Contagion Of Liberty In The American Revolution

The American Revolution was fundamentally a war fought for liberty. Colonists believed that the British government was encroaching on their rights and was transforming them into slaves. For them, slavery was the ultimate political evil as it placed individuals under the absolute authority of another person. This argument was employed as a way to encourage the colonists to rebel against the British; however, as conversations about liberty gained momentum across the nation a sort of “contagion of liberty” began occurring. Discussions of their own enslavement to the British led many colonists to reexamine the slavery occurring in North America and created a moral dilemma in their minds. Claiming to fight for their own freedom while simultaneously
The existence of slavery was a striking contrast to the contagion of liberty that was spreading across America, and it created cognitive dissonance in the minds of many colonists. It was irrational for the colonists to proclaim their love for liberty while a multitude of people remained in bondage to chattel slavery. As liberty was engrained in the foundational principles of America “the contradiction between the proclaimed principles of freedom and the facts of life in America became generally recognized” (Bailyn, 235). It was an embarrassing reality because the colonists understood that the slavery was standing in contradiction with the reasoning they used against the British government and with their religious values. The colonists had claimed that the British denied them basic rights and asserted that “all men are born free” (Bailyn, 235). Moreover, the slavery the colonists had complained about was “lighter than a feather compared to [the] heave doom” (Bailyn, 244) of the African slaves in America. The religious principles of the colonists only exasperated their cognitive
The moral issues focused not only on what slavery did to the slaves, but also on its effect on the slave owners. Slavery has the most damaging effect on the character of the slave owner, transforming him into an absolute tyrant. Furthermore, the economy of the north was never fully dependent on slavery. Many, in the north, even believed that slaves prevented “the immigration of whites who really enrich and strengthen the country” (Morison, 283). The combination of economic and moral reasons led to the abolition of slavery from many northern states and in 1775 Quakers “formed the first antislavery society in the western world” (B, 245). Attempts to abolish slavery did not remain only in the north. The creation of the northwest ordinance was a momentous moment for those hoping to abolish slavery. As the ordinance described the organization and governance of this territory, it was clear that the contagion of liberty had reached these frontier lands. According to the 6th article of the Northwest ordinance “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude” could exist “in the said territory” (Morison, 232). Abolition of slavery was also attempted in the south, but due to economic reasons slavery remained there for many more