Module 4 - Revolutionary Control by the Elite

What were the methods of control used by the Revolutionary elite to control disobedient and rebellious colonists?  Were the elite successful in their efforts?

In Howard Zinn’s book, A People’s History of the United States he mentions that although various groups of peoples were incensed against the British, the general enthusiasm for the war was not strong (p. 62).  Later he states that “John Adams had estimated a third opposed, a third in support, a third neutral” (p. 62).  So who was interested in severing their ties from Britain?  In my opinion, those who had the most to gain the elite, wealthy, white men. 

So how did the ‘elite’ get the opposed and neutral parties to join their forces against the British army and keep a balance of control over the rebellious colonists?  They did this by preying on the needs of the disadvantaged, providing illusions of adventure, power, money, status, advancement, possibilities of freedom and the belief that they were fighting for a common good.  Or as one documented instance notes the natural competition of seeing a neighbor no better than yourself joining the Revolution as a person of rank and not just a private soldier made others jump in and join the cause (Zinn 62). 

However, they still had to control the militia and tread carefully because of underlying issues between the rich and the poor which resurfaced as small mutinies throughout the war.  George Washington handled these situations using tactics of concessions such as discharge and furloughs for some and brutality for others.  During one such instance Washington set “an example” where the three ringleaders of the mutiny were immediately tried, one was pardoned and two were shot by firing squads made up of their friends, who wept as they pulled the triggers (Zinn 64).  This to me demonstrates just how much power and control the ‘elite’ had over the people.

I don’t believe the ‘elite’ were forward thinking strategists, but their ability to play on the emotional needs of the people both positive and negative was well utilized to further their efforts and maintain control to their advantage.

The strategy of playing off of the emotional needs of people still exists today.  For example Corporate America being in a position of having a large pool of unemployed people desperate for work they take advantage and sometime mistreat their current work force.  Some companies treat people as dispensable and employees put up with more crap because it is the worse of two evils during this period of instability and high unemployment. 

Source:

Zinn, Howard. A People’s History of the United States. New York: The New Press, 2003