Howard Zinn discussed the actuality of Colonial America, in which the wealthy handled poor whites, black slaves, and Native Americans as undesirables. Zinn’s thesis was the idea of plutocracy, government by the wealthy, controlling American society. Class lines hardened, distinctions between rich and poor became sharper. Wealth equated to power, slaves, and estate subsequently, fortifying their superiority over the disadvantaged. This inequality of wealth and power caused disapprobation among the impoverished populace and defiances such as Bacon’s Rebellion undertook. Zinn introduced the chapter by delving into Bacon’s rebellion, an effort to overthrow the planter elite. Bacon’s plans were to seize Native American land in order to transition …show more content…
They feared that impoverished whites and blacks would deteriorate them, so their strategy consisted separating them through practices such as racial bribes, and abandonment on the reliance of indentured servants, effectively eliminating the risk of future alliances between poor whites and black slaves. The idea that the structure of the original Constitution, Articles of Confederation, was based on the effort to preserve slavery, while at the same time offer political and economic rights to whites is probable, based on Zinn’s …show more content…
The middle class is a social construct that was used to procure loyalty at the expense of black slaves, and Native Americans. In an effort to build a coalition amongst the whites for a revolution against England, “without ending either slavery or equality.” Zinn’s thesis could be supported by observing the wilder culture in the United States that have targeted people of color and poor people at an unprecedented rate, today. After ex-convicts are released from prison, they face numerous restrictions in employment, education, housing, and civic activities. These barriers have collateral consequences such as requirements in handling fees, costs, and fines to courts, probation departments, and other institutions. And since the system of recidivism is institutionalized and endorsed by public opinion, its chances of being resolved are bleak, similarly to the creation of the middle
Summary: The creation of the Article of the Confederation took place in Pennsylvania, which was created on November 15, 1777 after the Revolutionary war. This was when the members of congress noticed that they should have a rule that will help them be organized and be stablized. The purpose of the confederation was to get a government that can be in union after the Revolutionary war. Analysis: There were several of reasons why confederation was created and the purpose was mainly to give authority to the government and the citizens went along with how they ruled and followed the rights. Some of the purpose was to expand America and Great Britian motivated Confederation so that they can individually govern themselves.
Bacon's Rebellion- Bacon’s Rebellion took place in 1676. 1,000 freedmen took down an Indian revolt, torched Jamestown, and chased William Berkeley out of town (he was the governor). So What?
Howard Zinn’s unique perspective on American history and the beloved American heroes makes for an interesting story. His book, A People's History of the United States, paints history in a whole new light. While most teachers tell the story of the Jacksonian “era of the common man”, the other side is rarely looked at, the side that Zinn shows in the 10th chapter of his book “The Other Civil War”, and the era of the elite using the middle class to push the lower, working classes down. He also uses other like-minded historians like Christman, Miller, Myers, and Horwitz and historical events to support his claims. These claims are that throughout the 1830s and 1860s there was a class struggle going on between the poor workers of the nation and
Answer: The Articles of Confederation was destined to fail because allowing the states to mainly govern themselves left the central government at the mercy of each state. The central government had the power to control the militia but without the power to draft or tax citizens, it left the government with a weak militia and no money to fund it. That allowed the states to mainly look out for the elite, the wealthy and leave the rest to fend for themselves. After all the Articles of Confederation was written by the wealthy white man to prevent a strong central government from ruling over the states after it detached itself from England. In order to give themselves more power they also took away the possibility for commerce between states and
Throughout the years, individuals have learned U.S. History through the perspective of the governments, leaders, the conqueror. However, through Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States, the reader saw a different perspective. They saw the views of slaves, of women, of the underdogs. This was Zinn’s purpose for writing A People’s History of the United States, to show the reader the other side of historical events, because too much of history is written by the elite. The thesis that seems to be maintained throughout is that the minority shaped America to what it is today.
The Articles of Confederation were not the ideal set of laws that the founding fathers intended. They had their flaws, but they also contain a few laws that fixed some current problems of the country. The problems that faced the new nation were, the need for unification and preservation of this unification of the states, the rules emplaced on expansion and settlement of western lands, and it set up a economy, that was vital to the country. The states had just won the revolutionary war by coming together to fight the British, and the Articles of Confederation made sure that this unification was official and permanent.
Rafael Schuly Mendoza Annotated Bibliography: Reflections on Rights - The Second Amendment Articles of Confederation. Art. III. Documents Illustrative of the Formation of the Union of the American States. Government Printing Office, 1927.
Bacon’s Rebellion is well known to students of colonial America, although no-one has succeeded in writing a convincing account of it. The first question historians asked was who was responsible for the widespread anarchy that followed the breakdown of government authority in the colony between 1676 and 1677. One historian attributes the rebellion to Nathaniel Bacon, and describes Governor Berkeley as a man doing his best to implement sensible policies. Another sees the Rebellion as prefiguring the American Revolution, with Bacon as an early George Washington, already defying British authority.
With the revolution won, the colonist’s drafted the first known constitution as the Articles of Confederation. Favoring power to the separate states instead of a national government, the influence of King George III permanently ridded the conscience of the colonists from one body, or group, having excessive power over the nation. In all, the power came from the People. Regardless of the colonist’s success, however, led to more dire situations in their growth.
In 1676 an uprising occurred known as Bacon’s Rebellion. This Rebellion was lead by Nathaniel Bacon. Virginians who resented Governor William Berkley’s friendly policies towards the Native Americans rose against him by joining the rebellion. “.. For then having expressly countermanded and sent back our army by passing his word for the peaceable demeanor of the said Indians, who immediately prosecuted their evil intentions, committing horrid murders and robberies in all places, being protected by the said engagement and word past of him the said Sir William Berkeley.” (Bacon’s Rebellion: The Declaration)
Slavery in the U.S. Constitution After the Unites States declared Independence from Great Britain in 1776, they greatly feared a strong national government that would be like a monarchy like the one Great Britain had. To prevent this tyrannical government from happening in the U.S., a convention of delegates from all thirteen states were brought together to create the U.S.’s first written constitution: the Articles of Confederation. This convention was called the Continental Congress. The Articles of Confederation focused on having a federal government, or a loose alliance of the states.
They believed that because people are instinctively selfish, that people would have a hard time coexisting in a land where all people were supposed to be treated equal. Though the government was created to aid the people, it was also established to teach the people how to “live properly”. The fact that the constitution was written in the mindset that people needed to be, in a sense, controlled is was and remains a controversial topic. Many view the constitution’s favor for the rich, white, and male property owners was not so much of an “easier way to unify a nation” but more of a list of who it was going to be more desireable to govern. These facts aside, in order to instill equality to a newlywed nation, the people were given some basic human rights and the power to choose who was going to represent them in order to still make sure that the people were still the basis of the new government while still having control over them.
Darwin and Bacon (The Analysis of the Concurrences between Darwin and Bacon) The anomaly that is the Earth works in strange ways, while failing to balance on one foot all one has to do is place one finger on the wall and you are safe from crashing to the ground. This phenomenon seems to suggest that all things are connected; however there is a delicate balance to be maintained. Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection proposes that there is a balance that allows for the life on Earth to maintain the equilibrium of evolution. On the other hand, Francis Bacon composed an idea of the levels of the mind called the four idols which obstructed the path for scientific reasoning and observation.
The events that took place leading up to the witch trials were Bacon’s Rebellion, The Little ice age, and the puritan control of the church and state. Bacon’s rebellion was a rebellion in Virginia against Governor William Berkeley for his failure to address the colonists safety. The Little ice age was a very religious time for the settlers, who thought they were being punished by God. Puritan control of the church and state led people to believe that men were superior and women were evil beings. The witch trials of 1692 were not only motivated by the stringent restrictions of the Puritan faith, but also by the misogynistic social structure that provoked mass hysteria among the sexes.
In retrospect, the history of the antebellum America is quite fascinating. During this period, the young republic faced several challenges. One of the most serious ones was the slavery issue. Reading the related materials, people might understand that the Founding Fathers had actually pondered about the solution to the issue; however, they did not pursue it because they foresaw possible turmoil in American politics. Unfortunately, the issue kept simmering until it reached the boiling point which resulted in the disastrous Civil War.