Historiography #3: The American Revolution

Each historian, depending on their diverse influences and viewpoints, has interpreted the debate over the origins of the American Revolution in different fashions. Each historian either believed that the foundation for the Revolution was a political and intellectual event, a social and economic phenomenon, or a radical event that had a profound effect on the society. My belief is that Gordon Wood, who wrote The Radicalism of the American Revolution, is right in believing that the Revolution was a genuinely radical event that led to the breakdown of such longstanding characteristics of society as deference, patriarchy, and traditional gender relations. The radical federalists, which included George Washington and Sam Adams, were huge public figures in America and they helped convince most people to believe in their ideals. It grew the Federalist Party; the radical group that was the most vocal in wanting a complete break from Britain.

The Origins of Slavery Debate: Historiography #2

After reading the text, “Debating the Past: Origins of Slavery,” it is difficult to determine if slavery caused racism or racism caused slavery because there were so many things that lead up to the need of slaves in North America. I believe though, that slavery was the result of White racism. In the Enduring Vision: A History of the American People the text states that, “But while the missionaries deemed Native Americans potential Christians, they joined most other colonizers in condemning Africans as less than fully human and thereby beyond hope of redemption. Blacks could therefore be exploited without limit,” and that, “ Africans’ blackness, along with their alien religions and customs dehumanized them in European eyes.” This shows that even though Whites did not exploit Blacks at the beginning, they did consider Blacks lesser than themselves. The differences between the cultures and religions of Blacks and Indians were unknown to Whites, which made them think it was their Christian duty to enslave inferior people. I believe that Winthrop Jordan was right, that had there not been slavery, Whites would have been likely to oppress Blacks in the New World anyway. Things would not have changed because White colonists considered themselves above people that were strange and had unknown customs that were not like their own, and that looked different than they did.