To what extent were the Atlantic Revolutions inspired by Enlightenment political ideas?
Equal rights for man were key political Enlightenment ideas that were pivotal to the American and Haitian Revolutions. These ideas were underpinned in Rousseau’s ‘Social Contract’[1] (Appendix, Source 1); Rousseau comments that the state has “to receive each member as an indivisible part of the whole” for the functioning of government and its citizens to work harmoniously.[2] This is significant because Rousseau’s ideology of all men having equal rights being fundamental for the functioning of society, inspired the revolutions in America and Saint-Domingue. The years 1765 to 1783 saw the American colonies prevail as a force, reversing the despotism of the British ruling. Authority is invariable as “nations are governed by the same methods, and on the same principles, by which an individual without authority is often able to govern those who are his equals or superiors”, suggesting that power is based on the legitimacy of authority through consent of the governed, as equal citizens.[3] This Burkean view is valuable because it propels the notion that the American Revolution was based around the virtue of man within society. However, it is less valuable because Burke was critical of the British treatment of the American colonies, therefore his view is subjected to the tyrannical ruling of the British. This is a core reason for the revolution, yet, it was not solely a political Enlightenment upheaval because of the economic oppression that stimulated resentment among the colonies. These social ideologies grew with the introduction of the Stamp Act, 1765, and the Tea Party Act, 1773, which induced the uprising on December 16th on a ship, overthrowing £10,000 worth of tea. The American Revolution can be shown to not be entirely inspired by Enlightenment political ideas, although these ideologies on the equality of man were vital to the revolution’s cause. Therefore, the Enlightenment thoughts were the foundations for the American Revolution. The equal rights of man are also portrayed throughout the Haitian Revolution, which demonstrated clear protest to the corruption of French ruling in Saint-Domingue to the treatment of free black citizens and slaves. It made war on the system of slavery at its seat of most extreme and opulent power.[4] The extent of the revolts forced the National Assembly to give full French citizenship to all free men of colour in 1971, resulting in an even larger slave revolt beginning in August 1971. The citizens of the French colony were protesting for their equality within society. However, the revolution began in Bois Caiman setting fire to the sugar plantations due to the brutality of the labour worked on the sugar plantations. The citizens were protesting not only for equal rights but also social labour rights, contrastingly to the American Revolution in which slaves gained no independence or rights. Nevertheless, L’Ouverture insisted on the principle of racial equality, similarly to the Declaration of Independence (Appendix, Source 2) that “all men are created equal”, the crucial ideology for equality was pivotal for the revolutions cause.[5] Significantly, this highlights the importance of Enlightenment political ideas to the Atlantic Revolutions because although there were economic objectives, the centrality of the uprisings were surrounding the equality of man within society. [1] J.J. Rousseau, ‘The Social Contract’, (Warwick University online resource, 1762)[2] Ibid[3] H.G. Callaway, ‘Edmund Burke, ‘The Imperatives of the Empire and the American Revolution: An Interpretation’, (Cambridge, 2016) p. 2[4] C.L.R. James, The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L’Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution, (New York: Vintage Books, 1963) p. 2 [5] Thomas Jefferson, ‘The Declaration of Independence’, (Philadelphia, 1776)
