Trans History: Confederation Period

CONTENT WARNINGS: ✊ Civil Unrest

Immediately after the victory of the young United States of America against Britain, leaders attempted a short-lived government under the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union. Anxious about the tyranny that Britain held over colonists, the confederated government was purposely weak with little authority and even lesser power to enforce regulation. It didn’t take long for issues to arise, leading to the confederated government being thrown out in favor of the republic and Constitution in 1788.

There is very little queer or transgender US history written within these five years. The confederation was chaotic – after securing victory in the American Revolution, leaders were given the task to create a government for the people that would not lead to tyranny and completely separate from the monarchy-style governments that controlled Europe. In their hesitance to give the federal government power, the purposely-neutered American confederation could largely not govern individual states – leading to a spike in civil unrest during this period as seen in the Pennsylvania Mutiny, Shays’ Rebellion, the Paper Money Riot, and Doctors Mob Riot.

Two of the most notable cases of civil unrest are Shays’ Rebellion and the Pennsylvania Mutiny since both aimed to ultimately overthrow the young confederated government. In 1783, the Continental Army threatened Congress situated in Philadelphia due to outstanding military debts. The Congress of the Confederation lacked any control of the military outside times of war, so the refusal of the Executive Council of Pennsylvania to halt the army’s protest forced Congress to leave Philadelphia and determine a new national capital. In 1786, Daniel Shays allegedly motivated his peers in Massachusetts over the debt crisis between farmers and merchants. Shays ultimately failed in their attempt to seize weaponry housed in the federal Springfield Armory – although his historical portrayal compared to the military members in Pennsylvania highlights the distortion of history. When the Continental Army won in Philadelphia, recounts are kind to their involvement; modern scholarship suggests that Shay was intentionally scapegoated to deflect from the corruption within Massachusetts that led to the unrest.

Until recently, there have been very few attempts to overthrow the United States federal government after the confederation period. The only known case is the failed attempt in 1933 against Franklin D. Roosevelt and then recent events in the past decade by the right wing. The failed coup on January 6th, 2020 held similarities with most rebellions organized by civilians, whereas the current ongoing coup by the Department of Government Efficiency is more similar to the strategic coups organized by the United States government against other countries.

While there is not much queer history recorded during this era, that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to learn – history is a fantastic teacher to those willing to be students. Why are American conservatives seemingly more willing to overthrow democracy compared to the left? Why are general Americans still not ready for a large-scale overthrow?

Conservatives are emboldened and genuinely believe they are righteous. While a minority of those who attacked the capitol believed they could have died, the majority likely believed that they had nothing to legitimately fear. Traditional conservatives align themselves with law enforcement and idolize the military – so it came as a surprise when security treated them as criminals as they ransacked D.C. MAGA conservatives associate with the further right, which begins to demonize law enforcement (and why Nazis also use the term ACAB). The crowd on January 6th was likely mixed with both types, with MAGA conservatives fueling mob mentality into inciting others into extreme action.

The American left has overwhelming more in common with the general public, especially in terms of rebellion. They assume that the system, including both law enforcement and the military, is a tool to be used against them. Before positive change can be wrought or for the international community to intervene, protestors have to die for their cause. For that to occur, protestors must be willing to die for their cause – which means they must feel so desperate or hopeless that even death is better than living under their current conditions. It is at that point that the general public can be moved to great action; and while the majority of the American public disapproves of the Trump administration, they have not been impacted enough yet to act. However, Americans are rapidly climbing towards that path – the actions of Luigi Mangione were done because Mangione became disillusioned and desperate by the current political and healthcare system to put his life at risk, and the response by many Americans celebrating his actions further proves this.

Knowledge Check

True or False: Examples of transgender history during the American Revolution include Thomas(sine) Hall, Joseph Davis, and Anne Hutchinson.
–
The first government of the United States was a _____.
a. Republic
b. Oligarchy
c. Confederation
d. Autocracy
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True or False: The riots on January 6th, 2020 were an attempted coup or overthrow of the government.

ANSWER KEY

FALSE / 2. C / 3. TRUE

Trans Solidarity Project

Trans History: Confederation Period

Knowledge Check

Further Reading