The Confederation and The Constitution

1
The Confederation and The Constitution

• 1776-1790
• Chapter 9

2
The American Revolution

• The Revolution was not a radical or total change
• It was not overturn of the entire political
  system like France or Russia

3
The Revolution

• The American Revolution did affect social
  customs, political institutions, and ideas about
  government, society and gender roles
• All Americans now wished to be called Mr. and
  Mrs. titles formerly reserved for the wealthy
• Inheritance laws of primogeniture were abolished.

4
The Anglican Church

• The Anglican Church was humbled after the
  Revolution
• Reformed as the Protestant Episcopal Church

5
The Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom - 1786

• Thomas Jefferson penned this religious document
  in 1786 it allowed for the complete separation
  of church and state in Virginia.
• This was the first divorce between religion and
  government in the USA

6
The Philadelphia Quakers

• Philadelphia Quakers founded the first
  anti-slavery society in the US
• 1775

7
Abolition of Slavery in the North

• Several Northern states either abolished slavery
  or provided for gradual emancipation (no state
  south of PA)
• Still barred owning of property
• No education for slave children
• Couldnt hold certain jobs
• Interracial marriage illegal

8
Slavery

• A fight over the issue of slavery would have
  divided the fragile new country, so the
  feasibility of abolition was never considered.
• The institution would continue to be a divisive
  issue (1861-1865)

9
Women's Role

• Change from Brit. Empire to USA did not redefine
  womens roles completely
• Abigail Adams
• Mothers were to teach civic virtue and
  republicanism to children

10
Constitutions

• The Continental Congress called upon each state
  to draft their own constitution
• The authority of the state would rest with the
  people.

11
Massachusetts

• The MA state constitution is especially
  noteworthy (written by John Adams)
• Called a Constitutional Convention to draft the
  document
• Submitted draft directly to the people to vote
  and ratification
• Adopted in 1780

12
What is a Constitution?

• An accumulation of laws, customs, and precedents
  written down together
• Annual elections forced lawmakers to stay in
  touch with the people.
• Weak Executives and Judiciaries
• STRONG Legislatures in touch w/ people

13
Distrust

• Distrust of His Majestys Officials gave power
  back to the people in the United States
• States seized control of former Crown lands
• Loyalists land cut up into small farms
• Cheap land available

14
Manufacturing

• There was a sharp rise in manufacturing after the
  American Revolution
• Goods from England were cut off to the Yankees
• This forced manufacturing of their own
• Americans remained mostly agricultural

15
Independence Has Drawbacks

• There were economic drawbacks to Independence
• American ships were banned from English ports and
  British West Indies ports.
• BUT America could begin trade with foreign
  nationssuch as the Baltic nations and Asian
  nations
• 1784 Empress of China brings ginseng to East
  Asian herbal doctors

16
Inflation

• Inflation hit hard after the war
• Avg. citizen was worse off after then b4 the war
• Rich class of profiteers from war goods
• Once-wealthy left poor

17
Power

• Power was looked at suspiciously after the
  Revolution
• It is hard to start a government and a new nation
  without power of some sort
• Experimentation Innovation in Government

18
13 States

• All 13 states had similar government structure
  and constitutions
• Had good leadership from Revolutionary War and
  Continental Congress
• Coined money, raised armies/navies and set tariffs

19
Confederation

• Articles of Confederation adopted by Congress
  in 1777 during the War
• Document was translated to French to prove that
  the United States had a real gov't
• Not ratified by all 13 states until 1781

20
State Jealousy

• Smaller states were jealous of larger states
  because of their land West of the Allegheny
  Mountains.
• Agreement on Articles of Confederation came when
  the sale of western land would benefit the
  common benefit and create new and separate
  republican states to be admitted to the Union
  later

21
The Northwest Territory

• Fertile land of the Northwest Territory
  transferred to the Central Government
• Heritage thrown into common pot
• Pioneers would buy land from the federal
  government

22
Articles of Confederation

• Provided for a loose confederation or firm
  friendship
• Linked for joint action against any common
  problem
• Weak Congress chief agency of govt.
• No Executive Branch
• Judicial Arm left to states

23
The USA under Confederation

• Each state had a SINGLE vote in Congress
• RI and VA were equal in power
• 9/13 for passage of a bill
• 13/13 to change the Articles themselves
• Unanimity almost impossible
• Little could be done

24
Confederation Congress

• No power to regulate commerce
• Each state had different laws about tariffs and
  navigation
• Congress had a tax policy, but no authority to
  enforce tax collection
• Tax quota for each state, state asked to please
  pay
• Might receive ¼ of what it asked for !!!

25
The United States

• Capital _at_ Philadelphia
• Could not command or coerce control the states
• Articles were a 1st in republican govt.
• EXPERIMENTAL!!

26
Articles cont

• The Articles of Confederation were a huge
  stepping stone and learning process leading to
  the future US Constitution
• Outlined powers of the federal government, such
  as treaties and a national postal service
• HELD STATES TOGETHER IN UNION!

27
LAND

• Confederation Congress passed much-needed laws on
  land
• Old Northwest NW of Ohio River, E. of Miss.
  River, and S. of Great Lakes

28
Land Laws (important for test)

• Land Ordinance of 1785 provided that land in
  the Old Northwest should be sold and proceeds
  would go to pay off the national debt
• Surveyed, Sold, Settled
• Each township 6 square miles
• 36 sections of 1 mile each
• 16th section provided for a public school

29
Land Laws cont

• Northwest Ordinance of 1787 came to grips with
  how a nation would deal with its colonies
  (territories)
• Temporary tutelage, permanent equality
• 1 subordinate to federal government
• 2 after 60,000 people, eligible to apply for
  statehood into Union
• SLAVERY FORBIDDEN IN OLD NORTHWEST

30
Foreign Relations

• USA and rest of the world had troubled
  relationship
• 8 years before Britain would even send an
  ambassador
• No commercial treaties with Britain signed and
  old Navigation Laws still in effect in England
  (no commerce to or from US if not in a British
  ship)
• England shut off West Indies trade to US

31
Foreign Relations cont

• Spain openly unfriendly with USA
• Controlled mouth of Miss. River
• 1784 closed Miss. River to American commerce
• Almost strangled American West
• Florida controlled by Spain
• Spain and Britain incited Indians against US

32
Foreign Relations cont

• France got revenge against Britain by helping
  US win the war
• Became less friendly after the war was over
• Wanted repayment of all loans
• Restricted trade with the USA

33
Foreign Relations cont

• North Africa Coast controlled by Muslims
• Dey of Algiers famous pirate who controlled the
  Mediterranean Sea along with other Muslim pirates
• Enslaved Yankee sailors
• US too weak to buy off the Barbary Pirates like
  the British Empire

34
Shays Rebellion

• 1786 western Mass. Farmers, very poor and
  backcountry, losing farms to mortgage
  foreclosures and late taxes
• Capt. Daniel Shays led the revolt

35
Shays Rebellion

• Shaysites wanted cheap paper money, lighter
  taxes, and no foreclosures on their farms
• 100s attempted to enforce demands
• MA took drastic actions raised a small army
• Springfield 3 Shaysites killed, one wounded
• Shays condemned to death but pardoned

36
Federal Govt. Needed Muscle

• Prosperity was coming back to shipping by 1789
  and US was coming out of postwar depression
• BUT the federal government needed more muscle
  to enforce commerce

37
Constitutional Convention

• Ultimately, problems with commerce led to the
  need for a constitutional convention to revamp
  the Articles of Confederation
• 39 year old Alexander Hamilton called upon
  Congress to meet in Philadelphia, PA in 1787 for
  the sole and express purpose of revising the
  Articles of Confederation

38
Constitutional Convention

• May 25, 1787 55 representatives from 12 states
  (RI) met _at_ redbrick statehouse in Philadelphia
• Meetings held in complete secrecy
• Armed guards, mostly lawyers
• T.J. called them demigods
• George Washington unanimous chairman
• Franklin, Madison, Hamilton,
• Henry wouldnt come because he smelled a rat
• Jefferson, Adams Jay in Europe didnt attend

39
Patriots of Philadelphia

• Conservative, lawyers, shippers, moneylenders,
  experienced in politics
• Young (avg. age 42)
• 19/55 owned slaves
• ALL NATIONALISTS intense feeling of pride for
  ones own country

40
Patriots of Philadelphia

• These men wanted to take revolutionary idealism
  and create a stable, but powerful, political
  structure that would last
• Wanted to give Central Govt. power over commerce
• Preservation of Union
• Secure Liberty and Property
• 56th delegate was FEAR of the alternative

41
Compromise

• 1st decision was made to SCRAP the Articles of
  Confederation
• It was an overthrow of government by peaceful
  means
• This led to several other compromises that would
  be ever important to US History

42
Virginia Plan The Large State Plan

• Bicameral Congress with membership of each state
  decided by population
• Would give large states most representatives in
  both Houses
• Not favored by small states

43
New Jersey Plan Small State Plan

• Equal representation in unicameral Congress
  regardless of size or population
• Large states against this idea

44
Deadlock

• Angry Debate
• Would the Convention Unravel?

45
The Great Compromise

• As temperatures cooled in Philadelphia, so too
  did the tempers of the delegates
• House of Representatives representation based
  on population of each state
• Senate equal representation for each state (2
  Senators for each)
• Every tax bill or revenue measure had to
  originate in the House, where pop. mattered

46
The Executive

• The new Constitution called for a strong
  executive head of state
• Military commander in chief
• Appointed federal judges

47
The Electoral College

• Each states populous would vote for Electors,
  not the president directly
• The number of each states electors were to be
  based on the number of Reps it had in the House
  (population)
• Electors would then cast ballot for president
• If no majority, then election would go to the
  House of Representatives
• 1800 1824 only times this happened

48
3/5 Compromise

• Slave would be counted as 3/5 of one person for
  state population
• Convention decided slave importation would end by
  1807 but not institution of slavery

49
Conservatism

• Most delegates did agree for the most part
• All wanted sound money (gold/silver)
• Protection of private property
• All wanted 3 branches of govt. with checks and
  balances
• None wanted all-manhood-suffrage
• Afraid of the masses, made barriers against
  mobocracy

50
Federal Judges

• Elected for life
• President would be elected indirectly
• Senators were not elected by people, but by the
  state legislatures
• But the system did have democratic elements

51
September 17, 1787

• Only 42/55 delegates left to sign the
  Constitution
• 3/42 delegates were opposed to the passage of the
  document and voted against it.

52
Federalists Anti-Federalist

• Silver-buckled, powerful, influential, rich
• Most from the coastal areas, wealthy, educated,
  better organized, controlled the press
• Washington, Hamilton, Franklin

• Opposed the Constitution and the stronger federal
  govt.
• Wanted a Bill of Rights
• Supporters of states rights, country, poor
• Sam Adams, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee

53
U.S. History

• Time has shown that both liberals and
  conservatives from both American parties cherish
  the heritage and agree on the importance of the
  U.S. Constitution !!!
• The End !!!!!!!!!