In this section we will talk about the events and idea that convinced some American colonists–many of whom were proudly British–to hazard their lives in declaring independence against the most powerful empire in the world.
To do so, we will watch a few free clips I managed to find from the HBO series “John Adams” and a few others, along with a few key documents, including: George Mason’s Virginia Declaration of Rights and Thomas Jefferson’s rough draft of the Declaration of Independence.
1- Imperial Britain in America- A (very brief) Tour of the Governor’s Palace, Williamsburg, Virginia
https://virtualtours.colonialwilliamsburg.org/palace/https://virtualtours.colonialwilliamsburg.org/palace/
2- Boston Massacre (1770) Scene
https://vimeo.com/108435438https://vimeo.com/108435438
3- Trial of British Soldiers (1770)- Clip 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0-6JMv-5a8https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0-6JMv-5a8
4- Trial of British Soldiers (1770)- Clip 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abhKlCqkuVshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abhKlCqkuVs
5- Trial of British Soldiers (1770)- Clip 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oALm4kVWZQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oALm4kVWZQ
6- Tea Act of 1773 announced, and its (very) unfortunate repercussions for a customs official
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj7qtPhR9bghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj7qtPhR9bg
7- The Coercive Acts, 1774
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlRnkQtd2g8https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlRnkQtd2g8
After viewing the above clips (links 1-7), please make your First Post of the discussion stating your impressions of the British Empire in America. (First) Who benefited from it, who didn’t benefit from it, and why? You might also (Second) state if you feel that the British soldiers or customs officials benefitted from the empire, and if so, how? Did the troops receive a fair trial?
8- George Mason and the “Virginia Declaration of Rights” (a model for the Declaration of Independence)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANXDZs_Z_CYhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANXDZs_Z_CY
9- George Mason’s “Virginia Declaration of Rights”- Analysis of line inserted into Mason’s original draft by Robert Carter Nicholas: “when they enter into a state of society” [Read text only in link]
https://constitutingamerica.org/wednesday-march-13-2013-essay-18-virginia-declaration-of-rights-by-george-mason-guest-essayist-kevin-r-c-gutzman-j-d-ph-d-professor-and-director-of-graduate-studies-department-of-histo/https://constitutingamerica.org/wednesday-march-13-2013-essay-18-virginia-declaration-of-rights-by-george-mason-guest-essayist-kevin-r-c-gutzman-j-d-ph-d-professor-and-director-of-graduate-studies-department-of-histo/
10- Committee Discussion of the Declaration of Independence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7o5kWrbJJEhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7o5kWrbJJE
11- Rough Draft of the “Declaration of Independence” (fragment)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Declaration_of_Independence_draft_%28detail_with_changes_by_Franklin%29.jpghttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Declaration_of_Independence_draft_%28detail_with_changes_by_Franklin%29.jpg
12- Did Jefferson REALLY intend to exclude women, (and other non-rich white men,) from equality promised in the D of I?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn2nEHrFxIshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn2nEHrFxIs
Your Follow-up Post in our discussion will discuss the above content (links 8-12). Please explain (First) which of the two above documents was more important, and why? With regard to the Virginia Declaration of Rights, why did George Mason not include the phrase: “when they enter into a state of society” in his original version, even though he was a slaveowner? Robert Carter Nicholas, Edmund Pendleton, and other members of the Virginia legislature (also slaveowners) then added the “when they enter into a state of society” line, changing Mason’s originally intended meaning. You should then (Second) explain if Jefferson’s assertion–“all men are created equal” was meant as universal truth referring to the equality of all humanity, or was it only intended as a narrow, gender-specific, reference to wealthy white men of the day?
As a clue to Jefferson’s likely understanding of the noun “man,” you might consult the first dictionary ever written in the English language: Dr. Samuel Johnson’s “Dictionary,” 1755. (See especially Johnson’s *first definition for the noun: “man.”) You might also reflect on the exceptional example New Jersey provided shortly after passage of the Declaration of Independence.