Transcript The Articles and the Constitution

The Articles and the Constitution
Society and War
• Not a radical
revolution (FRN or
RUS)
• War doesn’t directly
affect most people
• Loyalists exodus- loss
of aristocratic class
• Now- new elite class
made up of Patriots
The Spread of =lity
• Most states reduce
property requirement
rights for voting
• People now addressed
as Mr. And Mrs.
• Employers are bosses,
not masters
Society of Cincinnati
• Made of continental
army members
• An attempt at
establishing a new
hierarchy
• Most don’t take SofC
seriously
Separation of Church and State
• Congregational church
still established
throughout NE
• Anglican Churchbecomes Protestant
Episcopal Church,
now disestablished
• In Vir, Virginia
Statute for Religious
Freedom
Early Abolition
• Penn, Quakers, 1775- first
anti slavery society
• 2nd CC- (1774) called for
abolition of slave trade
• Supported by North, not
South
• No states south of Penn
embrace abolition movements
• Still extremely racists laws in
N and S
• Why didn’t the founding
father’s jump on abolition
band wagon?
Women
• Didn’t get =lity
• Still traditional roles
• Civic Virtue- the notion
that democracy depended
on the unselfish
commitment of each
citizen to the public good
• Republican Motherhood
• Educational opportunities
increase
• Why?
State Constitutions
• Cont. Congress 1776
• Ask colonies to
become states, through
creating constitutions
• Con. RI just redo
colonial charters
State Constitutions
• Mass. – called special
convention for drafting, then
final draft given to the people for
ratification
• Adopted 1780
• Can only be changed upon
calling of another convention
• Mass. Const. Longest lived
constitution in the world
State Constitutions
• Contracts that defined
power of governments
• Power is derived from
people rather than royal
authority
• Most have bill of rights
• Most have annual
elections for legislatures
• Weak Judicial and
Executive Branches
• Legislative branch is
most democratic
State Constitutions
• Poor back country
(westerners) voices
now heard
• Some state capitols
moves from coast to
interior of state (SC,
NY, New Hamp, NC)
Economic Democracy
• Loyalists land split
into smaller plots
• Economic Demo is
small, but starts
quicker than political
Demo
• Manufacturing is
strong
– Non Imp. Acts
– Rev. War
Economic Democracy
• Commerce
– Downside- American
ships banned from English
Ports
– Upside- New commercial
outlets form
• East Asian Markets
– China- Ginseng
Economic Democracy
• Generally bad econ
situation
• States are broke
• Most citizens were better
off prior to the war
• 1786- British Merchants
dump surplus goods on
colonies
Unity?
• Must set up new
government
• Americans want
“natural rights” and
despise central
authority
• Conservative Tory
element is gone, thus
government is open to
experimentation
Articles of Confederation
• States are basically
independent nations
• AofC drafts begin in
1776
• 1777- Translate it to
French
• Ratified 1781
AofC
• Issue – Western Lands
• Penn and Marylandno holdings beyond
Allegheny Mtns.
• 7 states have generous
land grants (based on
previous charters)
• Problem
– 6 states fought equally
for land, why shouldn’t
they get it?
– States without land
holdings may have to
tax more, while the
other 7 states can sell
of lands to pay off
debts
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
• AofC- needed all 13
colonies
• Maryland held out, until
NY gave up some of land
• Congress says western
lands are for public good
• Territories, would become
republican states, and
would enter the union on
terms of complete =lity
• Only real powerful act by
central government under
the AofC- How so?
AofC
st
1
Constitution
• 13 independent stateslinked only to deal with
common problems (foreign
affairs)
• No executive branch
• 1 vote per state
• Bills require 9 states for
ratification
• Amendments need all 13
states
AofC Congress
• No power to regulate
commerce
– State establish their
own tariffs
• No power to tax
(collect taxes)
– Set tax quota, asked
states to contribute
Newburgh Conspiracy
• Ex-soldiers demand
• “Gentlemen, you will
pay and compensation
permit me to put on
• Congress (in Philly)
my spectacles, for I
asked the state for help
have not only grown
• Congress forced to
gray but almost blind
runway to Princeton
in the service of my
• GW- convinces
country”
soldiers to have faith
in new government
AofC
• Really weak but
establishes powers of
government
• TJ comparing AofC to
European
governments“Heaven and hell”
Landmarks in Land Laws
• Old North West
• Land Ordinance of
1785
• Land used to help
national debt, divided
into townships with
set uniform rules
• Northwest Ordinance
of 1787
• Two territorial stages,
subordinate to Fed
Gov.
• 60,000 then can be
admitted as a state
• No slavery
The World’s Ugly Duckling
• Foreign Relations
– England- not really
•
•
•
•
Won’t make commercial treaty with US
Won’t repeal Nav. Laws
Closed West Indies (we smuggle around it)
North- still strong in Canada
– Fur Trade
– Keep Natives on their side
• Justification= pay our debts and we will leave
• Americans are outraged, but congress can’t control
commerce
The World’s Ugly Duckling
• Spain
• In control of mouth of
Miss. River
• Also claim coastal
area north of Gulf of
Mexico
• Also befriend natives
• France
• Demands repayment
from war
• Restricted trade in
West Indies
The Worlds Ugly Duckling
• North Africa
• Prior to Rev. we got
protection from British
• Barbary Wars- pirates
from Tripoli vs. US Navy
• Embarrassment for US
• Hold US navy hostage,
demands ransoms
A Crumbling Nation
• No states are turning
in taxes
• Complain about
“King” congress
• NY taxed firewood
from Conn. And
cabbages from NJ
Shay’s Rebellion 1786
• Mass
• Backcountry (ex RW)
losing farms through
foreclosures
• Led by Daniel Shay, men
want state to issue paper
money, lighten taxes, and
stop property takeovers
• Mass raises small army to
fight rebellion
Shay’s Rebellion 1786
• Mass. Passes debtor
relief laws
• Importance- many
realize that in order for
republicanism to be
prosperous, a stronger
central government is
needed.
"The tree of liberty must be
refreshed from time to time with
the blood of patriots and tyrants. It
is its natural manure.“ TJ
Need for Change
• Major issues
– How can we achieve
maximum state rights,
while at the same time
have a strong central
government?
• 1786- Virginia calls
for a convention, only
5 states show
• AH- says congress
shall meet one year
later in Philly
Philly 1787
• Original purpose- deal
with commerce issues
and amend AofC
• 55 delegates, none
from Rhode Island
• Done in secret
• Many considered
“Demigods”
Demigods
• George Washington“Sword of the Revolution”chairman
• BF- elderly statesmen
• James Madison- “Father of
the Constitution”
• AH- only member who
asked for super powerful
national government
• TJ, John Adams,
Thomas Paine in
Europe
• Sam Adams, John
Hancock not elected
by Mass
Patriots in Philly
• All well to do, none are
poor
• Average age 42
• 19 owned slaves
• Goal= embrace
republicanism, but stop
unrestrained democracy
• Preserve the American
experiment
Virginia Plan
• Edmund Randolph and
James Madison
• Representation in a
bicameral congress
should be based on
population
• Whom does this plan
favor?
NJ Plan
• William Patterson
• = representation in a
unicameral congress
• Favored smaller states
The Great Compromise
• Senate- equal
representation
• House of
Representativesrepresentation based
on population
• Bicameral legislation
The New Constitution
• Shay’s rebellion
demonstrated that a
popularly elected
governor can have
benefits
• Now we must
establish a executive
branch
3/5ths compromise
• Slavery issue
• North wants to tax them,
not count them as people
• South wants to count them
as people, not tax them
• Slave Trade- SC and GE
still need it, congress will
ban the trade in 1807
Unity
• Econ- need unified
currency and
protection of private
property
• Politically- 3 branches
of government, checks
and balances, stop
mobocracy
• Direct Democracy is
bad
– President indirect
election
– Federal judges (life
terms) picked by
president
– Senate- elected by state
legislatures
– HOR- only place
where vote counts
Unity
• Two principles of
republicanism
• Legitimate
government is based
on consent of people
• Government shall be
limited
• 17 weeks later Sept
17 1787- 42 signed it
The dispute begins
• Need all 13 states for
Constitution to be
ratified (no way RI
will ratify)
• Special state
conventions- if nine
states approve, Const.
Will become law of
the land
Federalists and Anti Federalists
• AF
• Sam Adams, Patrick
Henry, Richard Henry
Lee
• Supports state rights
• Backcountry, poorer
folks
• Demand a Bill of
Rights
• Federalists
• BF,GW
• Upper class, coastal
area
• More educated, better
organized, had more
control over media
Debates in the States
•
•
•
•
Special elections
Feds- support the Const.
AF- against it
Del, Pen, NJ, GE- first
to adopt it
• Mass- stronghold of AF,
but Feds promise Bill of
Rights will be the first
issue congress addresses
The Four Laggard States
• Vir, NY, NC, RI
• Vir largest state, wanted to hold out but it knew it couldn’t
stand as independent
• NY- AH, James Madison, John Jay, create federalists paper
– Propagandaish material to support constitution
– Fed paper 10-a republican government can work for large
territories
• NC, RI won’t ratify until months after government is
running
• Four states didn’t really want to join, but had to in order to
survive.
A Conservative Triumph
• Roughly ¼ of adult white
males voted for delegates
to the ratifying
conventions
• By embedding the
doctrine of self rule in a
self limiting system of
checks and balances
among three branches,
the Const. Reconciled
conflicting principles of
liberty and order
• It elevates the ideals of
Revolution, while at
the same time setting
boundaries on them.