Riots During The 18th Century

During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries colonial America experienced a number of rebellions by various groups for a variety of reasons. The protests took place in Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York. Each protest began for a different reason, however, all involved the discontent that some groups underwent in the colonies. Some of the most notable rebellions include Bacon's Rebellion, The Regulator Uprising, Leislor's Rebellion, Culpepper's Rebellion, and the Paxton Boys Uprising.

Mankind has long accepted violence as a fair means to achieve equality. In human history, the most thorough changes are brought in by the most radical overthrow of the old structure, knocking down the walls that separated the silent majority from the minority, sweeping aside the commands of the oppressors, tearing down the chains of oppression that once trapped them away from their inherent rights of freedom, in an effort to achieve justice for themselves and their countries. Revolutions in particular illustrated that the groups that desire reform but are willing to compromise for stability, take longer to implement changes, while the groups that are more devoted to revolutionary change and are often unafraid to use violence, could implement

1. Text 1 “Experts Cite Underlying Causes for UK Riots” is a news report by Al Pessin published on Voice of America website the 10th of August 2011. The report consists of people giving an estimate of the causes for the UK riots. The inhabitants of London believe at first sight the riots are a response in reaction to lack of jobs and cuts in government services following a

Rebellion is not only caused by a restless revolutionary riot, but it can also be caused by small simple actions that

These new duties were enacted in reaction to the Stamp Act and raised taxes on consumer goods. This money was intended to pay the salaries of appointed officials. The colonial response to this was a reinstating in some colonies of the boycott of British goods begun in response to the Stamp Act and continued resentment. Afterall, the predominant feeling was that the colonists were being forced to pay taxes to a government in which they were not represented to fund their continued oppression. Yet, the colonists continued to grudgingly tolerate British exploitation as the benefits of being part of their empire still outweighed the affronts to their liberty.

Lee starts Crowds and Soldiers in Revolutionary North Carolina by explaining many different types of riots. Lee first examines how British riots compared to riots

During the era of 1770’s there were a lot of historical events which caused turmoil and uncertainty amoung the people. The country was comprised of 13 colony’s that were more like separate countries operating under their own set of guidelines or principles. The Articles of Confederation established in 1781, which granted power to oversee and control foreign affairs, war, and currency. Congress had power over certain issues but they did not have the authority to enforce any rules or have any control over the separate colony’s to follow the advice or direction set by congress. This quickly led the 13 colonies to grow apart and with little to no guidance. The leaders of each colony showed little to no interest in attending any meetings held

A 'riot' is commonly defined as a disorderly behaviour, which often involve violence and the destruction of property (Andrews, 2014, p. 292). Riots can be viewed from a Conservative point of view and from a Radical point of view. Conservatism and Radicalism are both political ideologies. Although ideologies are 'explanatory frameworks that help to make sense of society' (Andrews, 2014, p. 306), conservatism and radicalism contrast in many ways. Conservatism is associated with wisdom, limited politics, and natural hierarchy, legitimising the existing order. Radicalism is linked to progress, universal rights and popular sovereignty, suggesting alternative to the existing order (The Open University, 2016b).

Just as one small spark can start a blazing wildfire, one simple bomb on the fateful day at Haymarket Square triggered an explosion in the labor movement that no one had expected. With tension growing exponentially in the workers’ rights area of United States reform in the 1800s, scattered riots inevitably broke out among restless workers, but no previous outbreak could compare to the impact of the notorious Haymarket Riot. The explosion in the crowd of workers battling police officers on that spring day in Chicago mirrored the explosion that occurred for laborers across the nation, with a combination of both beneficial and harmful outcomes to last the rest of history.

During the Revolutionary era, the general public, or the working class, used violence to show their displeasure towards the financial wealth the elites had accumulated. Class resentment was as big of an issue during the Revolutionary period as it is today in the modern-era. One of the most notable was the attacks on theaters during the 18th century. Although there was an underlying issue of religion that came into play, there was also the fact that while the population starved, elites were able to frequent “large houses, [with] silver plate, fine furniture and good wine.” [pg 85] Countryman states that, “most disliked the theaters because of the symbolization – glittering ostentation and callous unconcern in time of distress” and when looking at the factors that facilitated the gap between the “haves” and the “have nots,” it should not be surprising that the conflict lead to violence and

4 police men all but one charge connected to a severe beating because the man was in a high speed pursuit ,but then he stopped and got caught.So now the cops all but one got a charge for beating the african american motorist in march 1991.A result of 50 people were killed,more than 2,300 people were injured and about thousands were arrested on that night in the riot.About 1,100 buildings ended up being wrecked.The cost for the buildings was about 1 billion dollars for the damage that people had done to the buildings.It was the most devastating riots in american history.And still is to this day.There was a lot of damage in the riot.White police force practiced racial profiling and engaged in racist

Protests riots in the United States has proven to an issue for both the country’s financial strength and the unity of the nation. With the presence of social injustices, combined with the increased impact of social media propaganda, protests riots are beginning to reach an all time high. Protest riots destroy individual communities and businesses, jeopardizes the safety of others and taints the protest’s cause by resorting to civil disobedience. Action must be done in order to prevent these random acts of violence from continuing after every social hot topic. The goal is not to prevent citizens from protesting; in fact, this should be encouraged. The goal is to change the way the protests are handled from both the citizens and authority perspectives, in order to prevent these protests from escalating into something dangerous.

Disputes over religion, land, and power ignited various revolts within New England. In Maryland and Massachusetts, disagreements in religion caused many to protest. Around the 1650s, tensions between Catholics and Protestants rose because both Puritans and Jesuits longed to impose their religion over all others. Subsequently, in 1655, a civil war allowed Protestants to rule the government. Similarly, a difference in religious beliefs again caused massive protests in Massachusetts. Williams argued that their church should permanently break away from the Church of England. Another protester, Anne Hutchinson, considered many clergymen as non elect and thus, had no right to wield authority. These differences in religious beliefs gradually led to

• 8 hour work day • No child labor • Cooperative • Equal pay • Government owned (telegraph, telephone, RR) • Graduated income tax • At first …no strikes .. but later strike! (demise is Haymarket riot) Uriah Stephens Terence Powderly Skilled & unskilled Associated with anarchists during Haymarket Riot & slowly dissolve American Federation of Labor (AFL) 1886 • Higher pay • 8 hour work day • Safe conditions • Collective bargaining Samuel Gompers Skilled white males Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) 1905 • Overthrow wage system and replace with industrial democracy (elect management) • Class warfare • Strike • Boycott • Slow downs • Sabotage • (not collective bargaining because anti-contract hierarchy) Big Bill Haywood Eugene V. Debs • Unskilled

The collection of documents creates an image of scarcity riots happening across the South west of England during the period of spring 1801. At same time England was facing economic hardship because of constant high taxation as a result of the war with France. The country was in the midst of crop shortages caused by the poor harvest in the previous year of 1799. The current years were also being shaped by the ideas of Scottish moral philosopher Adam Smith’s ‘Wealth of Nations’ which pushed ideas of free trade. These ideas were meant to cause market contention resulting in market prices naturally decreasing, but due to the current economic situation of low wages and shortages prices continued to be high. Which is why there was social unrest surrounding the market place, with the last scarcity riot only being 4 years prior. The south ranging from Plymouth in Devon through Somerset into Bristol was especially hard hit, due to its low prices at the start of the period. Following Adam Smith’s theory many farmers were willing to venture further to achieve higher prices in different markets. This meant the South was relying solely on its own supplies, meaning great demand and little supply. It is this South dominated documentation that helps paint a picture of the dynamics that developed between the market, mob and magistrate. It shows the crowds action verse the magistrates reaction, and whether these varied from town to town. These primary sources can also be used to challenge or