Roots of the Constitution

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Roots of the Constitution Al Jacobs Wiregrass
History www.cpresa.org/sghp/sghp.htm
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What are we doing?

• Events and Timeline
• People
• Trying to figure out how and why the Constitution
  was written

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Major Events Timeline

• 1st Continental Congress SEP-OCT 1774
• Lexington Concord April 19, 1775
• 2d Continental Congress - May 75-Dec 76
• Declaration of IndependenceJuly 4, 1776
• 3rd Continental Congress
• Articles Confederation ratified Mar 1781
• Yorktown Oct 1781, war ends Apr 1783

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The People

• Who were the framers?
• Aristocrats large wealthy landowners,
• merchants, educated, loyal British
• subjects.
• Lived along Eastern seaboard on the
• best land.
• Hamiltonians class based society

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Settlement By Ethnic Groups c1760
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Who were the Scots-Irish?

• Farmers poor, uneducated, frontiersmen
• Other traits independent, proud, violent, heavy
  drinkers, armed, liked to fight, anti-British,
  suspicious of authority, prolific, religious
  Presbyterian/Baptist,
• Valued land, family, the military and honor.

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The Patriot
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Postwar Problems

• Economy Inflation
• Property Large landowners
• Voting Rights
• Monetary problems
• Inadequate court systems
• Inadequate military
• Led to

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• Separatist attitudes
• Strong local governments
• Inability of the government to protect against
  Indian attacks
• Refusal to pay taxes
• Finally, armed confrontation Shays Rebellion

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Major Events Timeline

• Shays Rebellion Aug 1786-Jan 1787
• Annapolis Convention Sep 1786
• Constitutional Convention opens 5/25/87
• Constitution signed 9/17/87
• Delaware ratifies 12/7/87
• Constitution ratified 6/21/88
• Washington inaugurated April 30, 1789
• Whiskey Rebellion Aug 1794

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Bill of Rights

• Art 1 Freedom of speech, press, assembly,
  religion
• Art 2 Right to keep and bear arms
• Art 3 No quartering of troops
• Art 4 Illegal search and seizure
• Art 5-8 Legal due process
• Art 9 Other rights not denied
• Art 10 States rights

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Conclusions

• The Constitution was evolved over a period of
  years.
• Many internal pressures in the new nation forced
  adoption of the Constitution.
• Attitudes and actions of the Scots-Irish settlers
  helped form the new Constitution and Bill of
  Rights.

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Gettysburg
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Scots-Irish.The Sequel