Student & Teacher intro to:
Overview
The following information is intended to help Middlesex County audiences who want to better understand the play 'Liberty Madness.'
What is 'Liberty Madness'
Liberty
Let's start with 'liberty.' It usually means 1) the state or condition of being free.
Liberty was associated with theology (the study of religion) because some Judeo-Christians believed that God gave human beings the 'liberty' to choose good or evil. Liberty was also associated with ancient abstractions, such as the Roman goddess 'Libertas'; she was often depicted wearing the 'frigian cap' given to Roman slaves after they won their freedom. In the 18th century, people began to believe they were living in an advanced age of 'Enlightenment' and learning, and they began to look for more precise and even scientific definitions of liberty. They still evoked the older concepts of liberty, but they also sought explanations rooted in real world experience, rather than the supernatural.
In the midst of the American Revolution, the Scottish philosopher Adam Smith defined liberty (specifically as "natural liberty") as allowing every individual to pursue their own interest in their own way, bringing their industry and capital into competition with others, provided they do not violate the laws of justice. It is a system free from state coercion, where individuals freely choose their actions. In essence, Smith's liberty is a "presumption of liberty," suggesting that the burden of proof should be on those who wish to restrict freedom, as individuals (and not governments) generally possess the best knowledge of their own interests.
Madness
In colonial times, the term 'madness' meant a disease that caused insanity: the loss of self-control. If you've ever seen someone explode with anger at being told what to do, then you've seen someone the British or early Americans might have thought 'mad' or suffering from 'liberty madness.' In a state of madness, a person might lash out and ignore any sense of justice, and act solely out of self interest.
Justice, unfortunately, often seems very subjective to people. We notice the absence of justice more often than its presence. It happens whenever something seems 'unfair.'
Let's start with 'liberty.' It usually means 1) the state or condition of being free.
Liberty was associated with theology (the study of religion) because some Judeo-Christians believed that God gave human beings the 'liberty' to choose good or evil. Liberty was also associated with ancient abstractions, such as the Roman goddess 'Libertas'; she was often depicted wearing the 'frigian cap' given to Roman slaves after they won their freedom. In the 18th century, people began to believe they were living in an advanced age of 'Enlightenment' and learning, and they began to look for more precise and even scientific definitions of liberty. They still evoked the older concepts of liberty, but they also sought explanations rooted in real world experience, rather than the supernatural.
In the midst of the American Revolution, the Scottish philosopher Adam Smith defined liberty (specifically as "natural liberty") as allowing every individual to pursue their own interest in their own way, bringing their industry and capital into competition with others, provided they do not violate the laws of justice. It is a system free from state coercion, where individuals freely choose their actions. In essence, Smith's liberty is a "presumption of liberty," suggesting that the burden of proof should be on those who wish to restrict freedom, as individuals (and not governments) generally possess the best knowledge of their own interests.
Madness
In colonial times, the term 'madness' meant a disease that caused insanity: the loss of self-control. If you've ever seen someone explode with anger at being told what to do, then you've seen someone the British or early Americans might have thought 'mad' or suffering from 'liberty madness.' In a state of madness, a person might lash out and ignore any sense of justice, and act solely out of self interest.
Justice, unfortunately, often seems very subjective to people. We notice the absence of justice more often than its presence. It happens whenever something seems 'unfair.'
Why Does the American Revolution Matter?
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In many ways, the American Revolution was a long time ago. 250 years is far past the reach of living memory, and no one alive now has ever met or seen a survivor of that war.
Yet the revolution continues to affect our relationship to our government, our understanding of politics, and our basic identity as Americans. Revolutionary leaders such as Benjamin Franklin and George Washington became legends in their own time. We still see their images every day on coins and bills, and their names on every kind of infrastructure, from bridges and roads to schools and hospitals. The American Revolution established the basic legal and political institutions that continue to govern our lives on a day to day basis. |
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What Happened in the American Revolution?
The American Revolution began as a series of localized riots and protests, and turned into a eight or nine year war with repercussions that stretched across the globe. Students (and experts) find it a challenging subject to get a handle on, especially in the early stages when the American colonies began protesting the power of the British parliament to tax, control, or reform the various American assemblies, provinces, and royal colonies. The Americans believed the British parliament was unjust, and violating the religious and political liberties of the colonists; the British parliament believed the colonies were being unjust, and suffered from liberty madness. The resulting distrust and anger led to a slide into a civil war.
Not every American fought on the side of the 'Continental Congress' and Independence. In fact, most people avoided fighting in the war. Some groups, like the Society of Friends (or 'Quakers') avoided the war because they believed in a strict adherence to non-violence. But others viewed the war as violent, bizarre and selfish, and simply tried to tough out the war on their farmsteads. In New Jersey, some farmers signed oaths of loyalty to both the Continental Congress and to the King, depending on who was riding through town.
Many people, like Governor William Franklin of New Jersey, viewed the revolution as an unlawful and even insane attempt to overthrow the King's peace. These individuals were called 'Loyalists' or 'Tories.' By the end of the war, 70,000 loyalists would be banished from the lands that would become the United States, and tens of thousands of runaway slaves and Indigenous Americans would go with them.
To get a handle on the basic events of the Revolution, Thinkery & Verse recommend 'The American Revolution: Oversimplified.'
The 'Oversimplified History' videos are an irreverent, satirical series of short films that help explain complex themes in international history to a general audience. The videos tend to be accurate, absurd, and fast. Occasionally, Webster takes liberties with the truth, such as when he exaggerates King George III's vanity or Benjamin Franklin's lasciviousness, but on the whole, it is an excellent primer on the complicated events of the American Revolution.
Content warning: the videos include 2nd and 3rd party ads, mild vulgarity, and rude noises.
Not every American fought on the side of the 'Continental Congress' and Independence. In fact, most people avoided fighting in the war. Some groups, like the Society of Friends (or 'Quakers') avoided the war because they believed in a strict adherence to non-violence. But others viewed the war as violent, bizarre and selfish, and simply tried to tough out the war on their farmsteads. In New Jersey, some farmers signed oaths of loyalty to both the Continental Congress and to the King, depending on who was riding through town.
Many people, like Governor William Franklin of New Jersey, viewed the revolution as an unlawful and even insane attempt to overthrow the King's peace. These individuals were called 'Loyalists' or 'Tories.' By the end of the war, 70,000 loyalists would be banished from the lands that would become the United States, and tens of thousands of runaway slaves and Indigenous Americans would go with them.
To get a handle on the basic events of the Revolution, Thinkery & Verse recommend 'The American Revolution: Oversimplified.'
The 'Oversimplified History' videos are an irreverent, satirical series of short films that help explain complex themes in international history to a general audience. The videos tend to be accurate, absurd, and fast. Occasionally, Webster takes liberties with the truth, such as when he exaggerates King George III's vanity or Benjamin Franklin's lasciviousness, but on the whole, it is an excellent primer on the complicated events of the American Revolution.
Content warning: the videos include 2nd and 3rd party ads, mild vulgarity, and rude noises.
Central Characters
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
William Franklin
Elizabeth Downes Franklin
Temple Franklin
Liberty Madness
During a 1776 cannonade between
Themes
Contested Truth in Politics
In "Liberty Madness", Benjamin Franklin and William Franklin cannot agree on what is true. Because they are unable to agree on basic claims, they have no way to persuade one another to each other's cause. They accuse each other (and their countrymen) of being ruled by passion, not reason. When William Franklin faces a court martial led by the Continental Congress, he rejects their legitimacy, just as they reject his status as a lawful governor. Later on in the play, Benjamin Franklin -- one of the most famous 'rational' proponent of the Age of Enlightenment -- drums up France's support for the Revolution with passion and sentiment.
A Civil War
After society loses a stable set of shared values, violence often follows. In New Jersey, people on all sides of the conflict referred to the American Revolution as a civil war, or even "intestine" -- in the guts of the body politic. Long-held resentments against neighbors turned into violent blood feuds. Households were torn apart as different members chose sides. Both rebels and loyalists accused each other of treason, and executed their rivals in rushed court martials or "Committees of Public Safety." Hundreds of people were executed in sham trials, and often left to rot.
Loyalist forces, including British regulars and their Hessian (German) allies, occupied rebel houses and turned churches into stables and latrines.
Both British and Colonial forces engaged in a 'foraging war' in which they ransacked farms and villages throughout New Jersey for supplies. Those who resisted faced further violence, including murder or sexual assault.
Loyalist forces, including British regulars and their Hessian (German) allies, occupied rebel houses and turned churches into stables and latrines.
Both British and Colonial forces engaged in a 'foraging war' in which they ransacked farms and villages throughout New Jersey for supplies. Those who resisted faced further violence, including murder or sexual assault.
Equality and Inequality
"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed, by their creator, with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
During the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin spoke against the formation of a senate because he believed that it would pass laws prejudiced to wealthy landowners and against the interests of the majority of citizens.
During the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin spoke against the formation of a senate because he believed that it would pass laws prejudiced to wealthy landowners and against the interests of the majority of citizens.
Further Reading
The American Revolution, the British Empire, and the 18th century remain one of the most active areas of research in the fields of history, anthropology, philosophy, and political science.
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During the American Revolution, the British captured every major American city; but in a country where most people lived on small farms outside major urban centers, it simply did not matter. They had, as historian Andrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy puts it, 'an army of conquest, not occupation.' The British had the most powerful navy in the world, and the most modern army, and yet lost the war. O'Shaughnessy's The Men Who Lost America goes a long way into explaining the British military's failure to protect loyalist and prevent a civil war.
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How important was slavery or Indian genocide to the American Revolution? Several television series, books, and podcasts have tackled this subject head on. The most well-known is probably the essay collection entitled 1619; the book is named for the first year that enslaved Africans were transported to the American colonies. The American Historical Review, the preeminent peer-reviewed journal in the field, published a series of essays critiquing the book.
The book series Scarlet & Black, from Rutgers University Press, examines how the histories of Rutgers University and Middlesex County are tied to slavery and stolen lands. |
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Essential Books
- Lundin, Leonard. The Cockpit of the Revolution: The War for Independence in New Jersey. (Princeton University Press, 1940). (Classic, comprehensive military and social history).
- Fischer, David Hackett. Washington's Crossing. (OUP, 2004).
- Lurie, Maxine N. Caught in the Crossfire: Taking Sides in Revolutionary New Jersey (Rutgers University Press, 2022).
- Dunkerly, Robert M. Unhappy Catastrophes: The American Revolution in Central Jersey, 1776-1782 (Savas Beate 2022).
- Gerlach, Larry R. (Ed.). New Jersey in the American Revolution, 1763-1783: A Documentary History. (New Jersey Historical Commission, 1975).
- McCormick, Richard P. New Jersey from Colony to State, 1609-1789. (Rutgers University Press, 1964)..
- Bill, Alfred Hoyt. New Jersey and the Revolutionary War. (Rutgers University Press, 1964)..
- Dwyer, William M. The Day is Ours: An Inside View of the Battles of Trenton and Princeton. (Rutgers University Press, 1998).
- Kidder, Larry. A People Harassed and Exhausted: The Story of a New Jersey Militia Regiment in the American Revolution.
- Leiby, Adrian. The Revolutionary War in the Hackensack Valley – The Jersey Dutch and the Neutral Ground 1775-1783..
- New Jersey Historical Commission. New Jersey's Revolutionary Experience (28-part pamphlet series, 1975).
- Ryan, Dennis P. New Jersey in the American Revolution, 1763-1783: A Chronology. (New Jersey Historical Commission, 1974).
- Sinclair, Donald A. & Schut, Grace W. The American Revolution and New Jersey: A Bibliography.
- NJ State Library Digital Resources (Includes various 18th-century letters and records, such as petitions of the New Jersey Assembly).