Readings:
Pauline Mauer
David Waldstreicher
David Walker's Appeal
Points of Entry:
The Federalist Papers -
Anti-Federalist Papers -
Haitian Revolution -
Questions for discussion:
What happens to the American Revolution when it is incorporated into the "age of revolutions?" How is it related to other Atlantic Revolutions?
Why do you think the Haitian Revolution is important? What is its legacy?
What happens to the founding documents when we look at them from the perspective of the Atlantic World? How does that change our view of the transition from colonial to national identity?
What do you think is the most important influence on the transition from colonial to national identity?
Which group do you think has a larger historical legacy--the Federalists or Anti-Federalists? Why?
I think that when the American Revolution is incorporated into the "age of revolutions" it loses its allure and falls in the background. This is mainly because of all the Atlantic Revolutions, it is certainly the least bloody, and some would argue the least revolutionary. In Haiti there was a slave revolution that completely turned that nation upside down. With the French Revolution came huge social and political changes in France. Both the French and Haitian Revolutions were extremely bloody. But the American Revolution is revolutionary because it set off a chain of revolutions around the world. It symbolized hope and the possibility of social change in the modern world.
ReplyDelete-Zach
Incorporating the American Revolution into the "age of revolutions" is more than appropriate because of the impact it had on other revolutions. When the colonies broke from the British and established a democratic republic, they paved they way for others to follow. The same if not more is true of the Haitian Revolution that completely altered the course of the country's history by the removal of all colonial presence on the islands. Both these revolutions highlight the fact that unification is the central idea when crossing over from colonial power to a national identity.
ReplyDeleteI think the most important influence on the transition from colonial to national identity was the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration is notable for being apart of a larger tradition of colonial declarations and other writings. The Declaration represents these different smaller declarations coming together in the same way that the United States as a nations was made up of the different colonies coming together and thinking of themselves as one nation rather than distinct colonies.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think is the most important influence on the transition from colonial to national identity?
ReplyDeleteAlthough The DOI was the first document, officially separating the colonies from Britain, I believe that the Constitution has the most influence on the transition from colonial to national identity. The Constitution shows how the states worked together to make compromises (about slavery, mostly) and keep the union in tact. That shows the true nature of being a nation together.