democratic origins & revolution

7/27/2019 Democratic Origins & Revolution

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American Revolution against Britain was the first

modern war of liberation against colonial power

was the political upheaval during the last half of

the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in

North America joined together to break free from

the British Empire, combining to become theUnited States of America

They first rejected the authority of the Parliament

of Great Britain to govern them from overseas

without representation, and then expelled all

royal officials.


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The British responded by sending combat troops

to re-impose direct rule.

The new states joined together at first to defend

their respective self-governance and manage

the armed conflict against the British known as

the American Revolutionary War (177583). Ultimately, the states collectively determined

that the British monarchy could no longer

legitimately claim their allegiance.


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They then severed ties with the British Empire in

July 1776, when the Congress issued theDeclaration of Independence, rejecting the

monarchy on behalf of the new nation.

The war ended with effective American victory in

October 1781, followed by formal Britishabandonment of any claims to the United States


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Military victory fanned hopes for a great newliterature

Yet only outstanding political writings appearedbefore & after Revolution

Excessive American dependence on Englishtrends & literature

Revolutionary writers were self-conscious &could not find roots in American sensibilities

American Revolution parallels an adolescentrebellion away from the parent figure

Americans won their freedom & were then facedwith the dilemma of discovering their identityapart from old authorities


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American writers followed outdated English

literary trends

The talented & educated people wereattracted to politics & law which brought

glory while writing did not even pay

American writers had no modernpublishers, audience & adequate legal

protection


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American authors paid publishers to get their

books published Piracy was notorious & the absence of

copyright laws was the clearest cause of literary

stagnation

American printers pirating English works were

unwilling to pay American authors

The small cultivated audience wanted to read

well known European authors


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American Enlightenment

A large intellectual movement known as theAge of Enlightenment

Influenced by the scientific revolution of the

17th century, the Enlightenment took scientific

reasoning and applied it to human nature,society and religion.

Politically the age is distinguished by an

emphasis upon liberty, democracy,republicanism and religious tolerance

culminating in the drafting of the United States

Declaration of Independence.


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Attempts to reconcile science and religion

resulted in a widespread rejection of

prophecy, miracle and revealed religion

Emphasis on rationality rather than

tradition, scientific inquiry instead of

unquestioning dogmas & representativegovernment in place of monarchy


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The introduction of a characteristic American

genre-the self-help book introduced by Benjamin

Franklin

Pamphlet became the most popular form of

political literature

In literary writing most writers fell into the pitfall of

elegant neoclassicism The epic was a major attraction, great Revolution

was supposed to find expression in this genre

No successful epic could be produced although

many tried Satirical poetry, however, fared better than

serious

Mock-epic became the representative American

genre


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Fiction writers used American subjects,

historical perspectives, themes of change

& nostalgic tones

Important writers include Washington

Irving, James Fennimore Cooper &

Charles Brown

Brown developed American Gothic novel

Women writers also made their

contribution in the form of poetry, fiction,

drama, history & letters

Their work was rediscovered in the 20th c.


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democratic origins & revolution

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