Text of HUMS 101: Atlantic Revolutions and Their Progeny
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HUMS 101: Atlantic Revolutions and Their Progeny
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I. Atlantic Revolutions in a Global Context A.A world crisis?
B.Uniqueness of the Atlantic revolutions C.The Atlantic as a world
of ideas: improvement, reason, social contract (Locke and
Rousseau), liberty and equality D.Democratic revolutions: gradually
led to expanded political participation. E.Global impact of the
Atlantic revolutions, 1789-1989
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II. Comparing Atlantic Revolutions A. The North American
Revolution, 17751787 1.Revolutionary? 2.Differences between English
in England and English in America (no aristocracy, dominant church,
lots of land) => ethos of Freedom 3.New taxes (Seven Years War,
1754-1763) and ideas from the Enlightenment 4.A revolutionary
society before the revolution 5.But US constitution begins, We, the
people
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II. Comparing Atlantic Revolutions B. The French Revolution,
17891815 1.Enlightenment 2.US Revolutions influence: ideas, war
debt, and taxes 3.Resentment of privilege: Estate system, peasants
burdens 4.1788: Louis XVI calls a meeting of the Estates- General
(had not met since 1614) 5.Increasing radicalism (war) 6.21 January
1793: Louis Capet guillotined. 7.Inventing a new, rational world:
calendar, metric system, uniform legal code
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II. Comparing Atlantic Revolutions B. The French Revolution,
17891815 4.Womens participation and then repression: march on
Versailles, Olympe de Gouges; then backlash; Jacobins were
anti-women. 5.Birth of the nation and the citizen: cut off kings
head, so what were they fighting for?
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Women in French Revolution (5 Oct. 1789)
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Charlotte Corday, 1768-93 Jean-Paul Marat, 1743-93
Jacques-Louis David
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Napoleon Bonaparte, b. 1769- d. 1821 1799: coup becomes first
consul 1804 emperor Won many wars Lost war of 1812 Levee en masse
Napoleons paradox: some equality, but not much liberty: ended
feudalism spread religious tolerance rationalized administration
provoked nationalism
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II. Comparing Atlantic Revolutions C. The Haitian Revolution,
17911804 1.Saint Domingue, the richest colony in the world: 8000
slave plantations produced 40% of worlds sugar; 50% of coffee
2.African slaves, white colonists, and gens de couleur: a.500,000
African slaves b.40,000 whites: rich grands blancs; poor petit
blancs c.30,000 free mixed race 3.Slave revolt, civil war, and
foreign invasion 4.Toussaint Louverture, 1743-1803 5.Haiti: a
post-slavery republic, but poor, isolated divided. 6.Independence
debt: 150 mill francs; paid off in 1947.
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II. Comparing Atlantic Revolutions in a Global Context D.
Spanish American Revolutions, 18101825 1.Creole resentment of
Spanish rule and taxes 2.Napoleons 1808 invasion of Spain and
Portugal 3.Racial, class, and ideological divisions 4.Simn Bolvar
and the Americanos 5.Independence without social revolution or
unity: little democracy before 20 th century.
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III. Echoes of Revolution A. The Abolition of Slavery
1.Protestant and Quaker moralism: abolitionist movement 2.New
economic structures: capitalism preferred free labor 3.Haiti and
other slave revolts: Haiti set precedent and proved it could be
done. 4.British leadership: abolished slave trade in 1807;
emancipated slaves in 1834.
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III. Echoes of Revolution A. The Abolition of Slavery
5.Resistance to abolition: widespread, especially in southern USA;
led to civil war, 1861-1865. 6.Emancipation without socio-economic
changes: no land, few political rights granted. Russia ended
serfdom, 1860s, but sold former serfs land. 7.Emancipation and
colonialism in Africa and the Islamic world: end of slave trade led
to low priced slaves and use in cash crops for export; Europeans
took colonies to free slaves.
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III. Echoes of Revolution B. Nations and Nationalism 1.The
nation as a new idea: Reformation, printing press, Enlightenment,
US and French revolutions, Napoleonic occupation of Europe
2.Unification (Germany, Italy) and independence (Greeks, Poles,
Ukrainians) 3.International conflict: wars of nations, not just
kings WWI 4.Political uses of nationalism: could divide and
unite.
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III. Echoes of Revolution C. Feminist Beginnings
1.Enlightenment attacked tradition, promoted liberty and
rationality. 2.Mary Wollstonecraft, Vindication of the Rights of
Women (1792) 3.Seneca Falls, 1848: Declaration of Sentiments: We
hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are
created equal 4.Suffrage and professional opportunities
5.Opposition 6.Trans-Atlantic and global feminisms
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Mary Wollstonecraft, 1759-1797
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IV. Reflections: Revolutions Pros and Cons A. Necessary?
Promises? Worth the cost? B. Historians disagree and debate. C.
Ongoing struggle to understand.
