Reason and Revolution
1750-1800
A rational society is one that, “informs the mind,
sweetens the temper, cheers our spirits, and
promotes health.”
Jefferson
Population
1610
1640
1670
1750
1790
210
27,950
114,500
1,207,000
4,000,000 1st U.S. census
Voice of the Age of Reason:
Independence
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Strongly Emotional
“Life and Death” time of history
Visions of Liberty
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Expressed through writing
50 years before the Revolution
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Colonies beginning to prosper
Colonies less like “dangerous settlements in
the wilderness”
Colonies communicating with each other
Colonies sharing mutual political and
economic concerns
Colonies sharing anger over policies of
British Government
Infuriating laws and taxes
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Stamp Act of 1765
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Quartering Act of 1765
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stamps required for purchases of newspapers,
licenses, pamphlets
Colonists had to house/feed British troops
Townsend Acts of 1767
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tax on tea, glass, lead and paper
American Response
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Decisions to NOT follow new British laws
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Resulting violence
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Disseverment of assemblies by England
Boston Massacre 1770 (British troops firing on taunting
crowd)
Boston Tea Party 1773 (Colonists dumped tea in Boston
Harbor)
Colony petitions to George III
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Desire to share in government
“No Taxation without Representation”
American Response
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Response from England
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Intolerable Acts 1774 (punishment for the Boston Tea Party)
Revocation of rights/privileges
Seizing of American weapons
Colonial response to English policies
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Continued discussion of break from England
Skirmishes between British and Colonists
Common Sense by Thomas Paine (January 1776- before the
Revolutionary War)
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Addressed separation from England
Affected public opinion
100,000 sold in 3 months (spoke plainly)
Effects on American Literature
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1770’s
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Political writings addressing issues of the time
Newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, letters
“Poet’s Corners”
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section in the newspaper for locally written poems and songs,
issues of the day
Political broadsides
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no professional American poets, playwrights, novelists
sheets of paper tacked up around town. Contained essays,
poems, etc.
Emerging new sense of national identity
Literary heritage as extraordinary as political heritage
Effects on American Literature cont.
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Declaration of Independence
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Voice of the people, not one person
Explains to the entire world why they were leaving
England
Culmination of writing of the time, showing that King
George was tyrannical and deserved to be overthrown
Declaration states:
Unalienable rights: “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”
 Government obtains power by “consent of the governed”
 Government exists to protect the rights of the governed; it
should be abolished or changed if it fails to do so
Thoughts to Remember:
our government didn’t happen by accident
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Method of government
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result of much thought and debate
“Life or Death” time in history
Success of revolution was amazing; to
successfully stand the test of time is even
more so
In the Library of Congress
“ My country, right or wrong
When right, keep it right
When wrong, set it right.”
Unit Objectives
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Analyze and Interpret facts and extended meanings
Discuss predetermined themes
Respond to critical opinion
Analyze persuasion and style
Identify and analyze audience
Develop vocabulary skills
Write a creative composition
A New Nation
factors that led to the American Revolution
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Representative government
Natural rights
Freedom
Separation of Church and State
American Identity
A national literature
Representative Government
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The idea of a representative government was
in keeping with long-standing English
traditions of limiting royal power
Natural Rights
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The writings of the British Philosopher John
Locke profoundly influenced America’s
founding fathers and eighteen-century thought
in general
Locke justified limiting royal authority and
proposed that all human beings have natural
rights and are entitled to political and
economic freedoms regardless of birth
Freedom
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Many early immigrants to the colonies left
Europe hoping for religious, political, and
economic freedoms
Separation of Church and State
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The ideas of separation of church and state
owe much to the writings of Voltaire, the
leading philosopher of the French
Enlightenment
American Identity
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With the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution in
Britain, England’s factory owners sought raw materials
and markets for their goods, both of which they felt the
American colonies should provide
The colonists, in turn, objected to laws that discouraged
factories in the colonies
After the French and Indian War (1756-1763) the mother
country expected the colonies to pay for their own
protection and instituted taxes for this purpose
The colonists objected, for they felt that England’s
constant quarreling with France was not their fight
Common themes
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Peace through Unity
Mutual Respect
Government by Consent
Individual Rights
Personal Courage
Confronting Obstacles
Nobility of America
Freedom as a Worthy Cause
Titles and Authors
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Benjamin Franklin
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Patrick Henry
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The Autobiography
Speech in the Virginia Convention
Thomas Jefferson
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Declaration of Independence
Ben Franklin pg.56
October 18, 1706 – December 1, 1788
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Franklin opposed the 1765
Stamp Act. Franklin soon
learned of the extent of
colonial resistance to the
Stamp Act, and his
testimony before the House
of Commons led to its
repeal. With this, Franklin
suddenly emerged as the
leading spokesman for
American interests in
England.
Pre-reading vocabulary
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4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Censure
Elevation
Ingenuity
Temperance
Libeling
Enumerations
Arduous
Eradicate
Rectitude
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
Frugality
Incorrigible
Speculative
Admonish
Allotted
Dissuaded
Annexed
Squander
13 Virtues
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Temperance
Silence
Order
Resolution
Frugality
Industry
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Sincerity
Justice
Moderation
Cleanliness
Tranquility
Chastity
Humility
Timed Writing #1
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Write about one of the old-fashioned-seeming
virtues, such as silence or frugality. What type
of experience do you imagine led Franklin to
consider it important?
Reflecting on the Selection
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How do you think Franklin’s maturity
affected his views of his early experiences?
Patrick Henry pg. 65
1736-1799
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If we wish to be free, if we mean to preserve inviolate
those inestimable privileges…we must fight!
Was a prominent figure in the
American Revolution known
and remembered primarily for
his “Give Me Liberty or Give
Me Death" speech. Along with
Samuel Adams and Thomas
Paine, he was one of the most
influential (and radical)
advocates of the American
Revolution and republicanism (a
government not ruled by a
king), especially in his
denunciations of corruption in
government officials and his
defense of historic rights.
Pre-reading vocabulary
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3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Disposed
Ministry
Solace
Insidious
Comports
Implements
Subjugation
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Supplication
Remonstrated
Prostrated
Inviolate
Contending
Supinely
Extenuate
Seeking out Literary Elements
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Allusion
The classical and biblical allusions Henry cites place America’s predicament into
universal perspective
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Rhetorical Questions
Henry’s repeated rhetorical questions force his audience to weigh the intangible
hopes for reconciliation against the real and present danger posed by the British
military forces
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Metaphor
The image of bondage Henry conveys with such words as “bind” “rivet” “chains”
and “forging” add grim intensity to his warning about British intentions
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Repetition and Parallelism
Repetition of we would inspire a sense of unity in the audience. Parallel
constructions are powerful devices in which the symmetry and rhythm off the
sentence add to the persuasiveness of the words
“Speech in the Virginia Convention”
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2.
3.
How do you think this mention of
responsibility affected the delivery of
Henry’s speech?
What do you think Henry means when he
says he is ready to “provide” for the truth?
Why do you think Henry focuses on these
three failed attempts to deal with the British?
Henry’s Speech to the
Virginia Convention
10 min.
Listening
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As you listen to these famous political speeches,
describe your reactions to the speeches and analyze
them in terms of the literary focus on pages 68-69 of
your textbook.
Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream”
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http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm
John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address
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http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkinaugural.htm
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“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you
can do for your country.”
Thomas Jefferson pg. 76
1743-1826
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We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator
with certain unalienable rights…
Was the third President of the
Unites States (1801–1809), the
principal author of the
Declaration of Independence
(1776), and one of the most
influential Founding Fathers
for his promotion of the ideals
of Republicanism in the United
States. Major events during his
presidency include the
Louisiana Purchase (1803) and
the Lewis and Clark expedition
(1804–1806).
Pre-reading vocabulary
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8.
B
D
C
A
D
D
C
B
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10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
A
C
B
D
C
D
D
Jefferson writes the Declaration of Independence
5min.
Seeking out Literary Elements
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Tone
Jefferson creates a calm, reasoned tone and infuses the Declaration with
majesty by using straightforward adjectives and highly evocative nouns and
verbs
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Audience
By identifying his audience as members of “the candid world” Jefferson
seeks to legitimize America’s sovereignty and enlist the approval of other
nations
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Word Choice
Jefferson adds emotional intensity as he shifts from more objective, legalistic
language to such strong verbs as plundered and ravaged to attack the crown
Declaration of Independence
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4.
How would you explain the meaning of the phrase
the pursuit of happiness?
Why do you think the colonists saw British rule as
tyranny?
In his arguments against British rule, why does
Jefferson include pleas made earlier to the British
people?
What elements do you think contribute most to the
persuasive power of the Declaration of
Independence?
Congress passes the Declaration of Independence
3 min.