The American Revolution (1775-1783)

The independence of the first colony in the New World began over debates about American freedoms against British control. The ending of the French and Indian War (also known as the Seven Years War) witnessed the British increasing taxes (starting with the Stamp Act) that drained needed currency from the colonies and raised important questions over representation (especially American assistance on actual representation vs the British idea of virtual representation). The British also limited expansion westward. Drawing on enlightenment ideas and developing their own attacks on the British monarchy small incidents such as the Boston Tea Party (pushed by imperial issues to sell Indian tea in the American colonies) became important unifying events that pushed colonial solidarity.Collapse of the alliance with local elites.

Fighting war that was designed to delay fighting and wear down the British. The army was mostly self-sufficient and enjoyed a great deal of local support (many-60,000 of the Tories or British supporters fled following the war). In contrast, the British army was poorly led, focused on European battle strategies and capturing urban areas, was not as motivated and did not know the terrain as well. The surrounded or Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781 pushed the British into serious peace negotiations that resulted in the independence of the American colonies in 1783.

Figure 13: Franklin’s “Join or Die” Cartoon

Ignored in this quest for rights were women, African-Americans, especially slaves) and Native Americans-all of whom were excluded from power in the new state.Failure of the too democratic Articles of Confederation. Large debate at the popular level over the shape of the new government and how to protect the rights of the minority in a democracy. Even The idea of slavery was delayed in favor of achieving post-conflict unity and agreement on the 1789 Constitution.

Haitian Revolution

Figure 15: A Cartoon highlighting the Violence of the Haitian Revolution

In contrast to demanding independence from France, the Haitian Revolution was targeted at the white planters and slave owners by current and freed slaves. The feed slaves rebelled when they were refused representation in the local and national French Assembly. This led to a massive slave revolt in 1791, killing thousands of whites who retaliated with their own indiscriminate killing. After failed Spanish and British intervention, freed slave Toussaint L’Ouverture conquered the colony and proclaimed himself the leader. The French then re-invaded the colony, L’Ouverture surrendered but local fears of the return of slavery reignited the rebellion and drove the French out. Haiti became independent in 1804 but internal divisions, a failure of recognition by other countries such as the United States and a need to pay reparations to the French hampered the economic and political success of the colony, especially at the export of sugar plummeted.