I. The Pursuit of Equality
1. Declaration of Independence - "All men are created equal"
2. Fight for separation of church and State
oCongressional Church established in New England States
oStrongest in Virginia
o1786 Thomas Jefferson won passage of Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom
3. 1775 - Philadelphia Quakers Founded 1st antislavery society (in the world)
4. 1774 - Continental Congress tried to abolish slave trade (Some northern states did)
oLaws still discriminated against slaves
oNo state south of Pennsylvania abolish slavery
oAfraid slavery might break union
5. 1776 - Abigail Adams advocated for women’s rights
oWomen keeps of the nations conscience ( republican motherhood)
II. Constitution Making in the States
1. 1776 - Continental Congress called to draft new constitutions
2. Massachusetts created a special convention to creates its constitution
oDirect ratification by the people
o1780 - Mass. adopted Constitution that could only be changed by constitutional convention (later limited to federal Constitution)
3. British - Constitution is a cummulation of laws
4. Most documents had a Bill of Rights
5. All states made executive and judicial branches (weak in comparison to today)
III. Economic Crosscurrents
1. Loyalists large land holdings were taken and divided into small farms
2. America mostly made of farming
3. Britain cut off good imports
4. Americans could trade freely with foreign nations
5. 1784 - Express of China carried ginseng to China
6. Wide divide in rich and poor class
IV. A Shaky Start Toward Union
1. 1786 - Hard times hit bottom
2. 13 states had similar gov't
3. Political leaders of time:
oGeorge Washington
oJames Madison
oJohn Adams
oThomas Jefferson
oAlexander Hamilton
V. Creating a Confederation
1. States:
oCoined money
oraised armies and navies
ohad tariff barriers
2. 1778 - Virginia ratified treaty of alliance with France (alone without others states being involved)
3. 1776 - Articles of Confederation
onot ratified by all 13 states until 1781 (last Maryland)
4. 1787 - Northwest Ordinance
5. Public land handed to Federal gov't (bond of Union)
VI. The Articles of Confederation Americas First Constitution
1. Joint action was to be taken by states
2. No executive branch
3. Each state had one vote in congress
4. 9 States needed for bills to pass
5. 2 Weaknesses of Congress:
1) Congress was weak - no power to regulate commerce
2) Congress could not enforce tax-collection programs.
6. 1783 – Penn soldiers marched to Philadelphia and made threatening demonstrations on Independence Hall
7. Articles of Confederation acted as a model
oThomas Jefferson claimed it to be the best one exsisting
oWeak
oStepping Stone for current constitution (today)
VII. Landmarks in Land Laws
1. 1785 – Land Oridinence – acrage of the old Northwest should be used to pay off national debt.
2. Northwest Ordinance of 1787 – government of the old Northwest
oSolution: judicial compromise
1. 2 evolutionary stages
2. When it has reached 60,000 inhabitants it could be admitted as a state
VIII. The World’s Ugly Ducking
1. Foreign relations with London remain troubled
2. British believed they would win Americas trade back
3. Spain unfriendly to new republic in America
4. 1784 – Spain closed river commerce to American trade
5. Spain claimed large area north of Gulf of Mexico granted to US by British in 1783
6. Dey of Algiers took American commerce and enslaved Yankee Sailors
IX. The Horrid Specter of Anarchy
1. Public debt rising – credit evaporating in foreign nations
2. States had quarrels
3. States printed own paper money
4. Shay’s Rebellion – 1786 in Massachusetts
oBackcountry farmers were loosing farms through mortgages
oLed by Captain Daniel Shay
oThey demanded states issue paper money, lighten taxes, and suspend property takeovers
oMass. responded with small army at Springfield where the movement collapsed
oMass. Legislators soon passed debtor-relief laws
5. Fear of Mobocracy
6. need for stronger central gov’t
X. A Convention of “Demigods”
1. 1786 – Virginia called for convention in 1786 at Annapolis, MD
o9 States appointed delegates
oOnly 5 states were represented
2. Alexander Hamilton asked congress to summon a convention for 1787 inPhiladelphia for speaking of Articles of Confederation
oEvery state except RI choose a delegate
o55 state delegates from 12 states met May 25, 1787
oJefferson called the attendants “Demigods”
3. George Washington elected as chairman
4. James Madison known as Father of the Constitution
5. Hamilton wanted a super powerful gov’t
XI. Patriots in Philadelphia
1. No delegate represented the poor
2. Young group and men and interested in nationalism
3. Lord Sheffield - also a founding father in a sense
4. Delegates wanted to preserve union and restrain states
5. Washington - who seen Shay’s Rebellion - was a founding father
XII. Hammering out a Bundle of Compromises
1. Completely get rid of Articles (instructions were to revise it)
2. Virginia – “large-state plan”
oRepresentation in both houses should be based on population
3. New Jersey – “small-states plan”
oRepresentation in both houses should be equal
4. “Great Compromise”
oHouse of Representatives- based on population (larger states)
oSenate- equal representation (smaller states) each state having two
oEvery tax bill or revenue measure must originate in the house
5. President - broad authority
oMake appointments to domestic offices
oVeto legislation
oPower to wage war – Congress (only) could declare war
oMethod of electing president – Electoral College
6. Slaves counted as 3/5 a person
7. Slave trade could continue till 1807
oStates already forbid slave trade (except Georgia)
XIII. Safeguard for Conservationism
1. 3-branches of gov’t
oChecks and balances among them
2. Federal judges appointed for life
3. President elected indirectly by Electoral College
4. Senators indirectly elected by State Legislator
5. House of Rep. elected directly by citizens
6. 2 principles
o1. Gov’t based on consent of governed
o2. Powers of gov’t should be limited (limited by written Constitution in Americans case)
7. Convention lasting from May 25 – September 17, 1787
oOnly 42 out of 55 delegates stayed to sign the Constitution
o3 out of the 42 refused to sign
oDelegates returned to states for ratification
XIV. The Clash of Federalists and Antifederalists
1. Adopted scheme where only 9/13 states had to ratify the Constitution
2. Antifederalists opposed strong federal gov’t
oAt odds against federalists who favored it
oKey Antifederalists: Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, and Richard Henry Lee
oWanted attachment of a Bill of Rights
3. Federalists – Washington and Franklin
oControlled press
oWealthier
XV. The Great Debate in States
1. 4 small states accepted Constitution quickly
2. Officially adopted June 21, 1788 by 9 states
oExcluding Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island
XVI. The Four Laggard States
1. Virginia had fierce opposition by Antifederalists
oRatified by 89 to 79
2. James Madison
o“The Federalist” – book of essays commenting the Constitution
3. New York ratified
oDecided it could not prosper without the union
o30 to 27
4. North Carolina and Rhode Island
oBoth unwillingly ratified after new gov’t was in effect
XVII. A Conservative Triumph
1. American minority triumphed twice
oAmerican Radicals vs. British Motherhood
oMinority Conservatives overthrew Articles of Confederation
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States in order of Ratification of the Constitution
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Vote #
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Delaware
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Dec. 7, 1787
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Unanimous
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Pennsylvania
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Dec. 12, 1787
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46/23
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New Jersey
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Dec. 18, 1787
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Unanimous
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Georgia
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Jan. 2, 1788
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Unanimous
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Connecticut
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Jan. 9, 1788
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128/40
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Massachusetts
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Feb. 7, 1788
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187/168
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Maryland
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Apr. 28, 1788
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63/11
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South Carolina
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May 23, 1788
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149/73
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New Hampshire
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Jun. 21, 1788
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57/46
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Virginia
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Jun. 26, 1788
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89/79
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New York
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Jul. 26, 1788
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30/27
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North Carolina
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May 21, 1788
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195/77
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Rhode Island
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May 29, 1790
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34/32 |
