Articles

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Articles of Confederation Government 1781-1789
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Egalitarian Ideas

• With the loss of 80,000 Loyalists, the
  conservative ballast was lost and paved the way
  for the Patriot élites to emerge.
• Also allowed for more egalitarian ideas to come
  to the forefront

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Egalitarian Ideas

• All Men Are Created Equal
• Property requirements for voting reduced
• Everyone was a Mr. or Mrs, usually reserved for
  wealthy and highborn
• Indentured servitude essentially eliminated by
  1800
• Society of Cincinnati ridiculed for their
  exclusive hereditary order
• Trade organizations emerge for artisans and
  laborers
• Some states eliminated primogeniture

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Egalitarian Ideas

• Fight for separation of church and state
• Anglican Church was disestablished and
  reorganized as the Protestant Episcopal Church.
• Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
• Argued for by Jefferson and passed in 1786
• Congregationalist church remained established
  though in some New England states

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Egalitarian Ideas

• Views towards slavery change
• Philadelphia Quakers found first anti-slavery
  society in 1775
• Continental Congress in 1774 called for the
  abolition of slave trade
• Several Northern States abolished slavery
  completely or provided gradual emancipation of
  blacks
• However, many just paper laws. No state south of
  Pennsylvania abolished slavery, and in both he
  north and south, laws discriminated against freed
  blacks (barred from purchasing certain products,
  certain jobs, and educating their children.
  Interracial marriage also banned.

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Why no fight against slavery?

• Many believe that the Founding Fathers pushed the
  slavery issue to the side in fear that it would
  fracture an already fragile union
  (confederation).
• Great as the evil of slavery is, a
  dismemberment of the union would be worse.
  James Madison in 1787

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Republican Motherhood

• Recently, this was a DBQ question on the test.
• Central to republicanism was civic virtue.
• So women concluded that they could serve the new
  nation and republic by being great wives and
  mothers.
• Elevates women to a new prestigious role of
  keepers of the national conscience.
• As a result, educational opportunities expand for
  woman with the idea they will be better equipped
  to educate their children and nurture republican
  ideas in their husbands and children.
• Ultimately, it gave an important role to women in
  the new Nation

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State Constitutions

• States asked to write new constitutions that
  would give authority to the people
• Massachusetts, they had a special convention in
  which the people directly voted to ratify the
  Constitution.
• Only could be changed by a constitutional
  convention.
• These concepts used when drafting and ratifying
  the federal Constitution

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State Constitutions

• Similarities
• Power came from the people, not the King
• Contracts that defined the powers of government
• Most had a bill of rights
• All created weak judicial and executive branches
• Legislature given sweeping powers, because
  believed to be the most democratic
• Also, in many states, the power of the western
  settlements was growing, as noted by many
  capitals moving to the interior of the states
  such as New Hampshire, New York, Virginia, ,
  North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

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State Constitutions

• Republicanism.
• Most had strong governors with veto power.
• Most had bicameral legislatures.
• Property required for voting.
• Some had universal white male suffrage.
• Most had bills of rights.
• Many had a continuation of state-established
  religions while others disestablished religion.

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Occupational Composition of Several State
Assembliesin the 1780s
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Economic Changes

• Large loyalist or royal lands carved up and
  turned into small farms
• Nonimportation acts helped create an emerging
  manufacturing society
• However, American ships barred from Britain and
  the West Indies
• Ingenious Yankees found new markets for their
  goods, such as the Baltic seas and China seas.

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Economic Changes

• Overall, the economic climate was not great
• Country was bankrupt and so were many states.
  They were unable to pay of loans
• Horrible inflation
• In reality, most probably worse off than before
  the war

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WholesalePriceIndex1770-1789
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American Exports, To From Britain 1783-1789
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Problems facing the New Nation

• Difficult to set up any government, even more so
  to set up a new type of government
• Lack of unity throughout colonies
• Deep suspicion of any authority
• In 1786, British flooded American markets with
  inexpensive goods. Tough competition made it
  difficult for American industruwes to grow.

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Positives

• But..
• Most of the state/colonial governments were
  similar and had very similar constitutions
• A tradition of government inherited from Britain
  and also from their home-grown self-government
• Blessed with really good political leaders
• Washington, Hamilton, Jefferson, Adams, Madison

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Weaknesses of theArticles of Confederation

• A unicameral Congress 9 of 13 votes to pass a
  law.
• 13 out of 13 to amend.
• Representatives were frequently absent.
• Could not tax or raise armies.
• No executive or judicial branches.

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Federalist vs. Anti-FederalistStrongholds at the
End of the War
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Indian Land Cessions1768-1799
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Disputed Territorial ClaimsBetween Spain the
U. S.1783-1796
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State Claims to Western Lands
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Land Ordinance of 1785
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Northwest Ordinance of 1787

• One of the major accomplishments of the
  Confederation Congress!
• Statehood achieved in three stages
• Congress appointed 3 judges a governor to
  govern the territory.
• When population reached 5,000 adult male
  landowners ? elect territorial legislature.
• When population reached 60,000 ? elect delegates
  to a state constitutional convention.

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The United States in 1787
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Foreign Relations

• Britain-
• Relations strained during the Confederation
  period
• Refused to make a commerical treaty and forbade
  Yankee ships in British ports
• Lord Sheffield concluded that old trading lanes
  would naturally open up, so why go hat in hand to
  the Americans?
• Also British still maintained some trading posts
  and negotiated with Indians against the Americans

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Foreign Relations

• Spain
• In 1784, closed access to the Mississippi to the
  Americans
• Claimed territory north of Gulf of Mexico that
  was granted to Americans by Treaty of 1783
• Schemed with Native Americans too against the
  Americans
• France
• Demanded payment of money owed to them from the
  war and also closed some ports

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Foreign Relations

• Dey Of Algiers
• Pirate from North African States
• Disrupted Mediterranean trade and enslaved
  American sailors
• Under the British, they protected the American
  traders, but now, as an independent country, no
  protection was granted

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Shays Rebellion 1786-7

• Daniel Shays
• Western MA
• Small farmers angered by crushing debts and taxes.

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Shays Rebellion 1786-7
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Shays Rebellion 1786-7
There could be no stronger evidence of the want
of energy in our governments than these disorders.
-- George Washington
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Impact of Shays Rebellion

• Colonial elite feared mobocracy
• Masses can unite and force their will on people
• Many doubted if unbridled republicanism could
  work
• Many started to question effectiveness of the
  Articles and expressed desire for a stronger
  central government
• Colonial elite looked to safeguard their status
  and started a campaign to amend the Articles

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Annapolis Convention (1786)

• 12 representatives from 5 statesNY, NJ, PA, DE,
  VA
• GOAL ? address barriers that limited trade and
  commerce between the states.
• Not enough states were represented to make any
  real progress.
• Sent a report to the Congress to call a meeting
  of all the states to meet in Philadelphia to
  examine areas broader than just trade and
  commerce.

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Constitution

• Delegates chosen by state legislatures
• Meant it was a select group of propertied
  gentlemen
• 55 meant in Philadelphia on May 25, 1787,
  Jefferson called them demigods.
• Crisis was so important, ablest men dropped
  personal pursuits to craft the Contitution

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Constitution

• Washington was chairman
• His prestige and leadership allowed him to calm
  nerves when arguments got heated
• Franklin, he was old and needed chaperons to keep
  his mouth shut at the City Tavern
• Remember, they took an oath of secrecy about the
  convention
• James Madison
• Father of the Constitution
• Alexander Hamilton
• Advocate of a super powerful central government
• Jefferson, Adams, and Paine were in Europe
• Sam Adams and John Hancock not elected
• Patrick Henry, declined to swerve, because he
  thought he smelled a rat.

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Constitution

• Delegates as a whole were a wealthy bunch
  lawyers, shippers, land speculators, and money
  lenders. No debtor group people. Relatively
  young, but experienced.
• Main goal create a stable political structure
  that would endure that was firm, dignified, and
  respected.

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Constitution

• Daniel Shays, Dey of Algiers, Lord Sheffield-
  what did they represent?
• We have, probably, had too good an opinion of
  human nature in forming our confederation. What
  does this quote by Washington represent?

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Bundle of Compromises

• Virginia Plan-Bicameral and proportionate to
  population
• New Jersey Plan-Unicameral and each state gets
  same amount of representatives.
• Great Compromise-
• Representation by population in the House
• Senate gets two per state
• Every tax bill or revenue bill originates in the
  House
• Constitution was short, mostly because based on
  Common Law as opposed to Civil Law. Basically it
  was a framework

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Bundle of Compromises

• Different than State constitutions because it
  established a strong executive branch
• Fear of mobocracy and Shays Rebellion convinced
  them of the need of a strong president
• Make appointments to domestic offices
• Veto power
• Commander in Chief

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Bundle of Compromises

• Other Compromises
• Electoral College- no direct election of the
  president
• Three-Fifths compromise
• Slaves counted as 3/5 of a person in
  representation
• Slave trade ended in 1807

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XIII. Safeguards for Conservatism

• Agreement among delegates was large
• Economically they generally saw eye to eye
• They demanded sound money and the protection of
  private property
• Politically they were in basic agreement
• They favored a strong government, with three
  branches and with checks and balances

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XIII. Safeguards for Conservatism(cont.)

• Other safeguards
• The federal judges were to be appointed for life
• The powerful president was to be elected
  indirectly by the Electoral College
• The senators were to be chosen indirectly by
  state legislatures (see Art. I, Sec. III, para.
  1)
• The House of Representativeswere qualified
  (propertied) citizens permitted to choose their
  officials by direct vote (see Art. 1, Sec. II,
  para. 1).

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XIII. Safeguards for Conservatism(cont.)

• Democratic elements in the new charter
• Stood on two great principles of republicanism
• That the only legitimate government was one based
  on the consent of the governed
• That the powers of government should be
  limitedin this case to a written constitution
• The virtue of the people, not the authority of
  the state, was to be the ultimate guarantor of
  liberty, justice, and order.
• After 17 weeksMay 25 to September 17, 1787only
  42 of the original 55 remained to sign the
  Constitution.

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XIV. The Clash of Federalists and Antifederalists

• The Framing Fathers early foresaw that nationwide
  acceptance of the Constitution would not be easy
  to obtain
• Unanimous ratification by all 13 states according
  to the still-standing Articles of Confederation
• Since Rhode Island was certain to veto, the
  delegates stipulated when 9 states had approved
  through specifically elected conventions, the
  Constitution would be the supreme law of the land
  in those states ratifying (see Art. VII).

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XIV. The Clash of Federalists and Antifederalists
(cont.)

• The American people were now handed a new
  document (see Table 9.2)
• The antifederaliststhose who opposed the
  stronger federal government
• The federaliststhose supported a strong federal
  government.
• AntifederalistsSamuel Adams, Patrick Henry,
  Richard Henry Lee were states rights devotees
  (see Map 9.4), also backcountry dwellers,
  one-horse farmers, paper-moneyites and debtors.

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XIV. The Clash of Federalists and Antifederalists
(cont.)

• Federalists were George Washington, Benjamin
  Franklin, those who lived on the seaboard,
  wealthy, educated, better organized.
• The antifederalists voiced vehement objections to
  the gilded trap known as the Constitution.

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Table 9-2 p173
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Map 9-4 p174
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XV. The Great Debate in the States

• Special elections were held for members of the
  ratifying conventions (see Table 9.3)
• The candidatesfederalist or antifederalistwere
  elected based on whether they were for or against
  the Constitution
• Four small states quickly accepted the
  Constitution
• Pennsylvania was number two to ratify
• Massachusetts prevented challenges, one of many
  was the demand for a bill of rights.

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XV. The Great Debate in the States(cont.)

• Massachusetts ratified by a margin of 187 to 168
• Three more states signed
• New Hampshire was the last.
• All, but Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and
  Rhode Island had taken shelter under the new
  federal roof
• The document was officially signed on June 21,
  1788.

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Table 9-3 p175
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XVI. The Four Laggard States

• Virginia
• Provided fierce antifederalist opposition
• They saw in the fearsome document the death
  warrant of liberty
• G. Washington, J. Madison, and John Marshall,
  federalists lent influential support
• New Hampshire
• After exciting debate in the state convention,
  ratified it 89 to 79.

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XVI. The Four Laggard States(cont.)

• New York
• Alexander Hamilton finally supported the
  federalism as framed
• He joined John Jay and James Madison in a series
  of articles for the New York newspapers
• Called The Federalist Papers, were the most
  penetrating commentary ever written on the
  Constitution.
• The most famous one is Madisons Federalist No.
  10.
• It brilliantly refuted that it was impossible to
  extend a republican form of government over a
  large territory.

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XVI. The Four Laggard States(cont.)

• New York finally yielded, ratifying by the close
  count of 30 to 27
• North Carolina, after a hostile convention,
  adjourned without taking a vote
• Rhode Island didnt summon a ratifying
  convention, rejected the Constitution by popular
  referendum
• The two most ruggedly individualist centers
  remained true to form.

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XVI. The Four Laggard States(cont.)

• No lives were lost, but riotous disturbances
  broke out in New York and Pennsylvania.
• There was much behind-the-scenes pressure on
  delegates who had promised their constituents to
  vote against the Constitution.
• The last four states ratified, not because they
  wanted to but because they had to
• They could not safely exist outside the fold.

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p176
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XVII. A Conservative Triumph

• The minority had triumphedtwice
• A militant radical minority engineered the
  military Revolution that cast off the British
  constitution
• A militant minority of conservatives had
  engineered the peaceful revolution that overthrew
  the inadequate Articles of Confederation.
• A majority had not spoken.

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XVII. A Conservative Triumph(cont.)

• Only ¼ adult white males had voted for delegates
  to the ratifying conventions
• Conservatism was victorious
• The principles of republican government were
  conserved through a redefinition of popular
  sovereignty
• There was a self-limiting system of checks and
  balances among the branches and the Constitution
  reconciled the conflicting principles of liberty
  and order.
• A marvelous achievement.

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p176
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p179