4: A Revolutionary New World - 1600 - 1825
- Page ID
- 282756
\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)
\( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)
\( \newcommand{\dsum}{\displaystyle\sum\limits} \)
\( \newcommand{\dint}{\displaystyle\int\limits} \)
\( \newcommand{\dlim}{\displaystyle\lim\limits} \)
\( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)
( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)
\( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)
\( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)
\( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\)
\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)
\( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\)
\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)
\( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\)
\( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)
\( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\)
\( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)
\( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\)
\( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)
\( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\)
\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)
\( \newcommand{\vectorA}[1]{\vec{#1}} % arrow\)
\( \newcommand{\vectorAt}[1]{\vec{\text{#1}}} % arrow\)
\( \newcommand{\vectorB}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)
\( \newcommand{\vectorC}[1]{\textbf{#1}} \)
\( \newcommand{\vectorD}[1]{\overrightarrow{#1}} \)
\( \newcommand{\vectorDt}[1]{\overrightarrow{\text{#1}}} \)
\( \newcommand{\vectE}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash{\mathbf {#1}}}} \)
\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)
\(\newcommand{\longvect}{\overrightarrow}\)
\( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)
\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)- Define Absolutism and understand how this government structure was established as either a successful or unsuccessful authority over a population.
- Analyze the significant ideas of the Enlightenment.
- Examine the causes and consequences of the Atlantic Revolutions.
- What were the main ideas of the Enlightenment?
- What were the causes and consequences of the Atlantic Revolutions?
- Compare and contrast the northern Atlantic Revolutions and southern Atlantic Revolutions
The Age of Exploration, introduced in the previous chapter, opened doors to new societies, cultures, and ways of thinking. This period came to be known as the Age of Enlightenment in Europe, where new ideas and concepts about government, religion, and society grew. What was considered reason and rational thought based on the sciences gained popularity during this period. These ideas had great resonance in the Atlantic World. At the same time, a ruling structure emerged, known as Absolutism which basically allowed kings unrestrained rulership with little to no oversight from any other entities, including the church, a council, nobles, scholars, or any other group or citizen. The monarchs believed that their rule was ordained by God, so they answered only to God, and any resistance to this was met with quick and brutal restraint, up to and including exile and death. The kings of France, Spain, and Portugal sought to enhance their rule both at home and in their colonies. Meanwhile, Great Britain established a constitutional monarchy with a powerful legislature at the expense of the colonists in North America.
During the 1700s, the western European monarchies were continuously fighting. The most significant war was a global conflict known as the Seven Years War (1756-1763). As a consequence of this conflict, governments increased military spending substantially which ultimately drove up government debt and taxes. Major revolts began in the Thirteen Colonies and France a result from need to increase taxes.
The north Atlantic revolts and their ideals spread to south Atlantic by the early 1800s. The Enlightenment and French Revolutions provided the inspiration for a successful slave revolt in Haiti. Napoleon had recruited thousands of Polish soldiers to put down the revolt in Haiti. Figure 4.1 is a painting by a Polish artist named January Suchodolski, who painted many pictures with military themes. The painting shown in Figure 4.1 is titled "Battle of Palm Tree Hill," and it depicts a battle between Black Haitian rebels and Polish troops who fought on the side of the French colonizers. Armed Haitian rebels are seen marching up a hill atop which is a group of Palm trees. In the left corner of the picture a black soldier is holding the decapitated head of an European soldier. Some Polish soldiers later turned against the French colonizers and fought on the side of the Haitian rebels.
Upheavals Spanish America and Brazil were driven by the collapse of the Iberian governments because of the Napoleonic invasions. However, there was growing tensions between Latin Americans and Iberians as well. The Spanish and Portuguese governments had previously increase taxation in the Americas and marginalized politically the native-born population.
- 4.1: The Enlightenment
- The Age of Enlightenment encouraged a gradual shift from an understanding of political sovereignty as a gift of God to ideas of popular sovereignty and government by consent of the governed or through a “social contract” between rulers and people. This section explores the concept of Enlightenment and how it applied to a social, political, religious, and cultural movement taking place in Europe during the eighteenth century.
- 4.2: Absolutist and Constitutional Monarchies
- During 1650-1776 major political changes occurred in Western Europe which had important repercussions in the larger Atlantic World. One on hand, the monarchs in France, Spain, and Portugal sought to enhance their power at the expense of corporate groups such as the Church and nobility. On the other hand, Great Britain became a constitutional monarchy where the House of Commons took control of the government.
- 4.3: The Seven Years War and North Atlantic Revolutions
- The Seven Years War (1756-1763) was the first world war which was fought on three continents: Europe, Asia, and the Americas. This conflict resulted major upheavals beginning in the Thirteen Colonies.
- 4.4: South Atlantic Revolutions
- The revolutions in the north Atlantic had a major impact on Latin America. The rise of Napoleon triggered independence movements which spread the ideas of the Enlightenment and offered freedom for some.
- 4.5: Chapter Summary and Key Terms
- The revolutionary movements seen here were truly revolutionary in many ways; the idea that “ordinary” people could rise up and refuse to be subject to authoritarian power was a concept alien to many and had been for many years, as indicated by the absolutism government structure that dominated many major world powers.
Thumbnail: Painting titled "Battle for Palm Tree Hill" highlighting the Haitian Revolution, January Suchodolski, in the Public Domain.