(See related pages)
|
|
|
Introduction Americans liked being English. In spite of the disagreement and disunity discussed in chapter 4, the one unifying cultural feature most Americans shared was a sense of English identity. Yet less than seven years after Bostonians celebrated their victory in the Seven Years' War and expressed pride in their young king, George III, their fellow Britons are portrayed firing upon these same loyal citizens. The same year the American painter Benjamin West completed the painting commemorating the death of General Wolfe at Quebec, the Empire's great triumph, Paul Revere, a Boston engraver, published an etching of the Boston massacre. What went wrong in less than a decade? As Parliament attempted to bind the American colonies more closely to the empire, once-loyal Americans became convinced that their rights were being violated. Encouraged by Thomas Paine's pamphlet, Common Sense, proclaiming "a new era for politics," Americans rejected the idea that they were English. The Web activities for chapter 5 explore the West and Revere images as important pieces of visual evidence of colonial affairs. You will examine the story behind Revere's engraving, and the decisions and choices made on both sides of the Atlantic that led most Americans to agree with Paine in 1776: it was the destiny of Americans to be republicans not monarchists; to be independent, not subjects of George III; to be American, not English.
Web Activities 1. Visual evidence is an important source of historical information. In activities 1-3 you will analyze two key period images to assist you in answering the question, what went wrong between Britain and her American colonies during the years between the triumph at Quebec and the "massacre" in Boston? View the painting The Death of General Wolfe by Benjamin West and the widely circulated companion engraving (magnify image). Study the composition, the key figures represented—noting their dress—and other symbolic elements in this strictly imaginary scene. For a discussion of Historian Simon Schema's perspective on the consequences of West's portrayal go to "The Many Deaths of General Wolfe" by Maryland State Archivist, Dr. Edward C. Papenfuse. Open the first link and read the sections "In Command" and "Parkman's Account of the Death of Wolfe." Why do you think Schama terms the painting both an "icon of the British Empire" and a "grandiloquent lie"? 2. By 1770 the relationship between British troops in the colonies had deteriorated, especially in Boston where brawls were frequent. When five people were killed in March, propagandists labeled the incident a "massacre" and Revere created America's most lasting visual image of the event. Go to “A Behind the Scenes Look at Paul Revere’s Most Famous Engraving” to view this image and read an explanation of how and why this image captured the public imagination. Transcript of his trial
3. West's engraving sold for approximately five guineas (several hundred dollars), Revere's, for a few shillings (less than a dollar). Conclude your study of the images by answering the following questions. Who was the intended audience of each? What is their message? What have you learned concerning their historical accuracy? In what ways did analyzing these images help you understand the issue of colonial identity and larger issues of American history? What decisions and choices were made on both sides of the Atlantic between 1763 and 1776 that separated the American and English participants in the triumphant victory at Quebec from those portrayed in Revere's etching? Finally, read John Hancock, "Boston Massacre Oration," delivered on the event's fourth anniversary. Pay particular attention to the emergence of revolutionary rhetoric. What observations does Hancock make concerning "righteous government" versus tyranny, George III, the "slaughtered innocents", and standing armies? 4. In January 1776, nine months after Lexington and Concord, revolutionary rhetoric reached new heights with the publication of Common Sense, by Thomas Paine. The full text of Common Sense may be found at George Welling's From Revolution to Reconstruction project in The Netherlands at the University of Groningen. Read the Introduction , then find section five and resume reading at the paragraph which begins "A government of our own is our natural right," and continue to the end (omitting the section on naval preparations). Mark the words and phrases you consider to be revolutionary, as much verbal propaganda as Revere's image was visual. What do you think would have been the most compelling parts of Paine's concluding argument to his "target" audience? Why did Paine's pamphlet have such a profound impact on Britain's American colonist's decision for independence? Additional Research Links The Seven Years War
The Imperial Crisis
Toward the Revolution
|
