Lesson 7.4b: Issues After the War

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Lesson 7.4b Issues After the War

• Today we will examine several issues facing the
  United States after independence was won.

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Vocabulary

• examine look closely at
• issue a point in question or a matter that is
  in dispute
• republicanism belief that government should be
  based on the consent of the people, who exercise
  their power by voting for political
  representatives

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Check for Understanding

• What are going to do today?
• What happens at a physical examination?
• Why is dress code an issue for some students?

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What We Already Know

• The colonies wanted independence from Britain so
  they could have a government that was more just.

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What We Already Know

• The selfevident truths and unalienable rights
  expressed by Jefferson in the Declaration of
  Independence became the goals of the American
  Revolution.

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What We Already Know

• After defeating the mighty British military and
  negotiating the Treaty of Paris in 1783, American
  independence became a reality.

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Republicanism

• The American Revolution was not just a war, but a
  change in ideas about government.
• Before the war, Americans had demanded their
  rights as English citizens.
• But after declaring their independence, they
  replaced that goal with the idea of republicanism.

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Republicanism

• Republicanism is the idea that instead of a king,
  the people would rule.
• The government would obtain its authority from
  the citizens, who exercise their power by voting
  for political representatives.

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Republicanism

• For this system to work, individuals would have
  to place the good of the country above their own
  interests.

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Republicanism

• At first, only men who owned land were allowed to
  vote or hold public office.
• Women could not vote at all.

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Republicanism

• However, women could help the nation by teaching
  their children the virtues that benefited public
  life.
• Such virtues included honesty, duty, and the
  willingness to make sacrifices.

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Get your whiteboards and markers ready!
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16. How did Americans goals for government
change after declaring independence?

1. They wanted to set up an effective govern-ment
   with a strong executive branch.
2. They replaced the demand for rights as English
   citizens with the idea of repub-licanism.
3. Most Americans wanted a government ban on
   slavery.
4. Women demanded the right to vote.
5. Churches began to receive tax money in some
   states.

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17. What does the idea of republicanism mean?

1. Individuals should place the good of the country
   above their own interests.
2. The people should rule, not a king.
3. Only people who have wealth or own property
   should participate in government.
4. The government's powers should be limited by a
   written constitution.
5. Citizens exercise their power by voting for
   political representatives.

Choose all that are true!
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Religious Freedom

• As part of their liberty, Americans wanted to
  keep religion separate from government.
• Before the war, some laws discriminated against
  certain religions.
• Some states had not allowed Jews or Catholics to
  hold public office.

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Religious Freedom

• After the war, states began to abolish those
  laws.
• They also ended the practice of using tax money
  to support churches.

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Slavery

• Many people began to see a conflict between
  slavery and the ideal of liberty.
• Vermont outlawed slavery, and Pennsylvania passed
  a law to free slaves gradually.

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Slavery

• Individual African Americans also tried to end
  slavery.
• For example, Elizabeth Freeman sued for her
  freedom in a Massachusetts court and won.
• Her victory in 1781 and other similar cases ended
  slavery in that state.

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Slavery

• With freedom, African Americans began to form
  their own institutions.
• For example, the preacher Richard Allen helped
  start the Free African Society.
• That society encouraged African Americans to help
  each other.

• Allen also founded the African Methodist
  Episcopal Church, the first African-American
  church in the United States.

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Influence on Other Countries

• The American Revolution also influenced people in
  other countries.
• The Declaration of Independence was widely
  circulated in France, and helped inspire the
  French Revolution in 1789.

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Influence on Other Countries

• Revolutionaries in Latin America began to rise up
  against colonial powers in the late 1700s and
  early 1800s.
• By 1830, most of the former European colonies in
  Central and South America had won independence.

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A New National Government

• Perhaps the main issue facing Americans after the
  war was how to shape their national government.
• American anger over British taxes, violation of
  rights, and control of trade had caused the war.
  
• Now the United States needed a government that
  would protect citizens rights and economic
  freedom.

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Get your whiteboards and markers ready!
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How did American independence begin to change
life for African Americans?

1. Some states voted to end slavery.
2. Blacks were given the right to vote.
3. Churches and other organizations were formed to
   help African Americans.
4. Most blacks became landowners and small
   businessmen .
5. Some African Americans were able to win their
   freedom in the courts.

Choose all that are true!
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18. How did the American Revolution and the
Declaration of Independence influence other
countries?

1. Canada also began to demand its independence from
   Britain.
2. They inspired the French to overthrow their
   monarchy.
3. Nations in Central and South America fought to
   win their own independence.
4. Britain decided to give all its colonies
   independence.

Choose all that are true!