- What were the complaints against the existing governments?
- To what extent did the revolutionaries use Enlightenment writings in defending
their causes, especially with regard to the word "liberty?"
- If you were a colonist in Boston, would you argue for revolution after the
Stamp Act? What considerations
would affect your opinion?
- If you were a lawyer in Paris, would you argue for revolution after the Estates
General began to meet? What considerations would affect your opinion?
- If you were a peasant from the region of Dourdogne, would you argue for
revolution after the Estates General began to meet? What considerations would
affect your opinion?
- If you were a free person of color who owned a plantation on Saint Domingue,
would you argue for revolution after the French Declaration of the Rights of
Man were published? What considerations would affect your opinion?
- If you were a lawyer in Mexico, would you argue for revolution after Father Hidalgo called for the overthrow of the Spanish crown? What considerations would affect your opinion?
After the Revolution - Now what?: It seems fair to evaluate whether the "revolutionaries" lived up to the promises of liberty they once called for once they have assumed power. It might be helpful to think of liberty both in terms of "political independence" and "personal freedom." Let's consider these questions:
- Will the leaders want to restrict liberty for groups they view as threatening their own economic or political liberty: women, people of African descent, slaves, native peoples, some minority religious groups?
- What would the leaders gain by restricting liberty?
- What might they lose?
I'll provide you with some documents from each of the revolutions we have been considering. As you look at the documents, consider these questions.
1.
How does each new government in the Atlantic world define citizenship?
2.
What rights were guaranteed by the government and to which groups of people?
3.
Which documents mention liberty?
4.
How is slavery changed or maintained?
5.
What kinds of powers does each new government assume? How are those powers
divided among branches of government?
Revolutionary Rhetoric - Did it spread?: You'll get a copy of some texts produced by the leaders of two later revolutionary groups of the early twentieth century: the Young Turks and the Chinese revolutionaries. Your job is to read your set for tomorrow's class and be prepared to discuss these questions.
- How does each document define liberty?
- How does each document define citizenship?
- What do the constitutions say about education?
HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Tuesday, 22nd
Please continue reading in Chapter 24 with Section 2, "Europe Faces Revolutions." (pp. 687 - 691)
Your Napoleon Acrostic should be posted as a comment on Lesson #14 before the start of tomorrow's class.
You should have read your excerpt (Turkey or China) for the "Revolutionary Rhetoric" exercise described above.
You have your first set of Current Events due on Friday, September 25th. The format is explained above.
