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AtlanticWorld Revolutions
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... The Challenge and Opportunity of Democracy. Revolutions ... See democracy as dangerous. ... Worried about 'excess of democracy' (theme throughout US history) ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation
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Title: AtlanticWorld Revolutions
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Atlantic-World Revolutions
- Faustian Bargains The Challenge and Opportunity
of Democracy
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Revolutions
- Merchants vs. Monarchs
- Business seeks freedom from Crown Church
- Serfs and slaves against estates and plantations
- New class coalitions
- New political philosophies
- Political liberalism vs. divine right
3
John Locke
- Government for and by middle class
- Middle classmerchants, professionals, etc.
- Life, Liberty, Property
- See themselves as only group possessing talent
and moral authority to rule - Tacit consent
- People give consent to rulers if they are not in
open revolt - Ideas prevail among middle class to present
4
Locke
- Wealthy
- Investments in silk slave trade
- Income from loans mortgages
- Advised colonial governments of Carolinas
- Suggested government of slaveowners run by 40
land barons
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Information Revolution
- Columbian Exchange
- Coffee
- Tea
- Increased trade and contacts
- Pubs
- Inns
- Cafes
- Newspapers
- Cheap and spread information about rebellions
6
Rebellions
- 1760s and 1770s of newspapers convey spread of
revolts in Poland, Bohemia, Denmark and Sweden.
In the Mediterranean, uprisings occurred with the
Corsicans and Montenegrins and the Greeks
(against the Ottomans), while further east were
the Cossacks of Pugachev and other Russian
rebellions.
7
US Revolution
- North American colonies of little importance
relative to Caribbean - Settler colonies. Knew early they want
independence. - Why revolt when they did?
8
Factors leading to Revolution
- Seven Years War (1756-1763)
- New England ports prosper supplying English war
effort - War ends at time of global economic crisis
- Ottoman, India, China all in economic trouble
- New England econ. Suffers when war demand ends
- Colonists asked to help pay for war
- Under taxed, but under stress
9
Rebellion in American Colonies
- by 1760 saw 18 rebellions against colonial
governments - Six black rebellions
- 40 major riots against various unfair conditions
- Mobs and rioters often targeted property of
wealthy (homes and coaches)
10
US Revolution Rebellion or Barons Revolt?
- Stamp Act, 1765
- Tea Act, 1773
- Boston Tea Party, 1774
- Taxes are small, but ignite passions for
independence during time of crisis
11
Growing Inequality
- Boston
- 1687, top 1 owned 25 of wealth
- 1770, top 1 owns 44
- Percentage of poor doubles
12
- Wealthy move to restrict voting to protect
privilege - Pennsylvania, 1750, white males must have 50
pounds in cash or 50 acres to vote - Only 8 of rural people could vote and only 2 of
Philadelphia - Massachusetts decreased numbers who could vote
from 1776 to 1780 - Maryland 90 excluded from holding office
property qualifications
13
Class Coalitions
- Middle Class wants to rule
- Dislikes paying English taxes and having
outsiders making laws - Middle Class too small to take power
- Must ally with lower classes in a coalition
- Middle Class both needs and fears lower classes
- James Madison states need to protect the
minority of the opulent
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- Alexander Hamilton
- 1st US Treasury Secretary (Finance Minister)
- Wants American monarchy
- Thomas Jefferson
- Declaration of Independence
- Bill of Rights
- Wants real democracy, self governance by
enlightened farmers - Hamilton vs. Jefferson
15
Class Coalitions
- Middle and Lower Classes united against monarchy
- Coalitions weaken and dissolve with end of war
- Middle Class suppresses rebellions
- Shays Rebellion, 1787 (difficult to suppress
because lack of central authority) - Whiskey, 1794 (easier to suppress after central
military introduced with new Constitution) - Articles of Confederation vs. Constitution
- Bill of Rights
16
Articles of Confederation Constitution
- Great Compromise or Government for the Minority
of the Opulent?
17
Articles of Confederation
- Decentralized system
- Much local control
- Unicameral Legislature
- More democratic than latter Constitution
- Government officials elected by those close to
them
18
Problems of Articles
- Congress could
- Request money, but no power to collect
- Make treaties, but not enforce
- Borrow money, but not power to repay
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- Distrustful of Executive Power
- No prime minister or president
- Debt problems
- Currency weak
- Makes impossible to be protectionist, as every
state has trade policy - Impossible to coordinate plans against Indians
and Spain
20
Democratic Character of Select State
Constitutions under Articles of Confederation
- Pennsylvania Constitution drafted by many
elements of society - All men have right of acquiring, possessing, and
protecting property and pursuing and obtaining
happiness safety. - One-house Assembly required to function in open
pubic sessions, and keep full records - Federalists refer to it as mobocracy of the
most illiterate, a constitution written by
coffee-house demagogues, political upstarts and
the unthinking many.
21
Economy
- Economy suffers during revolutionary war
- Trade disrupted
- British boycott tobacco
- Cut off from British Caribbean
- Trade resumes after war
- Americans keep smuggling
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Economy
- Trade begins with China, 1784
- Silk and tea
- By 1790 trade and economy much bigger than before
war - American manufacturing grows during war
23
- Manufactures want tariffs (protectionism)
- Farmers hit hard. Want paper money and inflation
to make easier to pay off debts - Banks want silver/gold money
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Shays Rebellion
- Massachusetts borrows from rich to fight war
- After war British stop credit to US
- Demand cash. In turn, merchants demand cash from
farmers and small business - Americans hurt by British denying access to
Caribbean trade
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Shays Rebellion
- Taxes fall on farmers and shop-keepers to pay
- 1200 farmers revolt
- Want to use crops for debt payment
- Postpone payment of debts
- Want paper money
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Shays
- Massachusetts government steps in to collect
debts from farmers on behalf of business - Also, shift tax burden from wholesalers to farmers
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- Washington sends troops to crush farmers
- Good God!Notwithstanding the boasted virtue of
America, we are far gone in every thing that is
ignoble and bad.George Washington - Federalists (conservatives) oppose rebellion
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- Jefferson, anti-Federalists, by contrast
- the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time
to time with the blood of patriots tyrants - And a little rebellion now and again is a good
thing - Some argue Federalists want to discard Articles
of Confederation to prevent rebellion
32
Federalist Rollback The Constitution
- Bankers, merchants, rich want order. See
democracy as dangerous. - Keep majority from introducing paper money, etc.,
through strengthening central control - See tyranny from common people, not government
- James Madison, protect minority of the opulent
- Minority of responsible to rule that recognized
the common good
33
Foreign Relations
- Spain Britain give US trouble
- Britain kept military posts in US debt
collection - Spain closes US to Mississippi River, 1784
- Stirs Indians to trouble
34
Constitutional Convention, 1787
- Revolutionary radicals, such as Patrick Henry
oppose
35
Benjamin Franklin
- Prominent Anti-Federalist
- Opposed to Federalist position of limiting voting
36
James Madison
- the most important figure in drafting the
Constitution
37
Madison
- Central military for use against public
- without such power to suppress insurrections,
our liberties might be destroyed by domestic
factions
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Alexander Hamilton
- First Secretary of Treasury
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Hamilton
- Supporters of the Constitution were the good
will of the commercial interestsand the good
will of most men of property who wish a
government of the Union able to protect them
against domestic violence and the depredations
which the democratic spirit is apt to make on
property
40
George Washingtonand a Central Military
- We have probably had too good an opinion of
human nature in forming our confederation.
Experience has taught us of the need for the
intervention of a coercive power.
41
John Jay First Supreme Court Justice
- People who own the country ought to govern it
42
John Quincy Adams
- Originally a Federalist, but then opposed their
policy, wrote - The Constitution was calculated to increase the
influence, power and wealth of those who have any
already.
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Great Compromise
- Small population states want representation equal
by state - Large population states want based on numbers of
people - House represents by population
- Senate based on state with indirect election (by
state house) of members. Federalist elite
perspective. Also, larger district easier for
powerful interests to direct.
44
- Separation of Powers, etc., limit power of states
on money, treaties, etc. - Founding fathers fear British tyranny and tyranny
of the public - Alexander Hamilton referred to the public as a
great beast - Worried about excess of democracy (theme
throughout US history) - James Madison separation of powers prevent
majority from carrying into effect schemes of
oppression.
45
Constitution
- Elimination of right to abolish government
established by Declaration of Independence - Right to suspend habeas corpus (imprisoning
people without reason) - Political risks to challenging authority greatly
raised
46
Checks Balances
- James Madison, chief creator of Constitution
- Landholders ought to have a share in the
government, to support these invaluable
interests, and to balance and check the other.
They ought to be so constituted as to protect the
minority of the opulent against the majority.
47
Reverting to a British System?
- Idea to limit democracy of unicameral democracy
(Congress) of the Articles of Confederation - Check Congress
- Create Senate (like House of Lords to House of
Commons) - Indirectly selected
- President (Executive) override Congress
- Selected by electoral college
- Article II, Section 1 the electoral college is
a device designed to give discretionary power to
the elected delegates and deny the people direct
choice of the President.
48
Federalist Papers
- 85 short articles written by James Madison,
Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay on the new form
the government would take - Designed to build support for Constitution
49
Anti-Federalists
- Revolutionary Patriots, such as Patrick Henry
- Distrust central authority
- Argue that republics must be small
- Many opposed Constitution. Some willing to
accept if with Bill of Rights - Bill of Rights added 1789, passed 1791
50
Anti-Federalists
- Claimed Congress weakened and reduced to an
assistant Aristocratical Branch that was now a
pretended concession to democracy - The President virtual king vested with power
dangerous to a free people and the electoral
college an aristocratic junto and that the
general structure seemed to verge too much
toward the British plan
51
Resistance to Constitution
- Anti-Federalists split with promise of future
amendments to Constitution - Charles Beard, the former president of the
American Historical Association noted, safe to
say not more than 5 of public expressed an
opinion
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