Master of American History and Government

Ashland University

AHG 501A:

The American Revolution

Sunday, June 22 to Friday, June 27, 2008

Instructors: Robert McDonald and Mickey Craig

Course Content:

This course focuses on three topics: political developments in North America and the British empire and the arguments for and against independence, culminating in the Declaration of Independence; the Revolutionary War as a military, social and cultural event in the development of the American nation and state; and the United States under the articles of confederation.

Learning Objectives:

1. Students will understand the key ideas of the American Revolution and the philosophic and political logic connecting these ideas in the "American Mind" of the Revolutionary period.
2. Students will understand how the logic of these ideas was related in the minds of the American revolutionaries to the foundations, forms, and purposes of government and American government, in particular.
3. Students will understand what "defects" or "vices" Madison, Washington, Hamilton, and others discerned in the foundations and forms of both the Articles of Confederation and the state constitutions created in the course of the Revolution.
4. Students will understand the various meanings of the term "revolution" and the criteria for judging whether or not the American Revolution was in fact a revolution.
5. Students will understand the processes by which the colonists came to think of themselves as Americans, as people connected to but somehow distinct from the English.
6. Students will understand the various reasons why some of those who came to consider themselves Americans did or did not decide to become revolutionaries.
7. Students will understand the effect of the Revolutionary War on the self-understanding of the American people.
8. Students will understand the terms of the Revolutionary War settlement and its consequences for American politics, foreign and domestic.

Requirements:

• A final examination consisting of questions chosen from the course study questions.

Students auditing the course as a part of a Teaching American History Grant program must complete the readings and fully participate in the seminars during the week.

• Philip B. Kurland and Ralph Lerner, eds. The Founders' Constitution. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1987. ISBN: 0865973024. Also available on-line at: http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/
• John Locke, Second Treatise of Government,
ed. C.B. Macpherson. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 1980. ISBN: 0915144867
• Declaration of Independence and Constitution of the United States of America. ISBN: 1878802232. Ashbrook Center Booklet, Ashland, Ohio: Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs, 2001.
• Gordon Wood, The American Revolution, Modern Library, 2003. ISBN: 0812970411
• Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography. ISBN: 0393952940
• Jack P. Greene, Colonies to Nation, 1763-1789: A Documentary History of the American Revolution. ISBN: 0393092291
• Thomas G. West, Vindicating the Founders, Rowman &: Littlefield, ISBN: 0847685179
• Publius, The Federalist Papers, edited by Clinton Rossiter and Charles Kesler, Penguin, ISBN: 0451528816
• Course Packet ("CP") of additional readings. This packet will be provided online and is a required text for this course.
• Documents available on-line at: http://www.teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?category=1

Sunday, June 22

4:30 - 6:00pm:
Introduction & Session 1 – Was there an American Revolution? What is a Revolution? (Professors McDonald and Craig)

Focus:

How do we know when a revolution has occurred? Is a change of government, any change of government, the same thing as a revolution? If not, what other changes do we look for to decide if a revolution has occurred? What did Adams mean when he said that the Revolution occurred in the minds and hearts of Americans and that there was "a change in their religious sentiments of their duties and obligations"?

Readings:

• John Adams to H. Niles, February 13, 1818 (CP p. 5)
• Washington Irving, Rip Van Winkle (1819) (CP p. 11)
• Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Henry Lee, May 8, 1825 (CP p. 23)
• Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Roger Weightman, June 24, 1826 (CP p. 25)

7:30 - 9:00pm:
Session 2 – Ashbrook Lecture (Attendance Required)

Monday, June 23

9:00 - 10:30am:
Session 3 – Becoming an American (Professor McDonald)

Focus:

A recent biographer called Franklin the first American. In what ways does Franklin's autobiography reveal him becoming American? In making that judgment, what criteria do you have in mind for saying that someone is an American? Are these the criteria that someone in 18th-century Philadelphia would have used?

Readings:

• Franklin, Autobiography
• Petition from Regulators of North Carolina, 1769 (Colonies to Nation, pp 105-107, Greene)
• John Adams, "The Earl of Clarendon to William Pym," 1766 (CP p. 29)
• Woodmason, "The Journal of the Reverend Charles Woodmason" (1766-68) (excerpts) (CP p. 33)

10:50am - 12:20pm:
Session 4 – Becoming a Revolutionary, Empire and War (Professor McDonald)

Focus:

Was the British Empire following the French and Indian War inherently unstable? Was there any way that the government in London could have kept the colonies part of the Empire?

Readings:

• Articles of Confederation, March 1, 1781 (The Founders' Constitution, Chapter 1, Document 7) (also for 10:50 session Thursday)
• Albany Plan of Union, 1754 (CP p. 47)
• Governor Francis Bernard, "Principles of Law and Polity, Applied to the Government of the British Colonies" 1764 (Colonies to Nation, pp. 8-12)
• Resolutions of the Stamp Act Congress, 1765 (Colonies to Nation, pp. 63-65)
• Galloway's Plan of Union, 1774 (Colonies to Nation, pp. 241-242)
• Witherspoon, Speech in Congress on Confederation, July 30, 1774 (CP p. 51)

1:30 - 3:00pm:
Session 5 – The American Mind Part I: "Apple of Gold": The Political Theology and Political Philosophy of the Declaration of Independence (Professor Craig)

Focus:

Why is it important to understand the Declaration of Independence? What does the Declaration say, and why and how does it say it? What does the Declaration not say, and why and how does it not say it? What does the Declaration of Independence say about God, man, prudence, rights, duty, honor, the right to alter or abolish, a long train of abuses, the King and Parliament, one people and the states, despotism and the just powers of government, and self-evident truths?

Readings:

• Abraham Lincoln, Fragment on the Constitution and Union (p. 58)
• Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
• Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Henry Lee, May 8, 1825 (CP p. 54)
• Abraham Lincoln, Fragment: Apple of Gold, January, 1861 (CP p. 57)
• Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Roger Weightman, June 24, 1826 (CP p. 61)
• Virginia Declaration of Rights, June 12, 1776 (The Founders' Constitution, Chapter 1, Document 3)
• Massachusetts Constitution: Preamble and Part the First. A Declaration of the Rights of the Inhabitants of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, March 2, 1780 (The Founders' Constitution, Chapter 1, Document 6)
• James Madison, Paragraph 3 of Federalist #51

7:30 - 9:00pm:
Session 6 – Seminar Questions (Professors McDonald and Craig)

Tuesday, June 24

9:00 - 10:30am:
Session 7 – The American Mind Part II: Social Contract Theory (Professor Craig)

Focus:

What does the Declaration tell us about the American mind as it related to the origins, foundations, purposes, forms, and operation of the newly sovereign United States and the 'just powers of government'? What is the political logic of the argument of the Declaration? What is the philosophical heritage on which the Declaration draws? What is social contract theory? From where does the obligation to obey the law come? From where does the right and duty to disobey tyranny come? Why, according to the logic of Locke, Jefferson, and Madison must there be 'absolute acquiescence in the decisions of the majority, the vital principle of republics'?

Readings:

• James Madison, Essay on Property, 1792 (CP p. 65)
• John Locke, Second Treatise, chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, & 11
• Thomas Jefferson, 1st Inaugural Address, March 1801 (CP p. 67)
• James Madison, Excerpt from 'Essay on Sovereignty' (1835) (CP p. 71)
• Thomas G. West, Vindicating the Founders, Chapter 2 Property Rights

10:50am - 12:20pm:
Session 8 – The American Mind Part III: Religious Liberty (Professor Craig)

Focus:

The idea of liberty for all, the political logic of the argument of the Declaration, continued: The idea of liberty seems to include economic liberty, civil liberty and religious liberty. What is religious liberty? To whom does it belong, how far does it extend? What is the proper role of the government in this matter? What does separation of church and state mean?

Readings:

• Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution and the 1st Amendment
• Sections 15 & 16 of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, June 12, 1776 (The Founders' Constitution, Chapter 1, Document 3)
• Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, 1786 (CP p. 75)
• James Madison, Memorial and Remonstrance (CP p. 77)
• Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, Query XVII, Religion (CP p. 83)
• Thomas Jefferson, Autobiography on Religious Liberty (CP p. 87)
• Thomas Jefferson, Letter to the Danbury Baptist Association, Jan. 1, 1802 (CP p. 89)
• George Washington, Letter to Annual Meeting of Quakers, Sept. 1789 (CP p. 91)
• George Washington, Letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, August 1790 (CP p. 93)

1:30 - 3:00pm: Session 9 – Seminar Questions (Professors McDonald and Craig)

Wednesday, June 25

9:00 - 10:30am:
Session 10 – Becoming a Revolutionary, Politics and Religion (Professor McDonald)

Focus:

In his letter to Niles, John Adams spoke of a change in religious sentiments. What were those sentiments? How did they support the cause of revolution? Were they simply religious? Are any religious sentiments incompatible with the principles of the revolution? What is the role of religion in the American Founding? Did religion affect the Founding or did the Revolution and Founding change religion? How are the Mayflower Compact and the Declaration of Independence alike? How are they different? How would you characterize the similarities and differences between "A Model of Christian Charitie" and either of the sermons by Mayhew or Niles? Do the similarities and differences among these documents tell us anything about religion and politics at the time of the American Revolution and Founding?

Readings:

• Mayflower Compact, 1620 (CP p. 97)
• Winthrop, "A Model of Christian Charitie," 1630 (CP p. 99)
• Declaration of Independence (Ashbrook booklet)
• Jonathan Mayhew, "A Discourse concerning Unlimited Submission and Non-Resistance to the Higher Powers: with Some Reflections on the resistance Made to King Charles I," (1750) (CP p. 101)

10:50am - 12:20pm:
Session 11 – Becoming a Revolutionary, Politics and Passion (Professor McDonald)

Focus:

How does Munford portray the candidates? How does he portray the relationship between the candidates and the voters? Is deference an important part of this relationship? In his letter to Niles, John Adams spoke of "radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments and affections of the people." How should we understand that change? What brought it about?

Readings:

• Thomas Paine, "Common Sense," 1776 in (The Founders' Constitution, Chapter 4, Document 4) (also for 9:00 session yesterday)
• John Dickinson to Arthur Lee, April 29, 1775 (CP p. 109)
• John Adams to Abigail Adams, July 3, 1776 (CP p. 113)
• Benjamin Franklin to Lord Howe, July 20, 1776 (CP p. 117)
• John Adams, "Thoughts on Government," January, 1776 (Colonies to Nation, pp. 306-311)
• In class, view: Curb Your Enthusiasm: "Anonymous"

1:30 - 3:00pm:
Session 12 – Seminar Questions (Professors McDonald and Craig)

Thursday, June 26

9:00 - 10:30am:
Session 13 – The Revolutionary War (Professor McDonald)

Focus:

Does the Revolutionary War reveal anything about the Revolution or about what it meant to be American? What does the affair at New Burgh reveal about republican government? What does Washington's conduct reveal about him and the requirements of successful self-governance?

Readings:

• George Washington to Henry Laurens, November 14, 1778 (CP p. 121)
• Alexander Hamilton to John Jay, March 14, 1779 (CP p. 125)
• "A 'Whig': to the Public," August 5, 1779 (CP p. 127)
• Alexander Hamilton to George Washington, February 13, 1783 (CP p. 131)
• George Washington to Alexander Hamilton, March 4, 1783 (CP p. 133)
• George Washington to Alexander Hamilton, March 12, 1783 (CP p. 137)
• Washington's Speech to the Officers at Newburgh, March 15, 1783 (CP p. 141)
• Alexander Hamilton to George Washington, March 17, 1783 (CP p. 147)
• George Washington to Congress, March 18, 1783 (CP p. 149)
• Washington's Circular to the States, June 14, 1783 (CP p. 151)

10:50am - 12:20pm:
Session 14 – The American Mind Part IV: Equality, Consent, & Slavery (Professor Craig)

Focus:

Thomas Jefferson condemned slavery and the slave trade in his original draft of the Declaration of Independence. What compelled the compromises with slavery in early American history? What is the relationship between equality and consent in understanding this problem? What is the status of slavery in the revolutionary principles? What was the legal status of blacks at the time of the Revolution? Is there a principled reason for the compromises with slavery?

Readings:

• Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the Debates in Congress (The Founders' Constitution, chapter 15, document 18)
• Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, Query 18, Manners (1784) (CP p. 165)
• Thomas Jefferson, Letter to John Holmes, April 22, 1820 (CP p. 167)
• Abraham Lincoln, Speech on the Dred Scott Decision, June 26, 1857 (CP p. 169)
• Alexander Stephens, Cornerstone Speech, March 31, 1861 (CP p. 183)
• Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address (CP p. 195)
• Thomas G. West, Vindicating the Founders, Chapter 1, Slavery
• "5 Founders on Slavery" (CP p. 197)

1:30 - 3:00pm:
Session 15 – Republican Experiments (Professor McDonald)

Focus:

What are the most important issues facing the new country? Which result from the principles of the revolution and which from the circumstances (demographic, geographical, etc) in which the new nation finds itself? How do the principles and circumstances influence each other? Is equality, for example, a possibility, a necessity, or an aspiration?

Readings:

• Jefferson to Madison, October 28, 1785 (The Founders' Constitution, Chapter 15, Document 32)
• Madison to Jefferson, June 19, 1786 (The Founders' Constitution, Chapter 15, Document 33)
• Virginia Statute of Religious Liberty, January 16, 1786 (Colonies to Nation, pp. 390-392)
• The Northwest Ordinance, July 13, 1787 (The Founders' Constitution, Chapter 1, Document 8)
• Shays' Rebellion, 1786 (CP p. 201)
• Shays' Rebellion (Colonies to Nation, pp. 506-508)
• Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, Queries 14, 17, 18, 19 (CP p. 205)
• Letters between John and Abigail Adams, "Remember the Ladies" (1776) (CP p. 225)

Friday, June 27

9:00 - 10:30am:
Session 16 – Vices of the Political System or Crisis of Forms: 1780-1787 & The Federalist Response (Professor Craig)

Focus:

What defects or vices did Americans discover between 1776 and 1787, in the new governments they had instituted and in the principles on which the foundations of those governments had been laid? How did these defects threaten the "safety and happiness" of the American people? What remedies were suggested that seemed more likely to effect Americans' safety and happiness?

Readings:

• James Madison, Notes on Debates in Congress, January 28, 1783, (The Founders' Constitution, Chapter 5, Document 5)
• James Madison, Notes on Debates in Congress, February 21, 1783, (The Founders' Constitution, Chapter 5, Document 6)
• George Washington to James Warren, October 7, 1785, (The Founders' Constitution, Chapter 5, Document 9)
• James Madison, Vices of the Political System of the United States, April, 1787. (The Founders' Constitution, Chapter 5, Document 16)
• George Washington to James Warren, October 7, 1785 (CP p. 231)
• George Washington to John Jay, August 15, 1786 (CP p. 235)
• James Madison to George Washington, April 16, 1787 (CP p. 239)
• Publius, The Federalist Papers, numbers 1, 9, 10, 23, 47, 51, & 78

10:50am - 12:20pm:
Session 17 – Review and Final Questions (Professors McDonald and Craig)

1:30 - 3:00pm:
Session 18 – Comprehensive In-Class Examination