Colonial History

本文描述了殖民地历史民主可以由人民在其所有形式中定义为政府，直接或通过使用选举的代表行使。而在民主战士韦瑟斯菲尔德管理下，康涅狄格州是在一个民主的方向逐渐扩大，想创造出一个幸福和幸福的地方，所有的人都生活在和谐中的社会。

Democracy can be defined as government by the people in all of its forms; either exercised directly or through the use elected representatives. America was still just a lump of clay, amorous in shape and size, in the pre revolutionary era. However, a shape was beginning to take form. The clay was so deeply oppressed by the British hierarchy that the only facet could model a budding democracy. Wethersfield, Connecticut is an adequate model of a democracy beginning to take form. The period from 1750 to 1780 witnessed Wethersfield take the initial steps in becoming a democracy. Nevertheless, the small town was far from becoming a democratic strong hold. Wethersfield especially made progress in regard to political democracy (the ability of all of the people to partake in the electing of officials as well as being able to express their political tendencies), religious democracy (the ability of any people to practice their religious doctrine freely), and basic social democracy (The ability of each and every person to climb the social ladder based on their contributions and efforts in the community, eg. Receiving a better job and thus a better salary).

 Even so, certain prejudices prevented Wethersfield from attaining full democratic status. Economic democracy (the people’s need to have the opportunity of purchasing and owning land and estates), for instance, progressed in anti democratic direction, as an elite few grew wealthier while poor men remained poor. Political conditions in Wethersfield, Connecticut were gradually expanding in a democratic direction. As witnessed by the Distribution of Political Status, there was a steady increase in the number of white males that were allowed to vote as well as those who were able to meet the voting requirements. The number of males that succeeded to authoritarian positions also increased from 32 to 52 in a matter of two decades (Doc G). The people’s insatisfaction with British rule is evident in the case of Jared Ingersoll, a New Haven attorney. Ingersoll, in charge of distributing stamps in Connecticut, was called to a meeting where he was politely asked to resign as distributor. The common hatred of the Stamp Act allowed the people to come together and face the obstacle as a whole (Doc L). This unity was the basis of political democracy as the people realized their own magnificent strength. Following the revolution, political freedom greatly differed with its far less open-minded predecessors. Silas Deane, a Wethersfield merchant, reflected on some highly democratic notions in a letter to his colleague Patrick Henry. Deane saw the need for the establishment of further communities because of the dangers of overcrowding and poverty. In these hypothetical communities, persons in charge would be held fully accountable to the entire town.

 If it would be deemed favorable by the town, these officials would be reelected. Most importantly, these towns would be small version republics with variations of power (Doc F). These central ideas form the basis of a democracy. Economic democracy and its interdependent, social democracy developed democratically in different degrees. As social democracy increased, economic democracy degenerated. As the population distribution of Wethersfield in 1756 and 1774 shows, while the number of free blacks increased, the number of slaves steadily decreased (Doc A). Also, all of those who joined the cause against the British would be treated equally. The Agreement of the Wethersfield Volunteers demonstrates their desire to ascertain the fair treatment of all. A selected group of officers would resolve any and all differences between individuals. The Volunteers also agreed upon relieving each and all who would fail to respect the common rules (M). Economically, through land distribution and holding, Wethersfield failed to reach a high level of democracy. As the Distribution of Land Holdings for 1756 and ’73 show, while an insignificant percent of individuals managed to increase their holdings, the majority was left with no land at all. This percentage drastically increased from 17 to 33 percent in the aforementioned years (Doc C). Unjust tax assessments were also a common practice. The estates of Joseph Webb and Charles Buckley are quite similar in size and structure, however, Webb was forced to pay 178 pounds in 1775, a hefty sum compared to Buckley’s 30 pounds (Doc E).

Thus, land issues had been left at a standstill, almost completely unmarked by democratic growth. Religious differences and persecution were deterring factors in the advance of democratic principles. Reverend Samuel Peters had a completely conflicting view of Connecticut to the one presented by Timothy Dwight. Dwight envisioned a Utopia, a place of happiness and bliss in which all people live in harmony, with a common respect to God and each other (Doc 0). Peters scorned this notion by claiming that although the law supposedly forbid the paying of rates by religious dissenters such as the Anabaptists to the Congregationalists. Nevertheless, the town, compromising of a religious majority would vote upon extracting taxes from these dissenters through other means such as taxes on schooling and ministers. An example of religious bigotry was the case of Reverend Frothingham, who was imprisoned and sentenced because he did not seek permission from the towns official minister, James Lockwood. Frothingham wrote letter to Lockwood claiming that he could only be held in the eyes of God and that his actions were miserly (Doc I). This example shows that religious differences, despite of laws, caused irreparable damage.

According to Walt Whitman, “Democracy can never prove itself beyond cavil, until it founds and luxuriantly grows its own forms of art, poems, schools, theology, displacing all that exists, or that has been produced anywhere in the past, under opposite influences.” Colonial Wethersfield had sewn the seeds of democracy when it had joined the struggle against Britain. The revolution had seen the development of democracy in Wethersfield. The seed had been sown, watered, and with time, it grew.

 51Due网站原创范文除特殊说明外一切图文著作权归51Due所有；未经51Due官方授权谢绝任何用途转载或刊发于媒体。如发生侵犯著作权现象，51Due保留一切法律追诉权。