1

Pauleane McAllister

Professor Kimberly Lark

History 151

21 April 2017

History Reflection

There were many times when the economy and other business related events occurred in

Early American history. Throughout history there were disagreements on certain issues which

lead to serious conflicts. Many times violence followed these conflicts. This was a means to an

end. Early Ancestors believed in fighting in order to solve an issue. Whoever won got what they

wanted. In Early American history, the economy and business related issues fueled a lot of

problems and gave birth to many leaders like James Otis, Gabriel, and Alexander Hamilton who

sought change.

During the pre-revolution period in British America, American citizens felt like they were

unfairly taxed, one leader came forward and tried to stop this from happening. According to the

text, the colonists or American citizens felt as though "they were being watched over like children

and they felt ignored in their attempt to address grievances"(Module 7). This was the start of an

economic crisis that caused an important individual to become the face of this issue--James Otis.

He was a true patriot and he strongly disagreed with British taxation policies. In fact, it was his

job to provide legal aid against any British search warrants. He was known for his greatest criticism

against this issue in his pamphlet entitled "The Rights of the British Colonists Asserted and

Approved (Module 7). He was so against these policies, that it ultimately cost him his life. One

day he was fed up with being called disloyal and he stormed into Boston's Royal Coffee House,
 2

where he was badly beaten. This would later lead to his death. His entire cause for social justice

solidified exactly what William McNeill illustrated in his article "Why Study History." He talks

about this idea of self-identity. Meaning that we have no real effective identity unless we inform

ourselves of our history (McNeil). James Otis was very loyal to his English Constitution, but he

was also very knowledgeable about his history. This allowed him to stand up for what he believed.

He was motivated by this idea of "bad business." The British unfairly taxing patriots and not

allowing them to disagree or "tax without representation," was just the beginning to stir up

economic turmoil (Module 7). In "What can History Teach Us" By Michael Postma, it states the

same idea. He refers to a child ( this same concept can be applied to anyone, and in this case an

adult) being able to distinguish "the importance of his past" How will he use history to define his

past" How will he use history to define his present? How will he use history to shape his future?

And how will he celebrate differences, rectify injustices, discuss divisions, or build alliances

without an understanding of human existence?"(Postma). History allows us to think deeply and

construct our own views in a more informed way. In conjunction with Michael Postma's article,

William McNeill's article speaks about history or historical knowledge being a collection of

personal experiences. He defines it as "carefully and constructed collective memory." But he then

explains memory as our personal experiences that change meanings as our lives change. In this

case, James Otis used his personal experiences and what he knew about common core values, to

defy what was commonly accepted at the time. He planted the seed of social injustice and he

wanted this issue solved. He did this through by representing and helping many people in this

unreasonable predicament. He had many personal experiences in London, but their meanings

changed with him learning and becoming more aware of the world around him. He knew that taxes

fueled the economy, but he also knew that no one deserved to be forced to anything.
 3

It seemed as though any action that sustained the economy and was good for business,

was allowed. Some people were not okay with this at all. Morals and ethics claimed to be highly

valued in American Society especially when it came to freedom. But the there were many people

who were the exception. Many of the public figures who were highly regarded by society,

employed one of the biggest controversial means of income in their livesslavery. Often times

many of them took the "moral" high ground and sought to come up with a feasible way to

promote unity and American patriotism. However it didnt apply to slavery because it was good

for business. It stimulated the economy and allowed a lot of owners to become rich. During the

middle passage, slavery was at its pique, slaves were viewed as opportunity and great monetary

value (Module 5 ). Slaves were given the name "cargo" because of the revenue that was placed

in by them. The amount of slaves being transported greatly increased because transporters

believed if there were more products, it presented a greater chance for more money. In reality,

the "cargo" were dying of disease and starvation and many of them did not make it to the

destination. Individuals that did make it were cleaned and put up for sale and those who were too

sick, were left to die. Once slaves made their arrival to their respective plantation they were

forced to pick cotton. This form of chattel slavery earned their master great prestige and

consistent income (Module 5). But there was an individual who was motivated by the plight of

his people and changing this newfound means of income, his name was Gabriel. He was a

skilled artisan so he was often able to be "hired out." This meant that he got to travel many

places. In traveling, he got a glimpse of many ways of life. He was tired of not receiving the

same benefits monetarily (Module 13). He began to plan a slave revolt. Unfortunately it ended

up falling through and he was not able to do it. Even though he was later killed and slaves were

still treated the same after that, he at least planted the seed for people to stand up for themselves.
 4

He allowed them to employ what William H. McNeill illustrated about self-identity. People after

him could begin to form a positive idea of themselves separate from just being a slave. Slaves

might have identified with more than just being a dollar value, they may have started to identify

as a person. William H. McNeil talks about who we are as a person and how historical

knowledge is a great influence on it. According to Blair Dee Hodges in her article, "By better

understanding the ways various thinkers have appealed to history in their respective

philosophical projects we might better realize how such an exercise might be undertaken with the

most fruitful results"(Hodges). This explains Gabriel and his attempt for change. He was

motivated by contributing greatly to the economy and still not receiving the same treatment as

white individuals. Gabriel was very skilled and many requested for him so he was not an

ordinary slave picking cotton. He did a lot more work and so he wanted to feel appreciated. So

by looking at the way that he handled that situation, others that came after him could possibly

figure out exactly what they needed to do so achieve fruitful results. He was the guinea pig for

the type of revolt he was trying to lead. Others after him would have an advantage of watching it

happen and fail. Others could see how to maneuver through this socially unjust society in an

effective way.

The economy and business was suffering especially after wars so it was very vital that

someone step up and figure out a solution. That person was Alexander Hamilton. He was driven

by this idea of solving our debt and making America's economy healthy again. Hamilton's plan

was to pay off all state debts and make our public credit better, the only problem was that so

much debt had accumulated from the Revolutionary war. The second part of the plan was to

create a national bank or federal charter to increase the value of paper currency (Module 11). The

last part of his plan was to make "manufacturers self-sufficient." He wanted to depend less on
 5

foreign goods coming from Britain and focus more on how to produce those same results in our

own country. So he suggested a mercantilist economic policy. This would place taxes on goods

coming into the country. Money or "direct subsidies" would be given to businesses mainly

American manufacturers to sustain them. By doing this, he hoped this would allow them be

competition to other countries (Module 11). He was very aware of what people had done before

him. He was seeking to change what had come before him and try to make sense of it. In fact, he

modeled the national bank after the Bank of England. He dissected exactly what they did and

applied it to America's society. This was a concept William H. McNeill explained eloquently in

his article. "This value of historical knowledge obviously justifies teaching and learning about

what happened in recent times, for the way things are descends from the way they were

yesterday and the day before that" (McNeill). Alexander Hamilton wanted to figure out exactly

how to solve the problem and he came up with a three part solution. The successfulness is not as

important as the foundational principles that he laid for this country. He was trying be proactive

and think about the future and what this would mean for the economy and for businesses all over

the nation. Blair Dee Hodges was on the same page because she too understood the value of

bookmarking what has happened in our past, to create an immaculate present and future. "Our

histories tell us much about what we presently value, as much as they tell us about what was

valued in the past" (Hodges).

All three of these Individuals were driven by the economy and some type of business and

they sought to do something about it. James Otis, Gabriel, and Jamie Hamilton all came forward

and made serious efforts to change the outcome of the way society was at the time. One could

stand to reason that they did a lot of reflection about people that came before them, people that

would come after them and what the future would hold after the impact of their decisions.
 6

Regardless, they were brave to tackle such a huge feat of trying to change the economy and the

way businesses were ran. The history that came before molded them and made them effective

and active members of society who tried to contribute positively.

These individuals and the three articles that we read really inspired my fire to want to

learn more about my history. It made me want to learn about everything before me so that I can

become a more informed member of society and contribute positively. One statement made by

Michael Postma sent me into deep reflection, "History is a lesson: a lesson of intentions,

movements, experiments, and human production; a lesson that builds integrity and character

within our children. Is man inherently good? Who controls the distribution of power and wealth?

Whose government is for which people? The study of history requires us to ask such complex

questions as these" (Postma). This really made me think as to how this nation has been formed. It

has been formed by trial and error and on foundational principles made by humans. Humans are

flawed but with practice and time and effort that human can produce amazing milestones. It also

made me think about what we teach our children and ourselves can really tell us about who are

as a people. Is are purpose to do good or for self gain? These thoughts have allowed me to renew

my passion with reading and after this class I will continue to educate myself on our history. I

am more informed about what happened during the pre-revolutionary war, slavery, Native

Americans, and the Revolutionary war, the constitution and its entirety, and much more. Now I

am looking at society through clear lenses. I am more aware of issues of social injustice. This

class has taught me to appreciate what has come before me because it ultimately is the reason

why I am able to do things that I am doing today. Everything that exists today came from

somewhere. Just knowing that, I want to contribute positively to society. I want to make social

strides with certain issues.

 7

In order to do that it is my understanding that that more that someone knows, the better

they are to become an active member of society. As a historian there is this thirst for knowledge

that leads you to so much information about the past. But the question is what to do you do with

it. Does it really allow you to prevent current events from happening, or make you make better

decisions, or change your outlook? These are all probing questions that serve as the motivation

of many historians. It is my belief that History has so many different elements that in order to

fully understand it, a lot of teaching and learning has to happen. We study history for various

reasons. Those benefits can be deemed beneficial in order to become better educated and more

of an effective member of society. While reading the article " Why study history" by William

McNeill he outlines another defining reason as to why we should study history. He talks about it

increasing our critical skills and further broadens our knowledge base allowing us to see the

world in a more informed light(McNeill).

There are so many different people that made so many contributions to society that it is

hard to keep track. Many times a lot of their actions were motivated by something. They believed

in a certain ideal and stood up for it. In taking this course, my outlook on life has completely

changed. I have begun to see the world we live in as this beacon of hope because so many people

before us has dealt with so much heartache as well as victories. The very structure that we live

in was created by slaves and founding fathers, and presidents and new organizations and

anything that fostered change. I believe that many events served as a catalyst for change in the

past. That same drive that motivated those events can allow us to become more informed about

our present lives and future. It is so vital that we allow ourselves to learn about the past and who

made great strides for this country. They can be your role model, events that happened in the past

can help us dissect it and figure out how to apply it to our daily lives. Historical Knowledge as
 8

William McNeill put it, is "no more and no less than carefully and critically constructed

collective memory." That is it. He also then goes to state that collective memory is our

experiences and they transform with time. He talks about that the key is becoming informed and

really learning about what has happened before us. He states that "This value of historical

knowledge obviously justifies teaching and learning about what happened in recent times, for the

way things are descends from the way they were yesterday and the day before that." He also

talks about the fact that our personal experience take on new meanings as time changes. This

class is now a part of my experience I have learned different ways to approach certain issues

systematically. I am more informed about history so I am beter able to form opinions about the

way things are today and I am ready to start making an impact on society.
 9

Works Cited Page

Ascd. "What Can History Teach Us Today?" ASCD Express 6.22 - What Can History Teach Us

Today? ASCD Access Ideas from the Field, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.

"Early America - US History." HIST 151. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.

"Early America - US History." HIST 151. Schoolcraft College, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.

Hodges, Blair D. "Hodges- Final Essay, On Rhetorical Uses of History to Understand the

Present." Academia.edu. Academia, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.

McNeill, William H. "Why Study History? (1985)." Why Study History? (1985) | AHA.

American Historical Association, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.