CAPE History- Unit 2

Module 1

Theme 1: Atlantic Revolutions: concepts, course and impact.

(a) Concepts of Revolutions: definitions and types- political, economic and social.

The Atlantic Revolutions were a revolutionary wave in the late 18th and early 19th century. It
was associated with the Atlantic World during the era from the 1760s to the 1870s.
The revolutionary contagion included: US Independence (1765-1783), French Revolution-
Haiti (1791-1804), Independence of Latin America (Spanish America and Brazil 1807-25).

European Enlightenment
European enlightenment, period between 1715-1789, was an intellectual and philosophical
movement that dominated the world of ideas in in Europe during the 17th and 18th century.
Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke, Isaac Newton and Voltaire in Britain, France and
throughout Europe questioned traditional authority and embraced the notion that humanity
could be improved through rational change. The enlightenment produced numerous books,
essays, inventions, scientific discoveries, laws, wars and revolutions. The American and
French Revolutions were directly inspired by enlightenment ideal and respectively marked
the peak of its influence and the beginning of its decline.
The enlightenment emphasized reason over superstition and science over blind faith.
The British colonist Benjamin Franklin gained fame on both sides of the Atlantic as a
printer, publisher, and scientist. He embodied Enlightenment ideals in the British Atlantic
with his scientific experiments and philanthropic endeavors.
Enlightenment principles guided the founding of the colony of Georgia, but those principles
failed to stand up to the realities of colonial life.
Several ideas dominated the Enlightenment thought:
Rationalism- the idea that humans are able to use their faculty of reason to gain knowledge.
This was a sharp turn away from the idea that people needed to rely on scripture or church
authorities for knowledge.
Empiricism- the idea that knowledge comes from experience and observation of the world.
Progressivism- the belief that through their powers of reason and observation, humans can
make unlimited, linear progress over time; this belief was especially important as a response
to the carnage and upheaval of the English Civil Wars in the 17th century.
Cosmopolitanism-reflected Enlightenment thinkers’ view of themselves as actively engaged
citizens of the world as opposed to provincial and close-minded individuals. In all,
Enlightenment thinkers endeavored to be ruled by reason, not prejudice.

Cause of Enlightenment
On the surface, the most apparent cause of enlightenment was the thirty year war. This
destructive war, which lasted 1618 to 1648 compelled German writers (first of them were
Hugo Grotius and John Comenius) to pen harsh criticisms regarding the ideas of
nationalism and warfare.
At the same time, European thinkers’ interest in the tangible world developed into Scientific
Study, while greater Exploration of the world exposed Europe to other cultures and
philosophies. Finally, centuries of mistreatment at the hands of monarchies and the church
brought average citizens in Europe to a breaking point, and the most intelligent and vocal
finally decided to speak out.

Enlightenment in England
The first major Enlightenment figure in England was Thomas Hobbes, who caused great
controversy with the release of his provocative treatise Leviathan (1651). Taking a
sociological perspective, Hobbes felt that by nature, people were self-serving and
preoccupied with the gathering of a limited number of resources. To keep balance, Hobbes
continued, it was essential to have a single intimidating ruler. A half century later, John
Locke came into the picture, promoting the opposite type of government—a representative
government—in his Two Treatises of Government (1690).
Enlightenment in France
The philosophes, though varying in style and area of particular concern, generally
emphasized the power of reason and sought to discover the natural laws governing human
society. The Baron De Montesquieu tackled politics by elaborating upon Locke's work,
solidifying concepts such as the Separation Of Power by means of divisions in
government. Voltaire took a more caustic approach, choosing to incite social and political
change by means of satire and criticism. Although Voltaire’s satires arguably sparked little in
the way of concrete change, Voltaire nevertheless was adept at exposing injustices and
appealed to a wide range of readers.

The End of Enlightenment

Ultimately, the Enlightenment fell victim to competing ideas from several sources.
Romanticism was more appealing to less-educated common folk and pulled them away from
the empirical, scientific ideas of earlier Enlightenment philosophers. Similarly, the theories of
skepticism came into direct conflict with the reason-based assertions of the Enlightenment
and gained a following of their own.

What ultimately and abruptly killed the Enlightenment, however, was the French
Revolution. Begun with the best intentions by French citizens inspired by Enlightenment
thought, the revolution attempted to implement orderly representative assemblies but quickly
degraded into chaos and violence. Many people cited the Enlightenment-induced breakdown
of norms as the root cause of the instability and saw the violence as proof that the masses
could not be trusted to govern themselves. 
A huge proponent of Enlightenment was Montesquieu’s suggestion of the theory of
separation of powers.

How did enlightenment contribute to Atlantic Revolution? The people believed that
enlightenment was telling them they had to fight for freedom, natural rights and equality.
People had the right to fight for freedom and challenge authority.
American War

The American Revolutionary War (1775-83) was an insurrection by American Patriots in the
13 colonies to British rule, resulting in American independence.
Summary:
The Revolutionary war arose from growing tensions between residents of Great Britain’s 13
North American colonies and the colonial government, which represented the British crown.
Battles between the British troops and colonial militiamen in Lexington and Concord in April
1775 kicked off the armed conflict, and by the following summer, the rebels were waging a
full-scale war for their independence. France entered the American Revolution on the side of
the colonists in 1778, turning what had initially been a civil war, into an international
conflict. After the French assistance helped the Continental Army force the British surrender
at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781, the Americans had effectively won their independence,
though fighting would not formally end until 1783.
Causes of the American Revolutionary War
 The founding of the colonies- many of the American colonies were first founded by
people trying to escape religious persecution in England. As the British became more
involved in the affairs of the colonies, people began to wonder that they would lose
their freedom once again.
 French and Indian War (1754-1763)- this war took place between the American
colonies and New France. Both sides allied with various Native American tribes. The
British troops helped the colonists and protected them after the war. However, Britain
needed to pay for the troops, so they decided to tax the American colonies to help pay
for the troops. (Stamp Act of 1765, the Townshend Act of 1767 and the Tea Act of
1773). This resulted in heated protests among colonists who demanded the same
rights as other British subjects.
 Taxes, Laws and more taxes- in 1764, the British government began to impose new
laws and taxes including the Sugar Act, Currency Act, Quartering Act, and the Stamp
Act. The colonists weren’t happy with this decision; they said they should not have to
pay British taxes because they had no representatives in the British Parliament.
 Protests in Boston- many colonists began to protest against these new taxes and laws.
A group called the Sons of Liberty formed in 1765 in Boston. During one protest in
Boston, a fight broke out and several colonists were shot and killed. This became
known as the Boston Massacre. In 1773, the British imposed a new tax on tea. Patriots
boarded ships in Boston and dumped their tea into the water. This protest became
known as the Boston Tea Party.
 Intolerable Acts- the British, in punishing the colonies for the Boston Tea Party
issued a set of new laws called the Intolerable Acts.
 Boston Blockade- one of the Intolerable Acts was the Boston Port Act which shut
down the port of Boston for trade. British ships blockaded Boston Harbor, punishing
everyone who lives in Boston, both patriots and loyalists. This angered not only
people in Boston, but also people in other colonies who were afraid the British would
do the same thing to them.
  Growing Unity among the colonies- the increasing laws caused the colonies to
become more united against the British. Many colonies sent supplies to help Boston
during the blockade.
 First Continental Congress- in 1774, twelve of the thirteen colonies sent
representatives to the First Continental Congress as a direct response to the Intolerable
Acts. They sent a petition to King George III to repeal the Intolerable Acts. They
never got a response.
The War Begins
In 1775, British soldiers in Massachusetts were ordered to disarm the American rebels and to
arrest their leaders. The Revolutionary War began on April 19, 1775 when fighting broke out
between the two side at the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
- Paul Revere’s Ride (April 18,1775)- the Revolutionary war starts and Paul Revere
makes his famous ride to warn the colonists that the “British are coming”.

- Battle of Lexington and Concord (April 19,1775)- the actual fighting starts with the
first “shot heard around the world”. The Americans win as the British retreat.

- Capture of Fort Ticonderoga (May 10,1775)- the Green Mountain Boys led by
Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold capture Fort Ticonderoga from the British.

- Battle of Bunker Hill (June 16,1775)- Major battle where William Prescott told the
American troops “don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes”.

- The Declaration of Independence is Adopted (July 4, 1776)- George Washington

- America chooses a Flag (June 14, 1777)- the Continental Congress adopts the Star
and Stripes Flag sewn by Betsy Ross.

- Battles of Saratoga (September 19- October 17,1777)- British General John

- Valley Forge (Winter of 1777-1778)- the Continental army under George

- Alliance with France (Feb. 16,1778)- France recognized the United States as an
independent country with the Treaty of Alliance.

- Articles of Confederation (March 2, 1781)- defined the official government of the

- Treaty of Paris (September 3, 1783)- Treaty that officially ended the war.

Important People:
Samuel Adams and John Hancock- Rebel leaders in Boston
Paul Revere- warned the colonists of the British’s arrival.
Colonel Francis Smith- British commander.
Ethan Allen- leader of the Green Mountain Boys.
Colonel Benedict Arnold- joined with Ethan Allen to capture the fort.

Consequences of the American War

The end of the Revolutionary War brought independence for 13 American states. How
Americans would use their newfound freedom was not immediately certain. Between 1776
and 1780, the states wrote new constitutions or changed their old charters to become
republics.
When the alliance of the states under the Articles of Confederation proved inadequate, a
convention in 1787 produced the Constitution, which remains our governmental framework.
The Constitution settled many issues and formed a stronger union of the states, but it also
contained contradictions that would echo through our history. Flying in the face of the
Declaration of Independence's statement of human equality, the Constitution protected
African-American slavery.
In the English-speaking world of 1787, few even entertained the possibility that women
possessed equal political or economic rights. Much of American history after 1776 represents
a struggle to extend full citizenship to white males without property, to people of color, and
to women.
For Indians, the formation of the United States only increased the flow of white settlers onto
their lands and led to more clashes. An acknowledgement of the Revolution's deferred
promises, however, should not blind us to its far-reaching effects. The republican form of
government, with all its powers grounded in the consent of the people, was practiced nowhere
else in 1776.
Later revolutions in France, Hispaniola (present-day Haiti), and throughout Latin America
drew inspiration from the American Revolution. Once adopted by the United States, the
ideals of liberty and self-government would have future effects never imagined by the
original revolutionaries.

French Revolution