Aptheker, American Revolution
# Chapter 1
Conservative Revisionists of the American Revolution:
1. Prof. Daniel J Boorstin (1953) and Daughters of Revolution say it was "hardly a revolution at all" with no "passion of national unity"
2. De Tocqueville says the US was Democratic without ever having had a Democratic Revolution
3. Louis Hartz and Robert E. Brown argues Americans sought stability while Britain sought revolutionary change. "this makes radicalism irrelevant". colonial America painted as an advanced "middle class democracy". Analysis inspired by Edward Channing, 1912, and W.E.H. Lecky, 18th century
4. Charles M Andrews: US revolution contributed "nothing to the cause of progressive liberalism or... democratic ideals"
5. Charles R. Ritcheson, John Richard Alden, Max Savelle and Richard B. Morris paint the revolution as "mutual misunderstanding" and insufficiently astute British administration
Economic Determinists:
1. Emory J. Johnson blames the necessity of securing free trade and control of taxation
2. J Franklin Jameson identifies parliamentary trade restriction as underlying cause
3. Edward Channing, Charles A Beard, Louis M. Hacker point to conflicts btw properties groups and classes, but also blame commercialism. Beard & Hacker explicitly use terms like bourgeoisie, mercantilism, and capitalism, Charles M Andrews accused them of being materialists.
4. Many other authors with differing view of "Navigation and Trade Acts" and their impact, including Oliver M. Dickerson
Anti-Economic Determinists:
1. Eric Robson: "political ideas, not tea or taxes" caused the war
2. Thomas J. Weternbaker: colonists "were sacrificing fare more in an economic sense than they gained". Says it was over self-governance alone.
Scholars with unique, dialectical insights:
1. Charles H. Lincoln: inter-imperial and intra-colonial struggle merged to create the revolution
2. Carl L. Becker: open questions of home rule and who rules at home were central to revolutionary ferment
3. Arthurt M. Schlesinger and Merill Jensen add new evidence to substantiate Becker's view. Becker's view is "basically sound" despite attacks from Robert E Brown
Charles M. Andrews, despite rejecting democracy impacting the revolution, still had interesting views of nature and origins
1. describes Britain as immutable, static and America as dynamic and vital
2. identifies century-long cultural and political divergence between US and Britain as a factor
3. describes social contradiction of the centralizing authority of England vs the colonies
Andrews attacks what he saw as the Marxist view, but was actually the economically determinist view (Beard and Hacker).
Marxist historians:
1. Herbet M. Morais: external aspect of anticolonialism against Britain, and internal aspect of democratic representation caused the revolution
2. William Z. Foster: caused by dominant British capitalism stifling and restricting young colonial capitalism + it stimulated anti-feudalism and democracy globally
American revolution caused by "three currents":
1. conflict in interest between rulers of colonizing power and colonists
2. class stratification in the colonies and the class struggle that always found Britain on the reactionary or conservative side
3. development of American nationality from the colonists varied origins and different environment and landscape
Author concludes the chapter with a final note that it's important to remember that America was the first successful colonial revolution, and that its success inevitably had a revolutionary influence.
# Chapter 2: Origins
Charles Thomson "the Sam Adams of Philadalphea" wrote a letter in to Ben Franklin in 1765 describing the ministry as a force stripping colonies of property and liberty -- an inevitable social contradiction
Britain slowly emerged as a world power throughout the 18th century, made clear by the defeat of France in 1763
Within Britain, England's wealth source was shifting from agriculture-based to industrial-based
Adam Smith and Jeremy Bentham identified heavy industry as the primary wealth source, prompting renovation & turmoil in the parliamentary system; Smith, Richard Price, Josiah Tucker attacked mercantilist economics.
US colonies were numerously settled unlike Canada and maritimes, and were not dependent on Britain for resources unlike the West Indies, Newfoundland & Nova Scotias, and did not need to police slaves to the same extent as Jamaica.
Elimination of France and Spain in the region meant colonies no longer had a balance of powers from Britain's oppression. Author cites Ben Franklin.
Colonies had developed a considerable economy by the time France lost the war, with immigrants from many nations.
Britain's post-war "policy of centralization" provoked resistance, punishment, and resentment from political restraint + the colonies became more united from centralizing their administration.
Southern Planters and farmers were inheriting debts for generations. Exacerbated by soil desertification. Author cites Thomas Jefferson, William Byrd
Planters hedged against bad crops through land speculation, exhausting demand for the land allotted to the colonies in 1763 proclamation. British land companies were given an advantage over the Ohio land company due to not having that restrictions.
Ben Franklin publishes two fables in 1770: one of a group of cows who suckle their own milk to protest underfeeding from the farmer, and one of a lion who strikes back at a dog taking its food once it became strong enough.
Adams, Jefferson, and Hamilton all held the view that economic suppression was responsible for the revolution against Britain, contradicting prof. Weternbaker's views
"imports from England over exports from the colony rose throughout the pre-Revolutionary decades... unfavorable balance of trade... about 20 million pounds... a colossal indirect tax"
shift in trade from industrial revolution: northern colonies saw an upsurge in demand vs south/caribbean, whereas beforehand the south & caribbean saw the most demand
rapidly fluctuating business conditions; multiple recessions and upturns between 1750 and 1776
increased centralization and militarization of the colonies abritrarily shifted balance of powers, increased judicial authority over legislature, with priority given to British officeholders and companies
Chronological summary of British legislative/administrative efforts:
1. Treaty between France & Britain:
a. 1763 border line established
b. Royal Navy assigned to enforce Acts of Trade, and were entitled to half of all seizures made in enforcing them: revenue from customs increased from 2,000 to 30,000 pounds per year
2. 1764:
a. American Revenue act - duties charged in silver on molasses, sugar, wines, silk, indigo, coffee, non-British textiles. prohibited trade with French & Dutch west indies.
b. Acts of Trade provisioned to trial of offendors without jury
c. Currency Acts bans the issuance of paper money
3. 1765:
a. Indian diplomatic officers placed under control of the Crown.
b. Acts of Trade expands to other commodities
c. Quartering Act: civilians required to provide barracks and supplies for troops
d. Stamp Act: first ever direct tax on the colonies
4. 1766:
a. repeal of Stamp Act: "...the colonists did not have enough specie to honor the Act even if they wanted to"
b. new act for ""securing the dependency of His Majesty's Dominions" declaring parliament had the authority to make laws binding the colonies
c. Trade Acts now expanded to every colonial export
5. 1767:
a. bitter struggles between NY Assembly and Britain over provisions for the crown's troops; results in the Restraining Act suspending NY's privileges
b. increase in illicit trade with the Dutch in response to Trade Act expansion
c. Townshend Act adds duties to *imports*
6. 1768: no new acts. Primarily a struggle to enforce the laws against American resistance
7. 1769: Parliament asks the King, in a formal address, to bring American resistance leaders to trial for treason
8. 1772:
a. British customs vessel burned down by colonists. An appointed 1773 inquiry commission had no results; nobody would snitch
b. British crown attempts to bring in colonial law-breakers for trial
c. Massachussetts royal governors and justices become salaried by the crown rather than assemblies
9. 1773:
a. Famine in British India bankrupts East India Company w/ 100% drop in the London Exchange
b. -> Government bails out the company and Parliament takes control of India
c. -> Duties on East India Company tea to America remitted. The unfair advantage threatens to monopolize tea. The tea dumped in Boston's Harbor was from the East India Company.
10. 1774:
a. Britain passes the "Intolerable Acts" in response to Boston, threatening to close them off from all trade.
b. Quebec Act extends Quebec's borders into modern-day Ohio, midwest, etc.