Division in Resistance: Georgia and Massachusetts After the Intolerable Acts
Disciplines
Political History | United States History
Abstract (300 words maximum)
This project discusses the colonists’ reaction to the Intolerable Acts and how the differences across New England and Southern colonies reflect their colonial identity. Previous scholarship discusses the resistance to the Intolerable Acts through perspective focused on economics, grassroots, or ideological discourse. I plan to break away from this by focusing solely on how colonial identity shaped their resistance strategies. Throughout New England, there was a long history of political activism, so they were quick to respond and organize resistance movements. In the Southern colonies however, there was a reliance on Britain within their economy, so they were much more hesitant to organize resistance movements. By analyzing arguments from authors such as Bernard Bailyn, T.H. Breen, Pauline Maier, and others, this project places the records of the colonial reactions to the Intolerable Acts in a broader perspective of what we can tell about the regional political differences. This project also contributes to the debate on how popular the resistance movements were, as though the resistance movements were widespread throughout the colonies, they were not a cohesive unit. These regional differences would come to play a significant role in the development of the Republic in the early years as well, and are also reflected in modern politics. By using primary sources, such as colonial newspapers, town meeting records, and petitions, this paper breaks down the regional differences between New England and the South during the late 18th century.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - History & Philosophy
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Amy Dunagin
Division in Resistance: Georgia and Massachusetts After the Intolerable Acts
This project discusses the colonists’ reaction to the Intolerable Acts and how the differences across New England and Southern colonies reflect their colonial identity. Previous scholarship discusses the resistance to the Intolerable Acts through perspective focused on economics, grassroots, or ideological discourse. I plan to break away from this by focusing solely on how colonial identity shaped their resistance strategies. Throughout New England, there was a long history of political activism, so they were quick to respond and organize resistance movements. In the Southern colonies however, there was a reliance on Britain within their economy, so they were much more hesitant to organize resistance movements. By analyzing arguments from authors such as Bernard Bailyn, T.H. Breen, Pauline Maier, and others, this project places the records of the colonial reactions to the Intolerable Acts in a broader perspective of what we can tell about the regional political differences. This project also contributes to the debate on how popular the resistance movements were, as though the resistance movements were widespread throughout the colonies, they were not a cohesive unit. These regional differences would come to play a significant role in the development of the Republic in the early years as well, and are also reflected in modern politics. By using primary sources, such as colonial newspapers, town meeting records, and petitions, this paper breaks down the regional differences between New England and the South during the late 18th century.