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Freedom!!!
By: Alaina Wilson
September 2020
Focus:
Start Here
- Introduce the (many) ideas of FREEDOM and their importance to American History
- Analyze and use important founding documents
What do we know about Freedom?
What in a word?
What other words or terms get thrown out or lumped into our conversations about freedom?
Freedom
vs.
By Definition
Liberty
Disenfranchisement In America's History:
Disenfranchised Groups
What groups have been disenfranchised throughout AMERICA'S history?
How have these groups advanced the conversation about freedom in America?
What American Leaders have Spoken about Freedom?
Leaders
Come up with your OWN worth remembering quote about FREEDOM!!!!!
For Americans, the Conversation About Freedom Usually Starts with the Struggle for Sovereignty
Revolutionary Times
and the Impact of SLAVERY
Struggle for Sovereignty from Britain
White colonists often viewed themselves as "enslaved" by the rule of the British...
But what would make them think of it in those terms?
Sovereignty
Slavery in America
What do we know about slavery:
- as a concept?
- its origins?
- in the colonies?
- as an American institution?
Slavery
In the American (southern) Colonies:
- Equal male:female ratio
- High birth rate
- Little access to freedom
- No protection under the law
- Much greater face to face interaction with owners
- Much more likely to be part of a family unit
- Little attachment to African cultural elements
- Two race system
In Latin America:
- Higher male:female ratio
- MUCH higher slave:owner ratio
- greater access to freedom
- More protection under the law
- Greater independence
- More likely to retain African cultural elements
- (Much) more loosely defined racial lines
History
1482: First slaves traded in Africa for gold by the Portuguese
1526: First slaves step foot in the "new world" (Caribbean and Brazil)
1619: First slaves (20 of them) arrive in the Virginia colony
1705: Official "Slave Code" adopted in the southern colonies
1730: Black slaves constitute a majority in South Carolina colony
1751: George colony official allows slavery (and becomes a Royal colony)
The Revolution Unleashed a previously unheard of political group:
The Masses
...And provided an opportunity to discuss
on a national level
Slavery
Constitutional Foundation
In what ways are these two issues connected?
LOTS of ordinary people (whole towns and colonies) were adamantly against slavery
Alexander Hamilton and John Adams were VERY vocal about how they felt about it
Many of the "founding fathers" knew it was wrong and had plans to free their slaves
Many STATE constitutions outlawed slavery from the start... so did the Northwest Ordinance of 1787
But the issue with the "masses" is a bit more complex:
1676: Bacon's Rebellion
white, indentured (poor) farmers JOINED slaves to overthrown the governor of Virginia
1776: Patriots such as Adams, Henry and Paine paint a picture of rebellion in which there is no color/race line
Adams and Pain work extra hard in Boston to make the common (poor) man believe that they have the power to take down empires (literally)
So now it is 1787... what is the issue?
In what ways did the Constitution work to solve both of these problems while also creating a document that enough states would ratify?
Here is what the Constitution says:
- Age and citizenship control access to government
- Power distributed among 3 branches
- States will regulate elections and voting
- Congress (not POTUS) will have LOTS of power
- 2 Chambers
- House = larger, young, population based
- Senate = small, older, 2 per state
- Does not mention slavery
What the Constitution Says
Even with no mention of slavery it was still tough to get the Constitution ratified:
What the Federalists Said:
Anti Federalists said:
- Only local and state governments could connect with the people
- There needed to be a written bill of rights
Federalists said:
- Factions are bad -- strong central government could control them
- Main purpose of the Constitution was to BIND 13 states together
- More factions = less likelihood one could gain power and subjugate the others
Deeper than economics:
- Had existed in EVERY colony
- There were a LOT of people who owned slaves -- and they were classified as "property"
- Some even tried to make the case that it wasn't any different than in Ancient Athens where slavery allowed greater participation in government
But Seriously.. why no mention of slavery?
Henry - 67
Hancock - 1
Sam Adams - 0
Madison - 100
Washington - 317
Jefferson - 150
Franklin 2 (7 counting their kids) * but he freed them and became president of an abolitionist society*