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HIST 116: The American Revolution

Lecture 02 - Being a British Colonist. Professor Freeman discusses what it meant to be a British colonist in America in the eighteenth century. She explains how American colonists had deep bonds of tradition and culture with Great Britain. She argues that, as British colonists with a strong sense of their British liberties, settlers in America valued their liberties above all else. She also explains that many Americans had a sense of inferiority when they compared their colonial lifestyles to the sophistication of Europe. Professor Freeman discusses the social order in America during the eighteenth century, and suggests that the lack of an entrenched aristocracy made social rank more fluid in America than in Europe. She ends the lecture by suggesting that the great importance that American colonists placed on British liberties and their link with Britain helped pave the way for the Revolution. (from oyc.yale.edu)

Lecture 02 - Being a British Colonist

Time Lecture Chapters
[00:00:00] 1. Introduction
[00:02:02] 2. Association of Colonists' Identity to English Monarchy
[00:11:51] 3. The British Colonists' Inferiority Complex
[00:20:34] 4. The Fluidity of American Social Order: Gentry Minorities, Prisoners, and Religious Exiles
[00:35:02] 5. Salutary Neglect's Effect on British Liberties in the Colonies and Conclusion

References
Lecture 2 - Being a British Colonist
Instructor: Professor Joanne Freeman. Transcript [html]. Audio [mp3]. Download Video [mov].

Go to the Course Home or watch other lectures:

Lecture 01 - Introduction: Freeman's Top Five Tips for Studying the Revolution
Lecture 02 - Being a British Colonist
Lecture 03 - Being a British American
Lecture 04 - "Ever at Variance and Foolishly Jealous": Intercolonial Relations
Lecture 05 - Outraged Colonials: The Stamp Act Crisis
Lecture 06 - Resistance or Rebellion? (Or, What the Heck is Happening in Boston?)
Lecture 07 - Being a Revolutionary
Lecture 08 - The Logic of Resistance
Lecture 09 - Who Were the Loyalists?
Lecture 10 - Common Sense
Lecture 11 - Independence
Lecture 12 - Civil War
Lecture 13 - Organizing a War
Lecture 14 - Heroes and Villains
Lecture 15 - Citizens and Choices: Experiencing the Revolution in New Haven
Lecture 16 - The Importance of George Washington
Lecture 17 - The Logic of a Campaign (or, How in the World Did We Win?)
Lecture 18 - Fighting the Revolution: The Big Picture
Lecture 19 - War and Society
Lecture 20 - Confederation
Lecture 21 - A Union Without Power
Lecture 22 - A Road to the Constitutional Convention
Lecture 23 - Creating a Constitution
Lecture 24 - Creating a Nation
Lecture 25 - Being an American: The Legacy of the Revolution