Chapter #5: Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution – Big Picture Themes
1. The Americans were very diverse for that time period. New England was largely from English background, New York was Dutch, Pennsylvania was German, the Appalachian frontier was Scots-Irish, the southern coast African-American and English, and there were spots of French, Swiss, and Scots-Highlanders.
2. Although they came from different origins, the ethnicities were knowingly or what mingling and melting together into something called “Americans.”
3. Most people were farmers, an estimated 90%. The northern colonies held what little industry America had at the time: shipbuilding, iron works, rum running, trade, whaling, fishing. The south dealt with crops, slaves, and naval stores.
4. There were two main Protestant denominations: the Congregational Church up north, and the Anglican Church down south. Both were “established” meaning tax money went to the church. Poised for growth were the “backwoods” faiths of the Baptists and Methodists that grew by leaps thanks to the Great Awakening.
IDENTIFICATIONS:
Great Awakening
The Great Awakening was a religious revival held in the 1730's and 1740's to motivate the colonial America. Motivational speakers such as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield helped to bring Americans together.
George Whitfield
Whitefield came into the picture in 1738 during the Great Awakening, which was a religious revival that spread through all of the colonies. He was a great preacher who had recently been an alehouse attendant. Everyone in the colonies loved to hear him preach of love and forgiveness because he had a different style of preaching. This led to new missionary work in the Americas in converting Indians and Africans to Christianity, as well as lessening the importance of the old clergy.
Jonathan Edwards
An American theologian and Congregational clergyman, whose sermons stirred the religious revival, called the Great Awakening. He is known for his " Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God " sermon.
Old and New Lights
In the early 1700's, old lights were simply orthodox members of the clergy who believed that the new ways of revivals and emotional preaching were unnecessary. New lights were the more modern- thinking members of the clergy who strongly believed in the Great Awakening. These conflicting opinions changed certain denominations, helped popularize missionary work and assisted in the founding educational centers now known as Ivy League schools. Phyllis Wheatley (this id was added to the answer key – worth including)
Born around 1753, Wheatley was a slave girl who became a poet. At age eight, she was brought to Boston. Although she had no formal education, Wheatley was taken to England at age twenty and published a book of poetry. Wheatley died in 1784.
Age of Reason/Enlightenment
A philosophical movement which started in Europe in the 1700's and spread to the colonies. It emphasized reason and the scientific method. Writers of the enlightenment tended to focus on government, ethics, and science, rather than on imagination, emotions, or religion. Many members of the Enlightenment rejected traditional religious beliefs in favor of Deism, which holds that the world is run by natural laws without the direct intervention of God.
John Peter Zenger
A New York newspaper printer, was taken to court and charged with seditious libel (writing in a malicious manner against someone). The judge urged the jury to consider that the mere fact of publishing was a crime, no matter whether the content was derogatory or not. Zenger won after his lawyer, Andrew Hamilton, excellently defended his case. The importance—freedom of the press scored a huge early victory in this case.
GUIDED READING QUESTIONS:
Conquest by the Cradle
Know: Thirteen Original Colonies
1. What was the significance of the tremendous growth of population in Britain's North American colonies?
A Mingling of Races
Know: Pennsylvania Dutch, Scots-Irish, Paxton Boys, Regulator Movement
2. What was the significance of large numbers of immigrants from places other than England?
The Structure of Colonial Society
Know: Social Mobility
3. Assess the degree of social mobility in the colonies.
Makers of America: The Scots-Irish
Know: The Session
4. How had the history of the Scots-Irish affected their characteristics?
Workaday America
Know: Triangular Trade, Naval Stores, Molasses Act
5. Describe some of the more important occupations in the colonies.
Horsepower and Sailpower
Know: Taverns
6. What was it like to travel in early America?
Dominant Denominations
Know: Established Church, Anglicans, Congregationalists, Presbyterians
7. How did the denominations in America affect relations with Great Britain?
The Great Awakening
Know: Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, Old Lights, New Lights, Baptists
8. How was the religion encompassed in the Great Awakening different from traditional religion? What was important about the difference?
Schools and Colleges
Know: Latin and Greek
9. What kind of education could a young person expect in colonial times?
A Provincial Culture
Know: John Trumbull, Charles Wilson Peale, Benjamin West, John Singleton Copley, Benjamin Franklin
10. Did Americans distinguish themselves in the arts during the colonial period? Explain.
Pioneer Presses
Know: John Peter Zenger
11. Why was the jury verdict in the Zenger case important?
The Great Game of Politics
Know: Royal Colonies, Proprietary colonies, self-governing colonies, colonial assemblies, power of the purse, Town Meetings, property qualifications
12. How democratic was colonial America?
Chapter #6: Duel for North America – Big Picture Themes
1. Two dominant cultures emerged in the 1700s in North America: (a) England controlled the Atlantic seaboard from Georgia to Maine, and (b) France controlled the area of Quebec and along the Great Lakes and down the Mississippi River.
2. New England consisted of towns made up by farmers. They cleared the land and pushed the Indians out. New France was made up of fur trading outposts. They were scattered and lived with and often worked with the Indians in the forests and streams.
3. Like cats and dogs, England and France cannot live together that close. While separated, they were fine, but the two cultures began to rub against one another in the Ohio Valley. This started the French and Indian War.
4. The French and Indian War saw the English defeat France. France was totally kicked out of North America.
IDENTIFICATIONS:
Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain was a French explorer who sailed to the West Indies, Mexico, and Panama. He wrote many books telling of his trips to Mexico City and Niagara Falls. His greatest accomplishment was his exploration of the St. Lawrence River and his latter settlement of Quebec.
William Pitt
William Pitt was a British leader from 1757-1758. He was a leader in the London government, and earned himself the name, "Organizer of Victory". He led and won a war against Quebec. Pittsburgh was named after him.
Pontiac
Indian Chief; led post war flare-up in the Ohio River Valley and Great Lakes Region in 1763; his actions led to the Proclamation of 1763; the Proclamation angered the colonists.
Albany Plan of Union
A conference in the United States Colonial history form June 19 through July 11, 1754 in Albany New York. It advocated a union of the British colonies for their security and defense against French Held by the British Board of Trade to help cement the loyalty of the Iroquois League. After receiving presents, provisions and promises of Redress of grievances. 150 representatives if tribes withdrew without committing themselves to the British cause.
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 was an English law enacted after gaining territory from the French at the end of the French and Indian War. It forbade the colonists from settling beyond the Appalachian Mountains. The Colonists were no longer proud to be British citizens after the enactment. The Proclamation of 1763 caused the first major revolt against the British.
Pontiac’s Rebellion 1763
An Indian uprising after the French and Indian War, led by an Ottowa chief named Pontiac. They opposed British expansion into the western Ohio Valley and began destroying British forts in the area. The attacks ended when Pontiac was killed.
Five Nations of the Iroquois
The federation of tribes occupying northern New York: the Mohawk, the Oneida, the Senecca, the Onondaga, and the Cayuga. The federation was also known as the "Iroquois," or the League of Five Nations, although in about 1720 the Tuscarora tribe was added as a sixth member. It was the most powerful and efficient North American Indian organization during the 1700s. Some of the ideas from its constitution were used in the Constitution of the United States.
Salutary Neglect
Prime Minister Robert Walpole’s policy in dealing with the American colonies. He was primarily concerned with British affairs and believed that unrestricted trade in the colonies would be more profitable for England than would taxation of the colonies.
French and Indian War (1754-1763)
Was a war fought by French and English on American soil over control of the Ohio River Valley-- English defeated French in1763. Historical Significance: established England as number one world power and began to gradually change attitudes of the colonists toward England for the worse.
The Battle of Quebec 1759
James Wolfe, handsome at 32 years old, scored a major victory at the Battle of Quebec. Quebec was considered impenetrable with its bluffs. But, Wolfe's men snuck up the cliffs, then surprised and defeated the French on the Plains of Abraham. Both Wolfe and his French counterpart Marquis de Montcalm were killed in the battle
GUIDED READING QUESTIONS:
France Finds a Foothold in Canada
Know: Huguenots, Samuel de Champlain, New France
1. How was the colony of New France different from the British North American colonies?
New France Fans Out
Know: Beaver, Coureurs de Bois, Voyageurs, Robert de La Salle
2. What factors led to the French settlement of New France?
The Clash of Empires
Know: Treaty of Utrecht, War of Jenkins's Ear, James Oglethorpe, Louisbourg
3. Describe the early wars between France and Britain.
George Washington Inaugurates War with France
Know: Fort Duquesne, George Washington, Fort Necessity, Acadians
4. How did George Washington spark the French and Indian War?
Global War and Colonial Disunity
Know: Benjamin Franklin, Albany Plan of Union, "Join or Die"
5. What was meant by the statement, “America was conquered in Germany?
Braddock's Blundering and Its Aftermath
Know: Edward Braddock
What setbacks did the British suffer in the early years of the French and Indian War?
Pitt's Palms of Victory
Know: William Pitt, James Wolfe, Battle of Quebec
7. What was the significance of the British victory in the French and Indian War?
Restless Colonials
8. How did the French and Indian War affect the relationship between the colonies and with the mother country?
War’s Fateful Aftermath
Know: Treaty of Paris, Pontiac, Daniel Boone, Proclamation of 1763
How did French defeat lead to westward expansion and tension with Native Americans and the British?
Chapter #7: The Road to Revolution
1. Following the French and Indian War, the British crown needed money and figured the Americans could help pay for the war.
2. Also, the economic policy of mercantilism dictated that England try to keep its hard money within the British Empire. So, laws were passed to restrict American trade.
3. The taxes and regulations that followed were not received well by the Americans, notably the Stamp Act.
4. Conditions deteriorated and radical patriots brought matters to a head in events such as the Tea Party and Boston Massacre. Even though most Americans would be considered moderates at the time, the radical patriots were the ones making things happen.
5. The culmination of the patriots’ activities came at Lexington and Concord, when the American Revolution began.
IDENTIFICATIONS
Lord North
1770's-1782 King George III's stout prime minister (governor during Boston Tea Party) in the 1770's. Lord North's rule fell in March of 1782, which therefore ended the rule of George III for a short while.
Internal/External taxation
According to this doctrine, the colonies existed for the benefit of the mother country; they should add to its wealth, prosperity, and self-sufficiency. The settlers were regarded more or less as tenants. They were expected to produce tobacco and other products needed in England and not to bother their heads with dangerous experiments in agriculture or self-government.
George Grenville
George Grenville was the British Prime Minister from 1763-1765. To obtain funds for Britain after the costly 7-Years War, in 1763 he ordered the Navy to enforce the unpopular Navigation Laws, and in 1764 he got Parliament to pass the Sugar Act, which increased duties on sugar imported from the West Indies. He also, in 1765, brought about the Quartering Act, which forced colonists to provide food and shelter to British soldiers, who many colonists believed were only present to keep the colonists in line
Letter from a Farmer in Pennsylvania
A declaration of colonial rights and grievances, written by John Dickinson in 1767 to protest the Townshend Acts. Although an outspoken critic of British policies towards the colonies, Dickinson opposed the Revolution, and, as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1776, refused to sign the Declaration of Independence.
Gaspee Incident
In June, 1772, the British customs ship Gaspée ran a ground off the colonial coast. When the British went ashore for help, colonials boarded the ship and burned it. They were sent to Britain for trial. Colonial outrage led to the widespread formation of Committees of Correspondence.
Charles Townshend
Charles Townshend was control of the British ministry and was nicknamed "Champagne Charley" for his brilliant speeches in Parliament while drunk. He persuaded Parliament in 1767 to pass the Townshend Acts. These new regulations was a light import duty on glass, white lead, paper, and tea. It was a tax that the colonist were greatly against and was a near start for rebellions to take place.
Baron Von Steuben
A stern, Prussian drillmaster that taught American soldiers during the Revolutionary War how to successfully fight the British.
Mercantilism
According to this doctrine, the colonies existed for the benefit of the mother country; they should add to its wealth, prosperity, and self-sufficiency. The settlers were regarded more or less as tenants. They were expected to produce tobacco and other products needed in England and not to bother their heads with dangerous experiments in agriculture or self-government.
"Virtual" representation
Theory that claimed that every member of Parliament represented all British subjects, even those Americans in Boston or Charleston who had never voted for a member of the London Parliament.
Sons of Liberty
An organization established in 1765, these members (usually in the middle or upper class) resisted the Stamp Act of 765. Even though the Stamp Act was repealed in 1766, the Sons of Liberty combined with the Daughters of Liberty remained active in resistance movements.
Admiralty courts
British courts originally established to try cases involving smuggling or violations of the Navigation Acts which the British government sometimes used to try American criminals in the colonies. Trials in Admiralty Courts were heard by judges without a jury.
Committees of Correspondence
Samuel Adams started the first committee in Boston in 1772 to spread propaganda and secret information by way of letters. They were used to sustain opposition to British policy. The committees were extremely effective and a few years later almost every colony had one. This is another example of the colonies breaking away from Europe to become Americans.
First Continental Congress
a convention and a consultative body that met for seven weeks, from September 5 to October 26, 1774, in Philadelphia; it was the American's response to the Intolerable Acts; considered ways of redressing colonial grievances; all colonies except Georgia sent 55 distinguished men in all; John Adams persuaded his colleagues toward revolution; they wrote a Declaration of Rights and appeals to British American colonies, the king, and British people; created the Association which called for a complete boycott of English goods; the Association was the closet thing to a written constitution until the
Loyalists (Tories)
Colonials loyal to the king during the American Revolution.
GUIDED READING QUESTIONS:
The Deep Roots of Revolution
1. Why does the author say that the American Revolution began when the first settlers stepped ashore?
Mercantilism and Colonial Grievances
Know: Mercantilism, Navigation Laws, Royal Veto
2. Explain the economic theory of mercantilism and the role of colonies.
3. How did Parliament enact the theory of mercantilism into policy?
The Merits and Menace of Mercantilism
Know: Salutary Neglect, John Hancock, Bounties
4. In what ways did the mercantilist theory benefit the colonies?
5. What economic factors were involved in leading colonists to be displeased with the British government?
The Stamp Tax Uproar
Know: George Grenville, Sugar Act, Quartering Act, Stamp Act, Admiralty Courts, Virtual Representation
6. Why were the colonists so upset over relatively mild taxes and policies?
Forced Repeal of the Stamp Act
Know: Stamp Act Congress, Non- importation Agreements, Homespun, Sons of Liberty, Declaratory Act
7. In what ways did colonists resist the Stamp Act?
The Townshend Tea Tax and the Boston "Massacre"
Know: Townshend Acts, Indirect Tax, Boston Massacre, John Adams
8. How did the Townshend Acts lead to more difficulties?
The Seditious Committees of Correspondence
Know: George III, Lord North, Samuel Adams, Committees of Correspondence
9. How did Committees of Correspondence work?
Tea Brewing in Boston
Know: British East India Company, Boston Tea Party
10. What was the cause of the Boston Tea Party, and what was its significance?
Parliament Passes the "Intolerable Acts"
Know: Boston Port Act, Massachusetts Government Act, Administration of Justice Act, Quartering Act of 1774, Quebec Act
11. What was so intolerable about the Coercive (Intolerable) Acts?
Bloodshed
Know: First Continental Congress, Declaration of Rights, The Association, Tar and Feathers, Minute Men, Lexington and Concord
12. What was the goal of the First Continental Congress?
Imperial Strength and Weakness
Know: Hessians, Tories
13. What were British strengths and weaknesses at the outset of the war?
American Pluses and Minuses
Know: George Washington, Ben Franklin, Marquis de Lafayette, Continentals
14. What were the American strengths and weaknesses at the outset of the war?
A Thin Line of Heroes
Know: Valley Forge, Baron von Steuben, Continental Army
15. What role was played by African-Americans in the Revolution?
Chapter #8: American Secedes from the Empire – Big Picture Themes
1. Nearly every advantage on paper went to Britain during the revolution. They had better troops, training, a much better navy, experienced generals, more money, better weapons and equipment.
2. The Americans had on their side heart and geography. America was very big and ocean removed from England.
3. Perhaps due to necessity rather than plan, American employed a drawn-out strategy where the war drug on for six years. America won by constantly withdrawing to the nation’s interior and moving on to fight another day.
4. Meanwhile, as the war waged, the Declaration of Independence was written, signed, and approved.
5. The Treaty of Paris 1763 legitimized the new nation.
IDENTIFICATIONS:
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775. Three delegates added to the Congress were Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Hancock. The Congress took on governmental duties. (United all the colonies for the war effort.) They selected George Washington as Commander in Chief. They encouraged the colonies to set themselves up as states. On July 4, 1776 they adopted the Declaration of Independence. The Congress ended March 1, 1781 when a Congress authorized by the Articles of Confederation took over.
Hessians
They were German mercenaries who were comprised of approximately 30,000 soldiers in the British army during the Revolutionary War. They fought among 162,000 other Britons and loyalists but were outnumbered by the 220,000 troops of the Continental Army.
Thomas Paine/Common Sense
Common Sense written in 1776 was one of the most potent pamphlets ever written. It called for the colonists to realize their mistreatment and push for independence from England. The author Thomas Paine introduced such ideas as nowhere in the universe sis a smaller heavenly body control a larger. For this reason their is no reason for England to have control over the vast lands of America. The pamphlet with its high-class journalism as well as propaganda sold a total of 120,000 copies within a few months.
Natural Rights Theory
theory that people are born with certain "natural rights." Some say these rights are anything people do in the pursuit of liberty--as long as the rights of others are not impeded.
George Washington
He had led troops (rather unsuccessfully) during the French and Indian War, and had surrendered Fort Necessity to the French. He was appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, and was much more successful in this second command.
Marquis de Layfette
A wealthy French nobleman, nicknamed "French Gamecock", made major general of colonial army, got commission on part of his family.
John Burgoyne
Burgoyne is best known for his role in the American War of Independence. During the Saratoga campaign he surrendered his army of 5,000 men to the American troops on October 17, 1777. Appointed to command a force designated to capture Albany and end the rebellion, Burgoyne advanced from Canada but soon found himself surrounded and outnumbered. He fought two battles at Saratoga, but was forced to open negotiations with Horatio Gates. Although he agreed to a convention, on 17 October 1777, which would allow his troops to return home, this was subsequently revoked and his men were made prisoners. Burgoyne faced criticism when he returned to Britain, and never held another active command.
Benedict Arnold
He was an American General during the Revolutionary War (1776). He prevented the British from reaching Ticonderoga. Later, in 1778, he tried to help the British take West Point and the Hudson River but he was found out and declared a traitor.
Treaty of Paris, 1783
The British recognized the independence of the United States. It granted boundaries, which stretched from the Mississippi on the west, to the Great Lakes on the north, and to Spanish Florida on the south. The Yankees retained a share of Newfoundland. It greatly upset the Canadians.
Battle of Trenton (Dec 26, 1776)
Washington crossed the Delaware river going south and surprised the British by coming back across the river; Washington split his 2400 men into two divisions and attacked the British from two sides The colonials were successful and the victory gave the troops a great boost of confidence and the colonies a great positive push
Battles of Lexington and Concord ( April 19, 1774)
General Gage, stationed in Boston, was ordered by King George III to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock. The British marched on Lexington, where they believed the colonials had a cache of weapons. The colonial militias, warned beforehand by Paul Revere and William Dawes, attempted to block the progress of the troops and were fired on by the British at Lexington. The British continued to Concord, where they believed Adams and Hancock were hiding, and they were again attacked by the colonial militia. As the British retreated to Boston, the colonials continued to shoot at them from behind cover on the sides of the road. This was the start of the Revolutionary War.
Battle of Saratoga
British General John Burgoyne felt overwhelmed by a force three times larger than his own, and surrendered on October 17, 1777. This forced the British to consider whether or not to continue the war. The U.S. victory at the Battle of Saratoga convinced the French that the U.S. deserved diplomatic recognition.
Battle of Yorktown
Washington, along with Admiral de Grasse’s French fleet, trapped British General Cornwallis on the Yorktown peninsula. The Siege of Yorktown began in September of 1781, and ended when Cornwallis realized that he lost three key points around Yorktown and surrendered.
GUIDED READING QUESTIONS:
Congress Drafts George Washington
Know: Second Continental Congress, George Washington
1. Why was George Washington chosen as general of the American army?
Bunker Hill and Hessian Hirelings
Know: Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold, Fort Ticonderoga, Bunker Hill, Redcoats, Olive Branch Petition, Hessians
2. George III "slammed the door on all hope of reconciliation." How and why?
The Abortive Conquest of Canada
Know: Richard Montgomery
3. Did the fighting go well for Americans before July of 1776? Explain.
Thomas Paine Preaches Common Sense
4. Why was Common Sense important?
Paine and the Idea of "Republicanism"
Know: Republic, Natural Aristocracy
5. Why did Paine want a democratic republic?
Jefferson's "Explanation" of Independence
Know: Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence, Natural Rights
6. What does the Declaration of Independence say?
Patriots and Loyalists
Know: Patrick Henry
7. What kinds of people were Loyalists?
Makers of America: The Loyalists
8. What happened to Loyalists after the war?
The Loyalist Exodus
9. What happened to Loyalists during the war?
Burgoyne's Blundering Invasion
Know: John Burgoyne, Benedict Arnold, Saratoga, Horatio Gates
10. Why did the Americans win the battle of Saratoga? Why was it significant?
Revolution in Diplomacy?
11. Why did the French help America win independence?
The Colonial War Becomes a Wider War
Know: Armed Neutrality
12. Why was foreign aid so important to the American cause?
Blow and Counterblow
Know: Nathaniel Greene, Charles Cornwallis
13. Would an American Patriot, reading news of the war in 1780, have been happy about the way the war was going? Explain.
The Land Frontier and the Sea Frontier
Know: Iroquois Confederacy, Fort Stanwix, George Rogers Clarke, John Paul Jones, Privateers
14. Was frontier fighting important in the outcome of the war?
Yorktown and the Final Curtain
Know: Charles Cornwallis, Yorktown
15. If the war did not end at Yorktown, then why was it important?
Peace at Paris
Know: Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, John Jay, Treaty of Paris
16. What did America gain and what did it concede in the Treaty of Paris?
A New Nation Legitimized
Know: Whigs
17 Did Americans get favorable terms in the Treaty of Paris? Explain.
Whose Revolution?
18. Which of the interpretations of the Revolution seems most true to you? Least true? Explain.
FIVE EXPLANATIONS OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
1. Political Conflict: A struggle between tyrannical control of England & the liberty-loving Americans who saw an opportunity to carry out the beliefs of the Enlightenment thinkers
2.
Practical: the impossibility of England’s maintaining colonies 3,000 miles away as part of its empire as well as the internal political conflicts in British government
3.
Economic Conflict: between the growing American free enterprise system & the English mercantile system
4. Religious Conflict – between the variety of religions that settled in the colonies & the Church of England, the dominant religion of English officials & aristocrats
5.
Social Conflict: The development of a new class structure in the colonies due to the ending of heredity, birthright status, & primogeniture, & the availability of land & the expansion of the the right to vote as social “level-ers”
Chapter #9: The Confederation and the Constitution – Big Picture Ideas
1. The Articles of Confederation, the first government set up after the American Revolution, was structured out of fear of a too-strong government. Therefore, the Articles were very weak on purpose.
2. Two things showed the Articles as being too weak to the point of being sterile: (a) it could not regulate commerce and the money situation was growing dim fast and (b) Shays’ Rebellion frightened many to the possibility that mobs might just take over and the government might be too weak to stop them. Due to these reasons, the Constitutional Convention was held.
3. The Constitution was written as something of a balancing act between strengthening the government, yet making sure it doesn’t get too strong to take over. The resulting government was indeed stronger, but also a system of checks and balances were put into place to ensure no one branch becomes like the king had been.
4. After some negotiating, mostly with the promise of the Bill of Rights, the Constitution was ratified.
IDENTIFICATIONS:
Articles of Confederation
The first "constitution" governing the Untied States after the Revolution; it was ratified in 1781 and it provided for a "firm league of friendship;" the legislative branch (Congress) had no power to regulate commerce or forcibly collect taxes and there was no national executive or judicial branch; it was an important stepping-stone towards the present constitution because without it the states would never have consented to the Constitution
Annapolis Convention (1786)
A precursor to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. A dozen commissioners form New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Virginia met to discuss reform of interstate commerce regulations, to design a U.S. currency standard, and to find a way to repay the federal government’s debts to Revolutionary War veterans. Little was accomplished, except for the delegates to recommend that a further convention be held to discuss changes to the form of the federal government; the idea was endorsed by the Confederation Congress in February, 1878, which called for another convention to be held in May that year in Philadelphia.
Shays’s Rebellion (1786)
1786- Led by Captain Daniel Shays, Revolutionary war veteran. An uprising that flared up in western Massachusetts. Impoverished backcountry farmers, many of them Revolutionary war veterans, were losing their farms through mortgage foreclosures and tax delinquencies. They demanded cheap paper money, lighter taxes, and a suspension of mortgage fore closures. Hundreds of angry agitators attempted to enforce these demands. Massachusetts authorities, supported by wealthy citizens, raised a small army under General Lincoln.
Philadelphia Convention
Beginning on May 25, 1787, the convention recommended by the Annapolis Convention was held in Philadelphia. All of the states except Rhode Island sent delegates, and George Washington served as president of the convention. The convention lasted 16 weeks, and on September 17, 1787, produced the present Constitution of the United States, which was drafted largely by James Madison.
John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government (1690)
He wrote that all human beings have a right to life, liberty, and property and that governments exist to protect those rights. He believed that a contract existed between a government and its people, and if the government failed to uphold its end of the contract, the people could rebel and institute a new government.
The Federalist Papers
The Federalist was a series of articles written in New York newspapers as a source of propaganda for a stronger central government. The articles, written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison, were a way for the writers to express their belief that it is better to have a stronger central government. The papers turned out to be a penetrating commentary written on the Constitution.
Federalist #10
This essay from the Federalist Papers proposed setting up a republic to solve the problems of a large democracy (anarchy, rise of factions which disregard public good).
Land Ordinance of 1785
A red letter law which stated that disputed land the Old Northwest was to be equally divided into townships and sold for federal income; promoted education and ended confusing legal disagreements over land.
Land Ordinance of 1787
The Northwest Ordinance took place in 1787. They said that sections of land were similar to colonies for a while, and under the control of the Federal Government. Once a territory was inhabited by 60,000 then congress would admit it as a state. The original thirteen colonies were charters. Slavery was prohibited in these Northwest Territories. This plan worked so good it became the model for other frontier areas.
Anti-Federalists
People against federalists in 1787; disagreed with the Constitution because they believed people's rights were being taken away without a Bill of Rights; also did not agree with annual elections and the non-existence of God in the government.
Necessary and Proper Clause
Section 8 of Article I contains a long list of powers specifically granted to Congress, and ends with the statement that Congress shall also have the power "to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the forfegoing powers." These unspecified powers are known as Congress' "implied" powers. There has long been a debate as to how much power this clause grants to Congress, which is sometimes referred to as the "elastic" clause because it can be "stretched" to include almost any other power that Congress might try to assert.
The Interactive Constitution – http://ratify.constitutioncenter.org/constitution/
Delegated Powers
Powers given to the
national government | Concurrent Powers
Powers shared by the national and state governments | Reserved Powers
Powers given to state governments | Levy tariffs and taxes
Regulate trade (interstate and foreign)
Coin money
maintain armed forces
Declare war
establish post offices
Establish courts | Maintain law and order
Levy taxes
Borrow money
Take land for public use
Provide for public welfare | Tax citizens
Control public education
Punish criminals
Protect public health and safety |
GUIDED READING QUESTIONS:
The Pursuit of Equality
Know: Leveling, Society of the Cincinnati, Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, Abigail Adams, Republican Motherhood, John Singleton Copley
1. What social changes resulted from the American Revolution?
Constitution Making in the States
Know: State Constitutions, Fundamental Law
2. What was the importance of the state constitutions?
Economic Crosscurrents
Know: Navigation Laws, Empress of China, Speculation
3. What were the positive and negative effects of the war on America?
The Critical Period
WEAKNESSES OF THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION
Weaknesses | Consequences |
No Chief Executive – Congress used committees to
Get their work accomplished
|
No one leader to organize things, no one person for a foreign nation to deal with, committees didn’t work well together
|
Passing a law took approval of 9 of the 13 states
|
With 5 “small” and 8 “large” states it was almost impossible to get an agreement, delegates from all states weren’t around very often
|
Amending the document required approval of 13 of the 13 states
|
This never happened, so even when changes were needed, they couldn’t happen
|
Congress could request the states pay taxes, but they couldn’t force them to pay. Congress could borrow money.
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Most states had debts of their own and were slow to pay the requested amount if they paid it at all. Congress borrowed money from foreign nations, but all that did was increase our national debt
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Congress possessed no power to control commerce – foreign or domestic
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Made it difficult for nations to trade with the US because of the different state regulations. Congress had no power to protect US industries with duties.
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Congress could make treaties but had no power to require the states to follow them
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Couldn’t force the states to live up to the Treaty of Paris
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Congress could make laws but had no power to force the states to abide by them
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They could ask, but they couldn’t force. So if a law had been passed the 4 states that disagreed could just not follow it
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No National court system
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No way to settle disputes between states
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A Shaky Start toward Union
Know: Natural Rights
4. Why was the end of the war difficult on the national government?
Creating a Confederation
Know: Sovereignty, Articles of Confederation
What forces served to unify the separate states during the war?
The Articles of Confederation: America's First Constitution
6. What weaknesses plagued the Articles of Confederation? What was good about it?
Landmarks in Land Laws
Know: Old Northwest, Land Ordinance of 1785, Northwest Ordinance of 1787
7. Explain the importance of the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance.
The World's Ugly Duckling
Know: Natchez, Dey of Algiers
8. Using examples, explain the title of this section.
The Horrid Specter of Anarchy
Know: Shay's Rebellion, Mobocracy
9. Were the United States of America in danger of falling apart under the Articles of Confederation? Explain.
A Convention of "Demigods"
Know: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Patrick Henry
10. What kind of men gathered in Philadelphia for the "sole and express purpose of revising" the old government?
Patriots in Philadelphia
11. How does George Washington's quote, "We have, probably, had too good an opinion of human nature in forming our confederation." help to explain the purposes of our founding fathers.
Hammering out a Bundle of Compromises
Know: Virginia (large state) Plan, Bicameral Legislature, New Jersey (small state) Plan, Great Compromise, Electoral College, Three-fifths Compromise
12. Describe the compromises that were achieved by the delegates to the Constitutional Convention.
Safeguards for Conservatism
Know: Checks and Balances, Separation of Powers
13. How democratic was the Constitution as originally written?
The Clash of Federalists and Anti- federalists
Know: Anti- federalists, Federalists
14. Who were the anti- federalists and why did they oppose the Constitution?
The Great Debate in the States
15. Did most of the states approve of the Constitution? Why?
The Four Laggard States
Know: Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, James Madison, The Federalist
16. Explain some of the opposition to ratification of the Constitution?
A Conservative Triumph
17. What does your text mean when it says that the Constitution, "...elevated the ideals of the Revolution even while setting boundaries to them."?
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