Class Division throughout the American Revolution

“They certainly did not want an equal balance between slaves and masters, property less and property holders, Indians and white.” (Source 3)

The American Revolution is filled with many misrepresentations, which often hide the truth behind America’s idealized history. One of the common misrepresentations of the revolution was that it the separation from Britain was supported by the majority of the colonies’ population. The ideals behind the revolution are in truth economically centered. The revolutionary leaders wanted to gain freedom from Britain while keeping the wealth for themselves. It was motivated by a drive for profit; the goal was to have the support of enough of the colonists to defeat Britain without compromising their ability maintain current upper-class systems and control leadership power over the colonies.

One of the main economic motivating factors of the American Revolution began from the stresses from taxes implemented in the colonies. From the Sugar act to the Intolerable Acts and Quartering Acts, colonists felt it was unfair to tax the colonists without parliamentary representation. The congress drafted a “Declaration of Rights Grievances” claiming that the colonists had the rights of British subjects. The British Parliament had complete control of the colonies through the Declaratory Act (1766) which backed parliament’s ability to create laws for the colonies “in all cases whatever.” Though taxation without representation was a motivating factor for all colonist citizens to deny the British government, it mostly affected the rising class citizens who owned property and material goods that were being heavily taxed. The rising class began to develop influence in the revolutionary revolt against Britain.

Another motivating factor of the American Revolution was the limitation England put on the colonies for Westward Expansion. This was referred to as the Proclamation Line. It was a temporary prohibition of western settlement, but a measure to restore stability between Britain and the Indians. This limitation created much unrest on behalf of the colonists who were impatient to even temporary rules and thus began to disregard limitations of Britain law. “Individual frontiersmen, impatient even of temporary rules, defied the proclamation, crossed the mountains, and often seized land.” (Source 2)

Under and middle class citizens of the colonies did not necessarily benefit from the revolution. Zinn poses the question, “Were the Founding Fathers wise and just men trying to achieve a good balance?” (Source 6) The Founding Fathers did not have ideals behind the Revolution, which supported the majority of the colonists. They were aiming to keep things as they were and maintain balance of the dominant forces. “They certainly did not want an equal balance between slaves and masters, property less and property holders, Indians and white.” (Source 6) Zinn also points out the fact that the women of early America were not even considered in the Declaration of Independence. Those who created the Declaration of Independence and who were responsible for the final uplift of the American Revolution did not create the colonial government out of consideration for the nation as a whole, but rather selfishly adjusting the revolution to retain wealth and hold power over the colonists.

The goal of the revolution was not to create a balance, but to maintain hold of the dominant forces at the time. When you deconstruct the revolutionary period, there is an obvious realization that the Declaration of Independence and the final separation from Britain directly benefitted the upper-class citizens of the colonies who were revolutionary leaders and influential citizens of the colonies. “…the rising class of important people needed to enlist on their side enough Americans to defeat England, without disturbing too much the relations of wealth and power that had developed over 150 years of colonial history.” (Source 6) When the rising class citizens of the colonies began to become affected by the taxation acts and unfair limitations from Britain, the Declaration of Independence intended to benefit the upper class with the support of enough Americans to defeat Britain. This would ensure that wealth and power be kept momentus with the rising class.

Crash

The movie Crash takes a perspective on racism, which points out an accurate observation of people complaining about racial discrimination while contributing to the same common racial stereotypes. The movie shows reality through all of the characters. One of the scenes that prove the contradiction is near the beginning when Ludacris’ character Anthony complains about the woman having blind fear for two “black guys” in a white community. When he criticizes her actions to his friend, he says that they should be the ones scared for being the only two black people in an “over-caffeinated white community supervised by the trigger happy LAPD.” Anthony then asks, “So why aren’t we scared?” His friend replies, “Because we have guns?” The two pull out their guns and steal a Lincoln Navigator from the white woman and her husband. In this scene they express their disgust with racial discrimination, yet they conform directly to the black stereotype.

The characters in this movie each contribute to their racial stereotypes by contradicting their own issues with the current situation of racism in the U.S. They tend to feel unfaired against and the victims of a negative view toward minorities. Unfortunately, people don’t try to move away from these racial stereotypical actions. Because of their decisions, people contradict their own complaints about society, continuing to match the stereotype of their own race.

Vocabulary Extraction

Vocabulary Extraction

To prepare for the SAT’s I have done a vocabulary extension with this project. I chose 3-5 words from my sources and found their meaning and relevance in their article.

Cynical: adjective

1.     Showing contempt for accepted standards of honesty or morality by one’s actions, especially by actions that exploit the scruples of others

2.     Like or characteristic of a cynic; distrusting or disparaging the motives of others

3.     showing contempt for accepted standards of behavior, especially of honesty or morality: the politician betrayed his promises in a cynical way

(source: Dictionary.com)

- “In a multicultural, and often cynical, society, we have created Columbus in our image.” (Columbus Day 2011)

Mould: verb

1.     to influence or direct: to mould opinion

(source: Dictionary.com)

- “America was the right place at the right time to appropriate, simplify, and mould Columbus to reflect the image of an independent and growing America.” (Columbus Day 2011)

Pantheon: noun

1.     A public building containing tombs or memorials of the illustrious dead of a nation

2.     The place of the heroes or idols of any group, individual, movement, party, etc., or the heroes or idols themselves: to earn a place in the pantheon of American literature

(source: Dictionary.com)

- “Based on the romantic stories of Irving, the ‘Columbus Doors,’ 17 feet high and weighing a massive 20,000 pounds, portrayed an heroic underdog, bold and ingenious explorer, a figure perfect for the age-and for inclusion in America’s pantheon of heroes in the temple of legitimacy, the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.” (Columbus Day 2011)

Embroilments: noun

1.     To bring into discord or conflict; involve in contention or strife

2.     To throw into confusion; complicate

(source: Dictionary.com)

- “They are by nature the most humble, patient, and peaceable, holding no grudges, free from embroilments, neither excitable nor quarrelsome.” (Bartoleme de Las Casas)

Rheumatism: noun

1.     Any disorder of the extremities or back, characterized by pain and stiffnes

(source: Dictionary.com)

- “His body creaks with rheumatism, but his heart jumps for joy.” (p.50 Eduardo Galeano Genesis)

Our Understanding of U.S. History is Often Misunderstood

America teaches its history from an idealized perspective, which views the discoverers and important historical figures of our country as none other than heroes. This is evident in many different forms especially in traditional American textbooks. After reading A People’s History of the United States, in order to write a synthesis on whether I thought Columbus should be viewed as a hero or villain, (above) I used the textbook The American Tradition to compare information and perspectives. I realized through this process that, while Zinn writes from a biased prospective of the Americans’ victims, (such as the Indian’s who inhabited America when Columbus arrived,) traditional textbooks refer to Columbus as an idol. The chapter covering early America exploration praised Columbus and gave limited information as to how Columbus formed new colonies. In reality, (according to Zinn and a number of primary source documents,) Columbus took land by brutal force and is argued to be responsible for the decimation of the Indian population. Many people consider with good reason, that the Indians would be in a much higher status and economic class had it not been for Columbus who claimed land from the Indians and manipulated their generosity for the short-term gain of Spanish wealth and status.

The understanding of Columbus and his motives are often very misunderstood throughout the U.S. We as American’s view him as the same idealized symbol that our country used when it needed history for national stability and sense of freedom.  

Columbus Hero or Villain?

Columbus was a man who acted as an idealized symbol for America. He was a hero in the sense that he stood for free will and new beginnings. Though he was a key symbol America used in developing a free country, his history, much like America’s is not so clean-cut and well purpose-driven as we often believe. Columbus was a Spaniard in search of wealth and status among his nation and was directed on his expedition to claim land and riches, which was supposed to give the Spanish empire power and status. As a person, sailor, and explorer, Christopher Columbus was responsible for the decimation of the Native Americans. His actions were brutal and resulted in the decentralization and destruction of Indian colonies. He pursued human progress through the unnecessary act of conquest. (Conquest is the subjugation of an enemy.) Columbus’s was in search of a faster route to India from Spain in order to acquire riches, spices, and slaves. When he discovered the Americas, he claimed the land and created war between the Spaniards and Indian’s because of Spanish intentions, which made it impossible for the Spaniards to coexist with the natives. Columbus’ ventures of conquest proved unsuccessful and unnecessary. “For a brief period in history, there was the glory of a Spanish Empire in the Western Hemisphere. As Hans Koning sums it up in his book Columbus: His Enterprise: For all the gold and silver stolen and shipped to Spain did not make the Spanish people richer. It gave their kings an edge in the balance of power for a time, a chance to hire more mercenary soldiers for their wars. They ended up losing those wars anyway, and all that was left was a deadly inflation, a starving population, the rich richer, the poor poorer, and a ruined peasant class.” (Source 1)

After learning about Columbus’ actions of conquest for Spaniard progression, the realization that the person we know as Americans is a completely idealized version of a brutal explorer makes you reconsider the celebration of Columbus Day. His actions were destructive and his purpose was not one that should be celebrated by Americans. Whether or not he was a hero or villain to the Indies, (now known as the Americas) I believe it is completely justified to celebrate Columbus Day. Christopher Columbus was used as a symbol for when the United States was becoming an independent free nation. “Columbus had found the way of escape from Old World tyranny.” (Source 5) Because of Columbus’s accomplishments and quest for new paths toward the goal of status and independent wealth, he became the symbol for America’s new independence. As an undeveloped nation, America was having trouble finding its own identity as a nation. The new state had started fresh and had no significant history except for the recent American Revolution; however, in a democratic nation, it was not right to hold leaders of the Revolutionary War to “mythical transformation” as heroes of America. The need for an origin was satisfied by the image of Christopher Columbus. His idealized image was boosted by early Revolutionary Columbus militants, Irving, (after the book Life of Columbus,) and scholars, who debate to this day the facts of Columbus’ life.  Columbus Day should be celebrated because Columbus was a person who was used purely as a symbol to give our nation history and a sense of independence. "He 'emerged from the shadows, reincarnated not so much as a man and historical figure as he was a myth and symbol. He came to epitomize the explorer and discoverer, the man of vision and audacity, the hero who overcame opposition and adversity to change history.'" (Source 5)
“America’s national memory is filled with icons and symbols, deeply held, yet imperfectly understood, beliefs. The role of history is pervasive, yet the facts behind the memories are somehow lost in an amorphous haze of patriotism and perceived national identity. Christopher Columbus, as a hero and symbol of the first order in America, is an important figure in this pantheon of American myth. His status, not unlike most American icons, is a representative not of his own accomplishments, but the self-perception of the society which raised him to his pedestal in the American gallery of heroes.” (Source 5) While Columbus was a villain to the native population in the Americas and responsible for the deculturalization and decentralization of Indians, his idealized symbol of freedom from Old World oppression and dictatorship was critical in our development to a sole democratic nation. His new national story told that of great exploration, a "symbol of the adventuring human spirit." (Irving, Source 5)