A Kind of Revolution

BYJessica Cardoza

American vs. British War

• The American army consisted of purely white men, all of which were armed with guns and ready to shoot.

• The Americans weren’t always the best of fighters, they lost many battles.

Military part 1

• Most of the American male population went into the army and most of these men were white. These men did not last long in the army, they came in and left.

• 1/5th of population was treacherous.• 1/3rd of the population was opposed.• 1/3rd of the population was in support.• 1/3rd of the population was neutral.

Military part 2• “the hallmarks of respectability or at least full of full citizenship”

(Zinn, page. 71)• These men were friendly indians, free Negroes, white servants and

free white men who didn’t have a home. • The military was a place that these men felt they could go to because

it was a safe haven. It was a place that the poor could actually live. There was a chance that these men could make something out of their time in the military and maybe even get higher rank positions than they already had. This could give them higher social status making it easier for them to come out of the military and making their after life easier. It also gave them the chance of making money so that they could constantly be taken care of.

White Men of the Military

Rich vs. Poor• There was always a constant conflict between the rich and the poor. • “a time of immense profits for some colonists and terrible

hardships for others.” (Zinn, page. 73)• These troubles of rich and poor really caused a lot of threats against

people and sometimes these outbursts would become extremely violent.

• Even though these white colonists had little amounts of land or sometimes even no land at all, they were still doing better than what the slaves and servants were doing.

• It wasn’t a fair trade that the rich people had a safe zone and the poor people didn’t. This was something that was hard for people to accept.

Rich vs Poor. Cont

• 10 percent of the population, white population, were the landholders and the merchants. These landholders owned over thousands of pounds in personal property and in land.

• These white men owned almost half of the wealth of the country so anything in the country that was considered to be wealthy, these men owned it without a doubt.

• These men also held slaves captive. They were in charge of 1/7th of the countries people and making them into slaves.

Slavery and Washington• Black slaves were about 25 percent of the population at the time.

In other countries, blacks were about 50 percent of the population.

• At this point, the blacks were fighting for their freedom and they were fighting so that they could be apart of the Revolutionary army. George Washington was the man who rejected their request to fight in the army. He said that he would not allow blacks to have any freedom, including fighting in the army.

• There was a British military leader who had promised the Virginia slaves that they could get freedom by joining the military. This was obviously a very steep comment to promise because militaries were not allowing blacks to participate and join.

White Riots

• Maryland had the most riots out of any state. • “it was better for the people to lay down their

arms and pay the duties and taxes laid upon them by King and Parliament than to be brought into slavery and to be commanded and ordered about as they were.” (Zinn, page. 76)

• Even through this rioting, they maintained control of their state and made sure that everyone was somehow satisfied.

Separation of church and state• It is said to believe that the American Revolution had a big part in the separation

of church and state. • After the year 1776, everyone was forced to support Christianity. “this is a

Christian nation.” (Zinn, page. 77)• Religion is something that is practiced in every aspect of life. It was very

important during this time.

Soldiers• Soldiers were guaranteed land due to their services. • Promising this type of land “would instantly bring you at least six

thousand able farmers into their field.” (Zinn, page. 78)• But what they didn’t realize is that they were getting screwed

over. They thought that they were getting a legitimate deal but they were actually getting gipped over. These military men were watching men make so much more money than them and watched them become rich as they began to lose money and become poor.

• This didn’t go over too well with these tenants so they started to stop paying their rent and throwing a fit. They believed this would give them what they wanted.

Blacks in the British Army• Because the blacks were not allowed to fight in the American

army, they began to fight in the British army. • Blacks became free from Virginia and Maryland. It was North

mainly because the lower South was still reluctant to let the blacks fight.

• It eventually became known that the Blacks were no longer slaves and that they were fighting for their own freedom. The Revolution gave them this opportunity, it was their chance to show the world that they were able to apart of this white society that they were cut out of for so long. This was exactly during the time that the Declaration of Independence was stating that slavery needed to be abolished.

Blacks were still not accepted into the white army even though they were fighting for the same goal.

Shay’s Rebellion• This rebellion was named after Daniel Shay, a veteran of the American

Revolutionary War. • Shay’s Rebellion had to do with the after math of post war economic

depression and the different harsh government policies that were created.

• This all took place in Massachusetts during the years of 1786 and 1787.

• “I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing…. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government… God forbid that we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion… The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure,” says Thomas Jefferson. (Zinn, page. 87)’

First Amendment

• Passed in 1791 by the Congress, the first amendment said “congress shall make no law.. Abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” (Zinn, page 92)

• The Congress then went and passed a law years later abridging the freedom of speech.

• The Sedition Act of 1798 was an act that made it a crime to say any malicious against the government. This act went against everything that the First Amendment was about.

Works Cited

• Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States: 1492-2001. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.