Give Me Liberty!
The Freeborn Englishman Are the blessings of Liberty: 1. Spiritual 2. Political 3. Or Social? Let s Ask John Winthrop...
The Freeborn Englishman Are the blessings of Liberty: 1. Spiritual 2. Political 3. Or Social? Let s Ask John Winthrop...
Liberty is a moral choice... to do only what is good. To choose evil is to become a slave to evil. Hmmm. Let s Ask John Locke...
Liberty is obedience to the Law... made by Legislative power, and not enforced in an arbitrary manner. England has the freest political system in the world. Well, John, what about social freedom?
Liberty is individual autonomy, protected by a government established by equals...... Those who do not control their own lives ought not to have a voice in governing the state. Freedom has both gender and color: white and male Free women have no legal rights over their own labor Non-whites have no legal rights at all
Women s work is never done: but since she works for her family she is a dependent, incapable of self government; and cannot participate in civic responsibility Freedom is mastery over those who were born to be dependent. A man who does not control his own life, and the life of his dependents is, himself, a slave.
Republicanism + = Common Rights of the Community Sets aside self interest to support the common good Community Rights are encoded in property Property = Virtue
Natural Rights Liberalism = = = Government should protect individual rights to life, liberty and pursuit of advancement in society
Republicanism + Liberalism Property is the great Equalizer (among those who own property) Property is the great Excluder (among those who are dependent)
The Indentured Servant signed a contract to repay his passage to America plus his room and board. If he lived to fulfill his contract, he received dues: a new suit, a bushel of corn and a parcel of land. Was he free? Did he have a voice in government?
In the years when her husband was serving in the 2 nd Continental Congress, Abigail Adams managed their farm, raised their children and earned the family s income. Was she free? Did she have a voice in government?
The female Indentured Servant: If she survived to fulfill her contract, she also received dues. Was she free? Did she have a voice in government? What if her dues included land?
Slaves were well aware of what Freedom meant. They could observe its practice, but could not participate. I, young in life, by seeming cruel fate was snatch d from Afric s fancy d happy seat; Such, such my case. And can I then but pray others may never feel tyrannic sway? Phyllis Wheatley 1773
Slavery as metaphor: If we are not free to act, We are slaves to act as we wish? to act as a political entity? Slavery as Reality: We are property? We have no status, no life of our own
A representative government is vested in the Parliament, BUT No census has been taken since the Industrial Revolution, SO When this became THIS Representation became Virtual so, they moved. Who cares?
Daughters of Liberty follow the spirit of Nonimportation
The colonies fuse gets shorter Sugar act of 1764 Currency act if 1764 Sons of liberty organized in various colonies Stamp act congress called in 1765 Quartering act of 1765 Stamp act of 1765 Stamp act repeal paired declaratory act of 1766 with In savannah, sons of liberty erected a pole in johnson square in 1775 Grenville s hat British army demonstrates that it moves not on its stomach but on pound notes
Worse & worse 1767-1772 Townshend acts of 1767 New duties on glass, lead, paint, paper and tea Revenues to support crown administrators Customs act of 1767 & 1768 Created new colonial customs courts, resulted in search and seizure of private property john dickenson writes letters from a pennsylvania farmer Massachusetts legislature condemns these acts in a circular letter: Non-importation movement Families made their own cloth, clothes, shoes and hats, paper, honey, whitewash and tisanes. This was so effective that parliament eliminated townshend duties except on tea Boston massacre, march 1770 Conflict between laborers and british soldiers erupted into a snowball fight, then the appearance of merchant seamen, under crispus attucks, frightened the soldiers into firing their muskets, killing attucks and four others Customs officials sieze John Hancock s sloop liberty Customs sloop gaspee runs aground in narragansett bay, burned by locals 1768
Tea act of 1773 Was an effort to create a monopoly for the british east india company By undercutting the price of all other suppliers. When these were no longer in business, the british east india company could raise prices to whatever level they wished boston harbor a teapot tonight The dumping of 10,000 pounds worth of tea into the harbor brought swift retaliation from the british in the form of The intolerable/coercive acts Boston harbor closed until the tea is paid for British soldiers accused of crimes get change of venue No town or legislative meetings without permission of governor. Appointment of general gage as military governor of massachusetts The quebec act Expanded territory of quebec down the proclamation line of 1763 into the ohio valley along with the rights of quebecois. Voided prior claims of colonies to their western reserves Denied representative government and right to jury trials to the new quebec territory
July 4th Plus a Few Weeks The Declaration of Independence Amendments Jefferson s Draft Excisions 2 nd Continental Congress Thirteen Very Different Colonies