During the 1760s and the 1770s many people were beginning to rebel against the imperial British government that ran New York, and all the other colonies as well. Large groups of people would gather together and form mobs to fight against the unjust government. These mobs made it seem as if they were doing all this for the common good of the people, in doing so they would gain popularity among the people within their surrounding area and their numbers would grow, forming large groups of people all fighting for the same goal. In the reading by Gilge, The Road to Mobocracy, on page 37 he discusses on how certain subliminal weapons such as media helped in forming these mobs against the British. One of the most powerful weapons that the people used to rally against their tyrannical rulers was the media. One of the weapons used in New York specifically was the New York Journal, through this they made the British seem like evil, unfair, and corrupt rulers. Publishing copies of articles portraying those images of the British definitely aided in the popularity of the revolutionary mobs.
I believe that using these “weapons” definitely helped in fighting against the British. by portraying them as these evil people the colonist lost faith and trust in their leaders and began to take matters into their own hands. Through the use of this media it also allowed for the colonist to form a common bond with each other bringing them closer, for they all now had a common reason to join together and fight against the British.
I definitely agree that mobs are one of the significant causes that led to the Revolution. Although, I will disagree with Gilje in his argument about how mobs sought out for “the common good of the people” and to “gain popularity among people”. I don’t think that they were worried about others when they were really rioting for their own advantage. However, mobs did spread a sufficient amount of influence amongst their neighbors. I would say mobs get a 6.5-7.0 on Revolutionary causes.
I disagree, I believe that the mobs in this scenario were looking out for the greater good of the people. The mobs were not always around, they came to form after the British set their laws and began taxing the colonies. The mobs were a group of people that all believed in one common cause, freedom from British rule. They had a point of view and decided to stand for what they believed in. In this case they believed that following the laws of the British and staying under their control was unfair and unjust. They believed that if they rioted they would be able to make their own rules, their own laws and be able to live their lives the way they best saw fit. They rallied together because they thought that once they could break from the British they’d be able to live under a government that was fair and just, not because they had a hidden agenda. I think that the mobs get an 8.5 on Revolutionary causes.
The use of mobs and the media during these times of revolution did in fact prove to be very significant. Media helped to spread word of the tyrannical British mother country like wildfire to the public, creating an uproar. Arturo did a great job of mentioning in his post “One of the weapons used in New York specifically was the New York Journal, through this they made the British seem like evil, unfair, and corrupt rulers. Publishing copies of articles portraying those images of the British definitely aided in the popularity of the revolutionary mobs.” Similar to the way Alexander Hamilton used oration to ignite a fire underneath the colonists, the New York Journal did the same. I feel the public only needed the idea put in their heads to really get them determined to overthrow the British because of their unfair treatment towards them. Mobs assembled for a common cause to get a common task achieved. I would give the use of media and mobs, such as the New York Journal, about an 8 out of 10 in terms of its significance to the American Revolution.