05. Critical Period – 1776-1787

I.    State Constitutions
    a.    Kept some of old – provincial assemblies
        1.    Colonial self-government for 150 years
        2.    “their just powers from the consent of the governed”
    b.    Methods – written constitutions
        1.    written by provincial assemblies
        2.    Mass. – town meetings, state conventions
    c.    Format – dec. of independence + citizen rights + executive/legislative
        1.    weaken powers of governor
        2.    white males with property eligible to vote
    d.    Anti-slavery
        1.    Dec. of Indep. Mentions slavery – South forced out
        2.    Mass. 1783 – slave sued “all men are created equal” – freed

II.    Continental Congress
    a.    1777 – Articles of Confederation – ratified in 1781
    b.    Until ratified – Continental Congress governed
        1.    Lost power as war progressed – most talented returned to state
    c.    Succeses – army, navy, marines, appointed George Washington, supplied army
    d.    Failure – financing war – taxes optional, money worthless “not worth a Continental”

III.    Articles of Confederation - failures
    a.    States jealous of others/competitive – 9 of 13 states to pass
    b.    Taxes voluntary
    c.    Fear of strong executive – no one to enforce laws
    d.    Individual trade agreements w/ foreign nations & states – nobody wants to trade with U.S. – fearful of stability
    e.    Still left England in possession of frontier

IV.    Articles of Confederation – successes
    a.    Precedent – something to work with
    b.    Northwest Ordinance
        1.    land-locked states feared other states would get too big
            i.    Easily pay war debts – too much representation
            ii.    Maryland refuses – leads protest
        2.    Virginia finally gives land claims to federal gov’t – others follow
        3.    Land could be sold to make money for fed gov’t
        4.    Add-A-State Plan – Northwest Ordinance 1787
            i.    Population + legislature + 60,000 men can + religious freedom
    c.    Peace treaty with England

V.    Shay’s Rebellion – 1787 – debtors can’t pay and rebel – proved to wealthy that something must be done – catalyst for Constitutional Convention
    a.    Post-war depression made life worse
    b.    Jefferson – “a little rebellion every now and then is a good thing”