1st Edition

An Analysis of Bernard Bailyn's The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution

By Joshua Specht, Etienne Stockland Copyright 2017
    96 Pages
    by Macat Library

    96 Pages
    by Macat Library

    Historians of the American Revolution had always seen the struggle for independence either as a conflict sparked by heavyweight ideology, or as a war between opposing social groups acting out of self-interest.

    In The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution, Bernard Bailyn begged to differ, re-examining familiar evidence to establish new connections that in turn allowed him to generate fresh explanations. His influential reconceptualizing of the underlying reasons for America's independence drive focused instead on pamphleteering – and specifically on the actions of an influential group of ‘conspirators’ who identified, and were determined to protect, a particularly American set of values. For Bailyn, these ideas could indeed be traced back to the ferment of the English Civil War – stemming from radical pamphleteers whose anti-authoritarian ideas crossed the Atlantic and embedded themselves in colonial ideology. Bailyn's thesis helps to explain the Revolution's success by pointing out how deep-rooted its founding ideas were; the Founding Fathers may have been reading Locke, but the men they led were inspired by shorter, pithier and altogether far more radical works. Only by understanding this, Bailyn argues, can we understand the passion and determination that allowed the rebel American states to defeat a global superpower.

    Ways in to the text 

    Who was Bernard Bailyn? 

    What does The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution Say? 

    Why does The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution  Matter?  

    Section 1: Influences 

    Module 1: The Author and the Historical Context  

    Module 2: Academic Context  

    Module 3: The Problem 

    Module 4: The Author's Contribution 

    Section 2: Ideas 

    Module 5: Main Ideas  

    Module 6: Secondary Ideas  

    Module 7: Achievement 

    Module 8: Place in the Author's Work 

    Section 3: Impact  

    Module 9: The First Responses  

    Module 10: The Evolving Debate  

    Module 11: Impact and Influence Today 

    Module 12: Where Next?  

    Glossary of Terms 

    People Mentioned in the Text  

    Works Cited

    Biography

    Dr Joshua Specht completed his PhD in History at Harvard in 2014, with work on the Environmental History of the Cattle Trade in Nineteenth-Century America. He is currently a Lecturer in History at Monash University.

    Etienne Stockland is researching a PhD in environmental history at Columbia University.