Conflict and Consensus in the American Revolution

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Conflict and Consensusin theAmerican Revolution

• By Edmund S. Morgan

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Thesis

• Historians are split between those who emphasize
  the consensus achieved by the revolting colonists
  and those who emphasize conflicts among them.

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Conflict

• The Revolutionary war tended to encompass social
  conflicts within the colonies.

• Loyalist tended to absorb social groups that felt
  endangered or Oppressed by the Revolutionary
  party.

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Social Mobility

• Extraordinary social mobility characteristic of
  the 18th century American society prevented
  disputes from hardening along class lines.
• The revolution probably increased social mobility.

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Divisions in American Social Structure

• Describing American social structure required the
  use of loose economic categories such as rich,
  poor, and middle class.
• One clearly, easily recognized division did
  exist, between freeman and slaves.

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Slavery

• Half a million Americans were slaves.
• The consensus on which colonial society rested
  was a racist consensus.

• Revolutionist were not prepared to allow slavery
  to threaten the union of whites.

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East vs. West

• Population of colonies was expanding very
  rapidly.
• Overorowding caused colonists to more westward.
• Conflicts arose people moved west so rapidly
  that an eastern government could not keep up with
  the needs of westerners.

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East vs. West (cont.)

• Western colonists began to govern themselves,
  while still under Eastern Authority.
• This internal conflict among Americans was far
  more visible during the revolutionary period then
  was class conflict.

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Nationalism

• Nationalism was the strongest force binding
  Americans of the Revolutionary generation
  together.

• Devotion to the nation helped keep both sides in
  any conflict stay on spealling terms.

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Conclusion

• The revolution increased social mobility among
  whites.
• The slavery issue had to be put aside so that
  colonists could unite against England.

• Conflicts in American society were muted by the
  need to break away from England.
• Consensus enabled colonies to unite against
  England.

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Prepared by

• Brian Papp, Paul Widerman,
• Trevor Polk, Kyle Shockley