americans had to make crucial decisions about how they were now to govern themselves, how they should act in relation to one another, and who would get a say in public affairs. In the years leading up to and during the Revolution, working people, including women and slaves who had few or no rights in colonial society, echoed the revolutionary rhetoric of the patriot cause. They claimed that the evolving notion of "we the people" should include people like themselves, and that the newly formed government should protect their civic and economic rights. They used various methods to participate in the politics of the era, even though they were denied many of the traditional routes-- voting, serving in assemblies--for swaying political leaders and law. Many among American elites disagreed with popular conceptions of republican society, and their views shaped the U.S. Constitution that would be drafted and ratified in the late 1780s. Large groups were excluded from the aspiration for equality.

2 Claiming We the People : African Americans PART I: First read both documents and answer the following questions: Slaves Petition the Massachusetts Legislature 1. Who created this document? What do you know about the creators based on this document? Virginians Petition to Prevent the Emancipation of Slaves 1. Who created this document? What do you know about the creators based on this document? 2. What are the authors asking for? What reasons do they give to support their request? 2. What are the authors asking for? What reasons do they give to support their request? 3. How do the authors use the ideas of the American Revolution to support their request? (Cite specific words or phrases.) 3. How do the authors use the ideas of the American Revolution to support their request? (Cite specific words or phrases.) Part II: Read the following statement and decide which document supports the claim. Then explain how you made your choice. Throughout United States history, people without political power have used nonvoting methods to expand the definition of We the People. Which document supports this claim? Why? Part III: Discuss the following question in your group. What do these documents reveal about tensions in society over the definition of We the people?

3 Claiming We the People : Women PART I: First read both documents and answer the following questions: Colonial Women Spin For Liberty 1. What are the women in the document doing? John Adams Explains Why Women Should Not Be Able to Vote 1. What reasons does John Adams give for why women should not be able to vote in the new nation? 2. In your own words, explain non-importation. 2. If women gain the right to vote, what does Adams fear will happen? 3. Why does the author call the women true daughters of liberty? 3. How might the Massachusetts women described in the other document respond to Adams? Part II: Read the following statement and decide which document supports the claim. Then explain how you made your choice. Throughout United States history, people without political power have used nonvoting methods to expand the definition of We the People. Which document supports this claim? Why? Part III: Discuss the following question in your group. What do these documents reveal about tensions in society over the definition of We the people?

4 Claiming We the People : Working-Class Men PART I: First read both documents and answer the following questions: Colonial Crowds Protest the Stamp Act 1. What is the crowd described in the document doing? John Adams Explains Why People Without Property Should Not Be Able to Vote 1. What reasons does John Adams give for why working-class men should not be able to vote in the new nation? 2. Why is the crowd protesting the Stamp Act? 2. If working-class men gain the right to vote, what does Adams fear will happen? 3. Is the crowd s protest an effective form of political participation? Why or why not? 3. How might the crowd described in the other document respond to Adams? Part II: Read the following statement and decide which document supports the claim. Then explain how you made your choice. Throughout United States history, people without political power have used nonvoting methods to expand the definition of We the People. Which document supports this claim? Why? Part III: Discuss the following question in your group. What do these documents reveal about tensions in society over the definition of We the people?

5 Slaves Petition the Massachusetts Legislature (short version) Throughout the revolutionary era, scores of slaves signed petitions that linked their demands for freedom with the cause of American independence. Below is the text of one such petition presented to the Massachusetts legislature. January 13, 1777 [We understand] that [we] have, in common with all other men, a natural & unalienable right to that freedom, which [God] has [given] equally [to] all and which [we] have never [given up in] any contract or agreement But [we] were unjustly dragged, by the cruel hand of power, from [our] dearest friends, & some of [us] even torn from the embraces of [our] tender parents & brought [here] to be sold like beasts of burden, & like them condemned to slavery for life Every principle from which America has acted in the course of her unhappy difficulties with Great-Britain, pleads stronger than a thousand arguments in favor of [us]. [We] therefore humbly [beg] your honors, to [consider] this petition, & [pass a law] whereby [slaves] may be restored to the enjoyment of that freedom which is the natural right of all men--& their children (who were born in this Land of Liberty) may not be held as slaves after they arrive at the age of twenty one years. Lancaster Hill Peter Bess Brister Slenten Prince Hall Jack Purpont (his mark) Nero Suneto (his mark) Newport Symner (his mark) Job Lock SOURCE Adapted from Herbert Aptheker, A Documentary History of the Negro People in the United States, Vol. 1 (1951). CREATOR Various ITEM TYPE Government Document

6 Virginians Petition to Prevent the Emancipation of Slaves The spirit of the American Revolution inspired some slaveholders to manumit, or free, their slaves. In 1782, Virginia passed a law that allowed slaveholders to set slaves free in their wills, where before manumission required a special act of the state legislature. In response to the 1782 law, over 1,200 Virginians petitioned the Virginia General Assembly for its repeal. Some spelling changes and edits have been made to improve clarity. To the [honorable] General Assembly of Virginia Gentlemen, When the British Parliament [took away the] right to dispose of our property without our consent, we [broke away from our] parent country, and established a Constitution and form of government of our own, that our property might be secure, in future. [To do this] we risked our lives and fortunes, and waded through seas of blood. [Because of God s favor] our attempt was crowned with success. We were put in the possession of our rights of liberty and property But [despite] this, we understand a very subtle and daring attempt is made [to take away] a very important part of our property TO WREST FROM US OUR SLAVES, by an act of the legislature for a general emancipation of them. [This is] an attempt unsupported by Scripture or [wise] policy. It is unsupported by Scripture It is also [very unwise because this law would cause] Want, poverty, distress, and ruin to the free citizen; Neglect, famine and death to the black infant and [elderly] parent; The horrors of all the rapes, murders and outrages, which a vast multitude of unprincipled, unpropertied, revengeful, and remorseless [outlaws] are capable of perpetrating; Inevitable bankruptcy and consequently breach of public faith, and loss of credit with foreign nations; and, lastly, sure and final ruin to this now flourishing free and happy country. We therefore pray you will reject every motion and proposal for emancipating our slaves [Signed November 8, 1785 in Mecklenburg County by 223 people November 10, 1785 in Amelia County by 22 people November 10, 1785 in Pittsylvania County by 54 people] SOURCE Citizens of Mecklenburg, Amelia and Pittsylvania Counties (Virginia), To the honourable the General Assembly of Virginia, the Remonstrance and Petition of the Free Inhabitants of Amelia County, 8-10 November 1785, (Richmond, VA: Legislative Petitions, , Virginia State Library). CREATOR Various ITEM TYPE Government Document

7 John Adams Explains Why Women Should Not Be Able to Vote James Sullivan, a state court judge in Massachusetts and colleague of John Adams, was often sympathetic to those who thought women and nonelite men should have a voice in the new nation s government. Adams disagreed, explaining to Sullivan why women and the poor should be excluded. Some spelling changes and edits have been made to improve clarity. It is certain in theory, that the only moral foundation of government is the consent of the people, but to what an extent shall we carry this principle? Shall we say, that every individual of the community, old and young, male and female, as well as rich and poor, must consent, expressly to every act of legislation?... Why exclude women? Because their delicacy renders them unfit for practice and experience, in the great business of life, and the hardy enterprises of war, as well as the arduous cares of state. Besides, their attention is so much engaged with the necessary nurture of their children, that nature has made them fittest for domestic cares. And children have not judgment or will of their own Depend upon it, sir, it is dangerous to open [such a] source of controversy and altercation, as would be opened by attempting to [change] the qualifications of voters. There will be no end of it. New claims will arise. Women will demand a vote. Lads from 12 to 21 will think their rights not enough attended to, and every man, who has not a [dime], will demand an equal voice with any other in all acts of state. It tends to confound and destroy all distinctions, and [surrender] all ranks, to one common level. SOURCE John Adams to James Sullivan, 26 May 1776; from Charles Francis Adams, ed., The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States (Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1854). CREATOR John Adams ITEM TYPE Diary/Letter

8 Colonial Women Spin for Liberty During the colonial period, colonists imported most of their manufactured goods. In 1767, the British government passed laws that required American colonists to pay taxes on imported goods from England. Many colonists responded by forming non-importation agreements, refusing to buy imported goods and urging other colonists to do the same. For women, who could not vote or hold office, non-importation campaigns were a way to participate in colonial politics. Many of them publicly gave up drinking tea and began spinning their own yarn, to avoid buying cloth imported from Britain. Some spelling changes and edits have been made to improve clarity. On the 12 of July...true Daughters of Liberty & Industry, stimulated by their fair Sisters, met at the House of Rev. Mr. Forbes, to the number of Fifty-five, with Thirty four Wheels; and from 5 o'clock in the Morning, to 7 in the Evening picked, carded, and spun [a large amount] of Cotton Wool...and of Flax...The next Day, and for several succeeding Days; others as well affected [by]...the Cause of Liberty and Industry, but [who] could not leave their Families to join their Sisters on the Said Day, sent in their [yarn] spun out of their own Materials. July Newport. July 10. We can assure the Public, that Spinning is so much encouraged among us, that a Lady in Town, who is in very affluent Circumstances, and who is between 70 and 80 years of Age, has within about three Weeks become a very good Spinner, though she never spun a Thread in her Life before. Thus has the Love of Liberty and dread of Tyranny, kindled in the Breast of old and young, a glorious Flame, which will eminently distinguish the fair Sex of the present Time through far distant Ages. SOURCE New-York Journal, 24 August Image citation: Isaiah Thomas, "Spinner," woodcut, from "Mother Goose's Melody, or Songs for the Cradle," CREATOR New York Journal ITEM TYPE Newspaper/Magazine Article

9 John Adams Explains Why People Without Property Should Not Be Able to Vote James Sullivan, a state court judge in Massachusetts and colleague of John Adams, was often sympathetic to those who thought women and nonelite men should have a voice in the new nation s government. Adams disagreed, explaining to Sullivan why men without property and women should be excluded. Some spelling changes and edits have been made to improve clarity. May 26, 1776 It is certain in theory, that the only moral foundation of government is the [agreement] of the people, but to what an extent shall we carry this principle? Shall we say, that every individual of the community, old and young, male and female, as well as rich and poor, must [agree] to every act of legislation?... Is it not equally true, that men in general in every society, who [are poor and do not own property], are also [unfamiliar] with public affairs to form a right judgment, and too dependent upon other men to have a will of their own? Few men, who have no property, have any judgment of their own. They talk and vote as they are directed by some man of property, who has attached their minds to his interest. Depend upon it, sir, it is dangerous to open [such a] source of controversy and altercation, as would be opened by attempting to [change] the qualifications of voters. There will be no end of it. New claims will arise. Women will demand a vote. Lads from 12 to 21 will think their rights not enough attended to, and every man, who has not a [dime], will demand an equal voice with any other in all acts of state. It tends to confound and destroy all distinctions, and [surrender] all ranks, to one common level. SOURCE John Adams to James Sullivan, 26 May 1776; from Charles Francis Adams, ed., The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States (Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1854). CREATOR John Adams ITEM TYPE Diary/Letter

10 Colonial Crowds Protest the Stamp Act Colonists' protests against the Stamp Act took many forms, including hanging and burning effigies of British officials, and destroying the offices and houses of Stamp Act commissioners and royal officials. The following account of an attack on Andrew Oliver, Boston's stamp collector, appeared in the patriot newspaper theboston Gazette and shows how effective such dramatic crowd actions could be. Early on Wednesday Morning last the Effigy of a Gentleman sustaining a very unpopular Office, viz. that of Stamp Master, was found hanging on a Tree in the most public Part of the Town, together with a Boot, wherein was concealed a young Imp of the Devil represented as peeping out of the Top -- On the Breast of the Effigy was a Label, "in Praise of Liberty" -- and underneath was the following Words, He THAT TAKES THIS DOWN IS AN ENEMY TO HIS COUNTRY. The Owner of the Tree endeavoured to take it down; but being advis'd to the contrary by the Populace, lest it should occasion the Demolition of his Windows, if nothing worse, desisted from the Attempt. -- The Diversion it occasioned among a Multitude of Spectators who continually assembled the whole Day, is surprizing; not a Peasant was suffered to pass down to the Market 'till he had stop'd and got his Articles stamp'd by the Effigy -- Towards dark some Thousands repaired to the said Place of Rendezvous, and having taken down the Pageantry, they proceeded with it to Oliver's Dock, where there was a new Brick Building just finished; and they imagining it to be designed for a "Stamp Office," instantly set about demolishing of it, which they thoroughly effected in about half an Hour. In the mean Time the High-Sheriff &c. &c., being apprehensive that the Person of the then Stamp-Master, and his Family, might be in Danger from the Tumult, went and advised them to evacuate the House the Multitude approach'd Fort-Hill, contiguous thereto, in order to burn the Effigy, together with the Timber and other Wood work of the House they had demolish'd. they set about pulling down a Range of Fence upwards of 15 Foot high, which inclos'd the bottom of the Garden stripped the Trees of the Fruit, dispoiled some of them by breaking off the Limbs, demolished the Summer House, broke the Windows in the Rear Part of the House, enter'd the same, went down the Cellars, and help'd themselves to the Liquor which they found there in the Silver Plate that the House afforded, none of which however was missing the next Day, altho' scatter'd over various Parts of the House. The next Day the Transactions the preceeding Night was of Course the general Topic of Conversation; when the Stamp Master, in order to appease the Sensations which seemed to possess the Breasts of every one, at the Prospect of a future Stamp-Duty, sent a Card to several gentlemen, acquainting them that he had absolutely declined having any Concern in that Office; which being publickly read it was tho't all Uneasiness would subside; but the Evening following the [crowd] again assembled whereupon 'tis said the Stamp Master sent them a Letter with the aforementioned Resolution on Non-acceptance, and Assurance of Endeavors to serve the Province, &c. Upon which they thought proper to demolish the Bonfire and retire SOURCE Boston Gazette, 19 August CREATOR Boston Gazette ITEM TYPE Newspaper/Magazine Article

Debating U.S. History Constitution Lesson 3 Student Handout. Liberty for All: Voices from the American Revolution. The Declaration of Independence

Debating U.S. History Constitution Lesson 3 Student Handout. Liberty for All: Voices from the American Revolution. The Declaration of Independence Original Document: Liberty for All: Voices from the American Revolution The Declaration of Independence We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by