The Impact of the American Revolution on American Society

1. The Impact of the American Revolution on American Society

2. Changes to American Society Blacks demanded the right to freedom in petitions & lawsuits States abolished “feudal” laws of primogeniture & entail • The American Revolution led to unintended social changes by forcing many Americans to question the meaning of “equality” • Many wanted to eliminate the idea of an American aristocracy • Fighting British tyranny made slavery seem hypocritical; Abolitionist sentiment grew • Women gained increased status Many states lowered property qualifications to vote; but none offered universal male suffrage Franklin, Jay, Hamilton founded abolition societies; Washington manumitted his slaves Most states clearly separated church & state VT, PA, MA abolished slavery Some Southern slave owners privately freed their slaves “Republican Motherhood”—mothers should instill virtue in their children Took greater control over family farms & businesses

3. New State & National Governments

4. Forming New Governments • Whenindependencewasdeclared from England in 1776, colonists considered themselves a new nation & needed a new gov’t: • Colonies became individually sovereign states governed by written state constitutions • A national gov’t was needed to provide basic services like sign treaties & develop a military In 1776, the American Revolution has just started; The colonists did not wait to gain British recognition of their independence before creating new governments!

5. States Constitutions • In 1776, the new states created written constitutions which: • Clearly defined the citizens’ rights & the limits of government • Guaranteed natural rights; Eight states had bills of rights • Almost all states reduced the powers of the governor & kept most power in the hands of the people via state legislatures

6. Defining Republican Culture • But, creating a national gov’t that met everyone’s needs was hard: • How to balance individual liberty with maintaining order? • How to balance property rights with equality? • How to create a centralized gov’t without creating a new tyrannical authority?

7. The Articles of Confederation • In 1775, three committees were formed to sever ties with England: • Thomas Jefferson headed the committee to draft a declaration of independence • John Adams headed committee to establish foreign alliances • John Dickinson headed a committee to draft a new central government

8. Articles of Confederation • The Articles of Confederation was adopted as America’s 1st national gov’t in 1777 (but ratified in 1781) • The Articles established an intentionally weak central gov’t in order to protect state power • The confederation-style gov’t gave all 13 states 1 vote in a unicameral congress • There was no national president Each state was treated as a pseudo-nation Too similar to a monarch

9. The Articles of Confederation The Articles were created to loosely tie the states together • The only powers granted to the national government were to • Settle disputes between states, negotiate treaties, handle Indian affairs, oversee a military • It could not tax citizens or states; could only request contributions • Laws required 9 of the 13 states • Amending the gov’t required agreement by all 13 states

10. “A firm league of friendship” The colonies were loosely joined to address common problems "each State retains its sovereignty, freedom and independence, and every power...which is not... expressly delegated to the United States.…"

11. Western Lands • The “West” presented a problem: • Many states had overlapping land claims in the West • Some “landless” states (MD, NJ, DE) wanted part of West & refused to ratify the Articles without this issue resolved • The US gov’t negotiated treaties with Indians to gain land in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky

12. The Land Ordinance of 1785 • The U.S. gov’t was eager to sell off Western lands to settlers to gain revenue (since the gov’t did not have the power to tax) • The Land Ordinance of 1785 established an orderly process for laying out western townships • Section 16 of the each township was dedicated to public schools

14. The Northwest Ordinance • The Northwest Ordinance (1787) gave structure to the NW territory: • Created new territories, ruled by a governor, & whose citizens were protected by a bill of rights • Residents could create a legislative assembly when the population reached 5,000 • Residents could apply for statehood with 60,000 people • Slavery outlawed in NW lands

15. Conclusions • The Articles of Confederation accomplished exactly what its framers intended: • By creating a weak central gov’t, the power of the states was preserved & no tyrants emerged • The weaknesses of the central gov’t failed to meet the long-term needs of the new USA

16. Examining the Articles of Confederation

17. The Weaknesses of the Articles • The Articles of Confederation served as the framework for the U.S. gov’t from 1781 until 1789: • Early in the “Confederation Period,” the weakness of the national gov’t was seen as good because it eliminated tyranny • Later, these same weaknesses kept the gov’t from solving serious national problems

18. Debt, Taxes, & Inflation The gov’t could request, but not require, states to send money to Congress • The U.S. was burdened with $40 million in war debt in 1783: • The Confederate Congress could not ease the national debt because it had no power to tax • Congress printed $200 million in new currency to pay off debt but this led to massive inflation • Creditors demanded repayment of debts at market value

19. Trade Problems under the Articles Connecticut levied heavier duties on Massachusetts goods than on British goods • Congress was unable to create a favorable balance of trade: • To raise revenue, states created tariffsongoodsfromotherstates • The lack of hard currency made trade difficult • Desire for cheap British goods hurt infant American industries • England prohibited its Caribbean colonies from trading with USA This especially hurt the North This especially hurt Southern planters

20. Economic Problems Washington kept generals from overthrowing the new government: "Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in the service of my country." • The economic stagnation of the Confederation era led to uprisings: • The lack of tax revenue & failure of the gov’t to pay soldiers sparked a military coup in 1783 called the Newburgh Conspiracy • Property foreclosures led to desperation & uprising farmers in 1787 called Shays’ Rebellion Shays’ Rebellion proved to be the convincing event that led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787

21. Shay’s Rebellion in Western Massachusetts Poor farmers in western MA were angered over high taxes & prospect of debtors jail Daniel Shays led an uprising & closed debt courts & threatened a federal arsenal

22. Foreign Policy Problems Congress & the army were too weak to resist • The Articles proved inadequate to handle interstate & foreign affairs: • When Americans did not repay legitimate war debts, Britain kept troops in the Ohio Valley • Spain refused to recognize the southern U.S. border & closed access to the Mississippi River • Algerian pirates attacked & enslaved American merchants • States argued over river rights John Jay’s Jay-Gardoqui Treaty was met with regional resistance & was rejected in Congress

23. Constitutional Reform Thus, states created weak state governors & a weak Articles of Confederation • American political ideology changed from the beginning of the American Revolution to the late Confederation period: • In the 1770s, American political leaders saw tyranny as the greatest threat to the USA • But…by the mid-1780s, they sawordinarycitizenswho lacked virtue as the greatest threat The problem is an excess of democracy not an excess of tyranny Shays’ Rebellion will help prove this point to the Founding Fathers

24. Constitutional Reform Congress did not have the tax funds to send an army Merchants in MA hired their own mercenary militia to end the uprising • By 1787, the fatal flaws of the Articles of Confed were exposed: • Shays’ Rebellion broke out among desperate MA farmers who faced losing their farms or being sent to debtor’s prison • Congress called for a meeting in Philadelphia to discuss revising the Articles & strengthening the national gov’t Shays’ Rebellion gave nationalists like Washington, Madison, Hamilton the urgency to call for a stronger national gov’t In Sept 1786, James Madison led the Annapolis Convention to discuss improving American trade

25. The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, 1787

26. The Philadelphia Convention • Shays Rebellion led to increased support for a stronger central government & more attendance at the Philadelphia Convention • In May 1787, 55 delegates from all states (except RI) met to discuss revising the Articles of Confederation, but it soon became apparent that something more serious was needed They did NOT intend to replace the Articles

27. The Philadelphia Convention Is this a government of the people? • The Philadelphia Convention delegates in Philadelphia made 3 important (& illegal) decisions: • The Articles of Confederation were to be completely replaced • Nothing from the meeting was to beprintedorspokentothepublic • Every state got 1 vote but all decisions needed a majority vote (not 9 of 13 states) to pass To amend the Articles, all 13 states had to agree

28. Delegates incorporated 4 major principles into this new gov’t: Limited gov’t—even though a strongergov’twasbeingcreated, citizens’ liberty is protected Republicanism—the people vote for their leaders Separation of powers—three branches with defined powers Federalism—the national gov’t shares power with state gov’ts Inventing a Federal Republic

29. William Paterson presented the New Jersey Plan: Congress given power to tax Each state had one vote in a unicameral legislature But Articles mostly untouched James Madison presented the Virginia Plan: Bicameral legislature Larger states had more representatives Create a chief executive appointed by Congress Inventing a Federal Republic Small states objected to this large-state dominance The large states listened politely then overwhelmingly votedagainst it

30. The Great Compromise Also known as the “Connecticut” Compromise” • Roger Sherman helped resolve the differences between the large & small states by proposing the Great Compromise • Congress would be a bicameral legislature (House & Senate) • Each state was given 2 delegates in the Senate • House of Representatives was determined by state population Victory for the small states Victory for large states Only the House of Reps could introduce tax bills

31. The 3/5 Compromise • Problems still remained between the northern & southern states regarding how to count population size (do slaves count?) • The Three-Fifths Compromise settled the issue: • Three-fifths of the slave population could be counted toward representation in the House of Representatives

33. Compromising with Slavery • Despite the contradiction slavery posed, Southerners threatened to leave the USA anytime the slave question was discussed • As a compromise for the South, the slave trade could continue to 1808 & runaway slaves returned “Great as the evil is, a dismemberment of the Union would be worse.” —James Madison

34. The Last Details Including ideas once considered tyrannical: Presidential power to appoint judges & presidential veto power over Congress • In 1787, a final draft included: • Electoral College to vote for the president to “filter the masses” • System of checks & balances among the 3 branches of gov’t • President would serve for 4 years rather than for life • Delegates decided against a Bill of Rights because most state constitutions already had them

35. James Madison helped broker many of the compromises that made the Constitution possible & is referred to as the “father of the Constitution”

36. Federalism—state gov’ts & the national gov’t both have power The supremacy clause establishes the Constitution (not the states) as the "the supreme law of the land" A state law cannot contradict a national law

37. The Struggle for Ratification

38. The Struggle for Ratification • The delegates in Philadelphia knew that ratification of the new Constitution would not be easy: • They had no authority to change the Articles of Confederation • They did not inform the public of their ongoing decisions • They fundamentally altered the relationships between the states & the central government

39. Federalists Supported ratification of the Constitution Were well-organized & educated Used Federalist Papers to argue for ratification Had the support of the media Anti-Federalists Against ratification Distrusted of a gov’t that removed power from the hands of the people Claimed the new Constitution favored the upper class Federalists & Anti-Federalists Authored by Madison, Hamilton, & Jay Anti-Federalists argued for more protection of individual liberties “The Constitution is itself a Bill of Rights”

40. Adding the Bill of Rights If 1776 was the 1st American Revolution… 1787 was the 2nd American Revolution • To win ratification, the Federalists agreed to add a Bill of Rights • With this protection of citizens’ liberty, all 13 states agreed to ratify the Constitution • Constitution became the official the law of the land in 1789 • After bitter fight, most Americans chose to support the Constitution

42. Discussion Question • Which of the following ideas was most important to the framers of the Constitution in 1787? • Federalism • Separation of powers? • Checks and balances? • Republican democracy? • Gov’t limited by the people? • Which is most important today?

43. Essential Question: • InwhatwaysdidtheConstitution deviate from the gov’t under the Articles of Confederation? • What were the Federalist and Anti-Federalist critiques regarding the new Constitution?