Honor violence in Virginia

Honor violence in Virginia

Honor violence, which can also be referred to as dueling, is described by Bruce Baird as a violence that is employed in defense of a person’s honor. The honor violence was strongly condemned by the upper-class consensus, which was living in Virginia. The evolution of honor violence before the revolution was sparked by the aristocratic competition and democratic disputes that affected the unity of the upper-class consensus and saw the beginning of dueling acceptance.

The second factor that influenced the evolution of honor violence during the revolution was the challenge of having honor. Bruce describes in chapter four of Violence and Brutality in American History this by stating that dueling still faced difficulties before it could be accepted by the people (Michael, 1999). Lee argued that the law of honor was manifested even on those who opposed dueling in their principle because he believed that the opinion of humanity, which is more of law, forces a man to resent an insult and connects the contempt of a coward to them if they refuse. The influence of honor was also manifested on the locals who took great pleasure in their witty conversations. During these conversations, they provoked others beyond the permitted limits but then backed off to the acceptable bounds.

The last factor that influenced the evolution of honor violence after the revolution was European opinions and fashions. For instance, the idea of the romanticism of the Virginia youth swept across the regions of Europe and America and is presented when John Randolph, after being expelled from William and Mary because of dueling, wrote to his stepfather seeking permission to join the army of the republic in France. He stated that he wished to serve the noblest cause in the world and argued that even though life is glorious, death was honorable. He feared the popular alternative.

References

Michael A. Bellesiles, editor. Lethal Imagination: Violence and Brutality in American History. New York: New York University Press. 1999. Pp. viii; 453. Cloth $65.00, paper $24.95. (2001). The American Historical Review. doi:10.1086/ahr/106.1.157