Chapter 9: The Confederation and the Constitution (1776-1790)

 

   I.    The Pursuit of Equality

 

1.     Declaration of Independence - "All men are created equal"

 

2.     Fight for separation of church and State

 

oCongressional Church established in New England States

 

oStrongest in Virginia

 

o1786 Thomas Jefferson won passage of Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom

 

3.     1775 - Philadelphia Quakers Founded 1st antislavery society (in the world)

 

4.     1774 - Continental Congress tried to abolish slave trade (Some northern states did)

 

oLaws still discriminated against slaves

 

oNo state south of Pennsylvania abolish slavery

 

oAfraid slavery might break union

 

5.     1776 - Abigail Adams advocated for women’s rights

 

oWomen keeps of the nations conscience ( republican motherhood)

 

 

II.    Constitution Making in the States

 

1.     1776 - Continental Congress called to draft new constitutions

 

2.     Massachusetts created a special convention to creates its constitution

 

oDirect ratification by the people

 

o1780 - Mass. adopted Constitution that could only be changed by constitutional convention (later limited to federal Constitution)

 

3.     British - Constitution is a cummulation of laws

 

4.     Most documents had a Bill of Rights

 

5.     All states made executive and judicial branches (weak in comparison to today)

 

 

III.    Economic Crosscurrents

 

1.     Loyalists large land holdings were taken and divided into small farms

 

2.     America mostly made of farming

 

3.     Britain cut off good imports

 

4.     Americans could trade freely with foreign nations

 

5.     1784 - Express of China carried ginseng to China

 

6.     Wide divide in rich and poor class

 

 

IV.    A Shaky Start Toward Union

 

1.     1786 - Hard times hit bottom

 

2.     13 states had similar gov't

 

3.     Political leaders of time:

 

oGeorge Washington

 

oJames Madison

 

oJohn Adams

 

oThomas Jefferson

 

oAlexander Hamilton

 

 

 V.    Creating a Confederation

 

1.    States:

 

oCoined money

 

oraised armies and navies

 

ohad tariff barriers

 

2.    1778 - Virginia ratified treaty of alliance with France (alone without others states being involved)

 

3.    1776 - Articles of Confederation

 

onot ratified by all 13 states until 1781 (last Maryland)

 

4.    1787 - Northwest Ordinance

 

5.    Public land handed to Federal gov't (bond of Union)

 

 

VI.    The Articles of Confederation Americas First Constitution

 

1.    Joint action was to be taken by states

 

2.    No executive branch

 

3.    Each state had one vote in congress

 

4.    9 States needed for bills to pass

 

5.    2 Weaknesses of Congress:

 

1)    Congress was weak - no power to regulate commerce

 

2)    Congress could not enforce tax-collection programs.

 

6.    1783 – Penn soldiers marched to Philadelphia and made threatening demonstrations on Independence Hall

 

7.    Articles of Confederation acted as a model

 

oThomas Jefferson claimed it to be the best one exsisting

 

oWeak

 

oStepping Stone for current constitution (today)

 

 

VII.    Landmarks in Land Laws

 

1.    1785 – Land Oridinence – acrage of the old Northwest should be used to pay off national debt.

 

2.    Northwest Ordinance of 1787 – government of the old Northwest

 

oSolution: judicial compromise

 

1.    2 evolutionary stages

 

2.    When it has reached 60,000 inhabitants it could be admitted as a state

 

 

VIII.    The World’s Ugly Ducking

 

1.    Foreign relations with London remain troubled

 

2.    British believed they would win Americas trade back

 

3.    Spain unfriendly to new republic in America

 

4.    1784 – Spain closed river commerce to American trade

 

5.    Spain claimed large area north of Gulf of Mexico granted to US by British in 1783

 

6.    Dey of Algiers took American commerce and enslaved Yankee Sailors

 

 

IX.    The Horrid Specter of Anarchy

 

1.    Public debt rising – credit evaporating in foreign nations

 

2.    States had quarrels

 

3.    States printed own paper money

 

4.    Shay’s Rebellion – 1786 in Massachusetts

 

oBackcountry farmers were loosing farms through mortgages

 

oLed by Captain Daniel Shay

 

oThey demanded states issue paper money, lighten taxes, and suspend property takeovers

 

oMass. responded with small army at Springfield where the movement collapsed

 

oMass. Legislators soon passed debtor-relief laws

 

5.    Fear of Mobocracy

 

6.    need for stronger central gov’t

 

 

 X.    A Convention of “Demigods”

 

1.    1786 – Virginia called for convention in 1786 at Annapolis, MD

 

o9 States appointed delegates

 

oOnly 5 states were represented

 

2.    Alexander Hamilton asked congress to summon a convention for 1787 in Philadelphia for speaking of Articles of Confederation

 

oEvery state except RI choose a delegate

 

o55 state delegates from 12 states met May 25, 1787

 

oJefferson called the attendants “Demigods”

 

3.    George Washington elected as chairman

 

4.    James Madison known as Father of the Constitution

 

5.    Hamilton wanted a super powerful gov’t

 

 

XI.    Patriots in Philadelphia

 

1.    No delegate represented the poor

 

2.    Young group and men and interested in nationalism

 

3.    Lord Sheffield - also a founding father in a sense

 

4.    Delegates wanted to preserve union and restrain states

 

5.    Washington - who seen Shay’s Rebellion - was a founding father

 

 

XII.    Hammering out a Bundle of Compromises

 

1.    Completely get rid of Articles (instructions were to revise it)

 

2.    Virginia – “large-state plan”

 

oRepresentation in both houses should be based on population

 

3.    New Jersey – “small-states plan”

 

oRepresentation in both houses should be equal

 

4.    “Great Compromise”

 

oHouse of Representatives- based on population (larger states)

 

oSenate- equal representation (smaller states) each state having two

 

oEvery tax bill or revenue measure must originate in the house

 

5.    President - broad authority

 

oMake appointments to domestic offices

 

oVeto legislation

 

oPower to wage war – Congress (only) could declare war

 

oMethod of electing president – Electoral College

 

6.    Slaves counted as 3/5 a person

 

7.    Slave trade could continue till 1807

 

oStates already forbid slave trade (except Georgia)

 

 

XIII.    Safeguard for Conservationism

 

1.    3-branches of gov’t

 

oChecks and balances among them

 

2.    Federal judges appointed for life

 

3.    President elected indirectly by Electoral College

 

4.    Senators indirectly elected by State Legislator

 

5.    House of Rep. elected directly by citizens

 

6.    2 principles

 

o1. Gov’t based on consent of governed

 

o2. Powers of gov’t should be limited (limited by written Constitution in Americans case)

 

7.    Convention lasting from May 25 – September 17, 1787

 

oOnly 42 out of 55 delegates stayed to sign the Constitution

 

o3 out of the 42 refused to sign

 

oDelegates returned to states for ratification

 

 

XIV.    The Clash of Federalists and Antifederalists

 

1.    Adopted scheme where only 9/13 states had to ratify the Constitution

 

2.    Antifederalists opposed strong federal gov’t

 

oAt odds against federalists who favored it

 

oKey Antifederalists: Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, and Richard Henry Lee

 

oWanted attachment of a Bill of Rights

 

3.    Federalists – Washington and Franklin

 

oControlled press

 

oWealthier

 

 

XV.    The Great Debate in States

 

1.    4 small states accepted Constitution quickly

 

2.    Officially adopted June 21, 1788 by 9 states

 

oExcluding Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island

 

 

XVI.    The Four Laggard States

 

1.    Virginia had fierce opposition by Antifederalists

 

oRatified by 89 to 79

 

2.    James Madison

 

o“The Federalist” – book of essays commenting the Constitution

 

3.    New York ratified

 

oDecided it could not prosper without the union

 

o30 to 27

 

4.    North Carolina and Rhode Island

 

oBoth unwillingly ratified after new gov’t was in effect

 

 

XVII.    A Conservative Triumph

 

1.    American minority triumphed twice

 

oAmerican Radicals vs. British Motherhood

 

oMinority Conservatives overthrew Articles of Confederation

 

 

 

 

 

States in order of Ratification of the Constitution		Vote #
Delaware	Dec. 7, 1787	Unanimous
Pennsylvania	Dec. 12, 1787	46/23
New Jersey	Dec. 18, 1787	Unanimous
Georgia	Jan. 2, 1788	Unanimous
Connecticut	Jan. 9, 1788	128/40
Massachusetts	Feb. 7, 1788	187/168
Maryland	Apr. 28, 1788	63/11
South Carolina	May 23, 1788	149/73
New Hampshire	Jun. 21, 1788	57/46
Virginia	Jun. 26, 1788	89/79
New York	Jul. 26, 1788	30/27
North Carolina	May 21, 1788	195/77
Rhode Island	May 29, 1790	34/32

 

 Brittany Thermos