Transcript Chapter 9: The Confederation and the Constitution

Confederation & the Constitution
1776- 1790
New Nation
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Many states in debt.
American Rev.- “accelerated evolution”
Responsibility of creating a new central govt
More egalitarian ideas brought forth in the new
nation
Exodus: 80,000 loyalists removed conservative
leanings:
a. Weakened upper class
b. Many large Loyalist land holdings
confiscated and divided into small farms.
c. Patriot elites emerge
Movement toward Equality
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“All men are created equal” - Decl. of Independence.
Most states reduced property requirements for
voting.
Move toward separation of church and state.
1774: Congress called for complete abolition of slave
trade. 1st antislavery society founded by Quakers in
1775.
Several Northern States abolished slavery.
Republican ideology: concept of “civic virtue” –
democracy depended on unselfish commitment to each
citizen to the public good.
No Women’s Rights, but civic virtue led to “republican
motherhood”- educational opportunities for women
expanded.
Constitution Making in the States
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1776 Continental Congress: Drafts new document Articles of Confederation adopted by Congress
1777, but ratified by all states in 1781
13 independent states linked together for joint action
when dealing with a common problem.
No executive branch, no judicial branch - left to the
states to make decisions
Process of drafting/ratifying a Constitution:
1. Convention drafts Constitution
2. Congress adopts it
3. Colonies ratify constitution (each state had
one vote)
4. Modification by Constitutional Convention
Articles of Confederation & Weaknesses
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Outlined powers of the central govt: ability to make
treaties, established a postal service
Weaknesses:
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Only had unicameral legislature = no separation of
powers.
Central govt too weak since majority of power rested
with states.
Congress didn’t have power to tax; couldn’t enforce
tax-collection because tax quota of each state was
voluntary.
Weaknesses Cont
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Amendment required unanimous state approval –so
changes to the Articles were very difficult.
Major laws to pass - need approval by 9 of 13 states difficult to do, so running a government was difficult.
Congress didn’t have power to regulate commerce
which will cause competition between states; left
states free to establish different laws for tariffs and
navigation.
Economic Crosscurrents
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Economic Democracy expressed political democracy
with confiscating and dividing land.
During war colonies were cut off from British imports
and forced into manufacturing; after war, British goods
flooded U.S. at low prices.
British Navigation laws caused more damage to the
economy after independence - American ships kept
from Britain and British West Indies.
States borrowed money = in great debt.
Exports & Imports:
1768-1783
Creating a Confederation
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13 states were sovereign: coined money, raised
armies/navies, and made tariff barriers.
6 states had no land holdings beyond the Allegheny
Mts; 7 states had a lot more land
Public lands transferred to the central government:
helped bond the states because land was to be sold
to frontier pioneers and money distributed among
states
Old
Northwest
Early Land Laws
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Old Northwest: area Northwest of the Ohio River,
east of the Mississippi River, and south of the Great
Lakes
Land Ordinance of 1785: Old Northwest land should
be sold - money used to help pay national debt
 Land 1st surveyed - divided into townships, 6 square
miles each.
Northwest Ordinance of 1787: Governing of Old
Northwest
 Areas under control of federal govt
 If area had 60 thousand inhabitants - could be
admitted by Congress as a state.
 Forbid slavery in Old Northwest area
U.S. Post-War Relations
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Britain: refused to send a minister; no commercial
treaty; didn’t repeal navigation Laws; British trading
posts for fur trading continued in U.S.; closed West
Indies trade to U.S.
Spain: controlled mouth of Miss. River
French: Demanded repayment of war loans;
restricted trade with West Indies.
U.S. couldn’t provide protection from pirates in the
Mediterranean.
Monetary Issues
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1780’s: system for raising money breaking apart,
states refuse to pay, complaints, public debt rise, and
nation’s credit vanishing
Individual states: battles over land boundaries
1786 Shay’s Rebellion by Daniel Shay: many
losing farms from mortgage foreclosures. They
demanded paper money, lighter taxes, suspension
of property takeovers
Mass. suppressed rebellion with a small army
Monetary Issues Cont.
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Conservatives wanted stronger central govt to be
established as some feared “mobocracy” – people
would rebel for self-interests.
States produced paper currency and economy
increased
Some feared that a powerful federal govt would force
them to pay their debts.
Anapolis Convention Called
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1786: Congress called for a “secret”
constitutional convention at Annapolis: Major
issue was control of commerce.
Only 5 states were represented
Results: Alexander Hamilton (NY) suggested
having a convention to change Articles of
Confederation.
 “for the sole and express purpose of
revising” the Articles of Confederation.
Constitutional Convention Cont
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May 1787: Select group of propertied men
represented each state, except Rhode island
55 emissaries from 12 states met at Philadelphia
statehouse in secrecy.
According to Jefferson the participants were
“demigods”
Representatives: George Washington, Benjamin
Franklin, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton…
Delegates: conservative, young, wealthy,
nationalists
Great Debate
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Delegates proposed: overthrow the existing govt in
a peaceful manner
Virginia’s “ large-state plan”- House of Congress
based on population
New Jersey’s “ small-state plan” - equal
representatives from each state
Great Compromise
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Great Compromise: larger states represented by
population in the House of Representatives and
smaller states have equal representation in the
Senate.
Each state: 2 senators
Pres: executive power - appointments of domestic
offices, veto, wage war, commander-in-chief of
military (but congress declares war)
President elected by electoral college: Constitution
specifies how many electors each state has based
on population. (Today-total of 538)
Safeguards for Conservatism
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Economically: demand for money and protection of
private property
3 branches w/checks and balances- critics called it
“triple-headed monster”
Charter - democratic elements and republican ideals
in govt: based on the consent of the governed and
powers limited
No members of the convention were completely
satisfied, but finally compromised and adopted the
Constitution
Promised Bill of Rights: after it was adopted.
Clash of Federalists and Anti-federalists
Approval of the constitution would happen
during specially elected conventions
 Anti-federalist opposed the Constitution
 Lower class saw the Constitution as a plot by
the upper class to steal power back from the
common folk
 Federalists: had power, influence, press,
wealth on their side
 Anti-federalists: argued the Constitution
was created by aristocrats - therefore the
Constitution was anti-democratic
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Constitutional Convention
May-Sept 1787
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Debated about:
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Senate - by state or population
Election of senators
to include slaves or other property, to divide executive power
between 3 persons or into a single president
Election of Pres: length of term and reelection,
What offenses should be impeachable?
Nature of a fugitive slave clause: to allow abolition of the slave
trade
If judges should be chosen by legislature or executive?
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Ratified by delegates of the Constitutional Convention in Sept
1787. (39 of 55 delegates ended up signing.)
States Debate
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Voting now goes to the states
State Ratifying conventions held - candidates
elected on the basis of their pledges for or against
the Constitution
How many states need to ratify the constitution in
order for it to be established?_______________
Ratified on June 21, 1788 – but voting will continue
in the other states.
Great Debate Cont.
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Laggard states: Virginia,
NY, N. Carolina, Rhode
Island
June 21, 1788Constitution officially
adopted with New
Hampshire
Four Laggard States
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Union of all states was going to be formed with the
constitution
To get people to support the Constitution John Jay,
James Madison & Hamilton wrote propaganda
essays series of 85 articles/essays promoting
ratification of the Constitution published in NY, Oct
1787 -Aug 1788 called The Federalist )
NY finally gave in realizing the need for union
N. Carolina and Rhode Island – both eventually
took up the Constitution later when it was up and
running
Conservative Triumph
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Conservative minority had triumphed
Militant minority of conservatives: peaceful
revolution that replaced Articles of the Confederacy
with the Constitution
Federalists were convinced that by setting the govtt
in a steady course the economy and political
stability would be established
Constitution: self-rule in a self-limiting system of
checks and balances, liberty and order