the impact of the american revolution on american society
Post on 30-Dec-2015
44 Views
Preview:
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
The Impact of the American Revolution on American Society
Changes to American Society 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 aristocracyaristocracy–Fighting British tyranny made
slavery seem hypocritical; Abolitionist sentiment grew
–Women gained increased status
States abolished “feudal” laws of primogeniture & entail
Many states lowered property qualifications to vote; but none offered universal male suffrageuniversal male suffrageMost states clearly separated church & state
Blacks demanded the right to freedom in petitions & lawsuits
Franklin, Jay, Hamilton founded abolition societies; Washington manumittedmanumitted his slaves
VT, PA, MA abolished slavery
Some Southern slave owners privately freed their slaves“Republican MotherhoodRepublican Motherhood”—mothers
should instill virtue in their children
Took greater control over family farms & businesses
New State & National Governments
Forming New GovernmentsWhen independence was declared
from England in 1776, colonists considered themselves a new nation & needed a new gov’t:–Colonies became individually
sovereign statesstates governed by written state constitutions
–A national gov’tnational 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!
States ConstitutionsIn 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
Defining Republican Culture But, creating a national gov’t that
met everyone’s needs was hard:– How to balance individual libertyindividual liberty
with maintaining ordermaintaining order?– How to balance property rightsproperty rights
with equalityequality?– How to create a centralized centralized
gov’tgov’t without creating a new tyrannical authoritytyrannical authority?
The Articles of ConfederationIn 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
Articles of ConfederationThe 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
The Articles of ConfederationThe 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 statesAmending the gov’t required
agreement by all 13 states
The Articles were created to loosely tie the states together
““A firm league A firm league of friendship”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.…"
Western LandsThe “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
The Land Ordinance of 1785The 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 1785Land Ordinance of 1785 established an orderly process for laying out western townships
–Section 16 of the each township was dedicated to public schools
The Northwest OrdinanceThe Northwest OrdinanceNorthwest 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
ConclusionsThe 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
Examining the Articles of
Confederation
The Weaknesses of the ArticlesThe 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
Debt, Taxes, & InflationThe 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
The gov’t could request, but not require, states to send money to Congress
Trade Problems under the ArticlesCongress was unable to create a
favorable balance of trade:–To raise revenue, states created
tariffs on goods from other states–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
Connecticut levied heavier duties on Massachusetts goods than on British goods
This especially hurt Southern planters
This especially hurt the North
Economic ProblemsThe 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 ConspiracyNewburgh Conspiracy
–Property foreclosures led to desperation & uprising farmers in 1787 called Shays’ RebellionShays’ Rebellion
Washington kept generals from overthrowing the new government: "Gentlemen, you will "Gentlemen, you will
permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in the not only grown gray but almost blind in the
service of my country."service of my country."
Shays’ Rebellion proved to be thethe convincing event that led to the
Constitutional Convention of 1787
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
Foreign Policy ProblemsThe 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
Congress & the army were too weak to resist
John Jay’s Jay-Gardoqui Treaty was met with regional resistance & was rejected in Congress
Constitutional Reform American political ideology
changed from the beginning of the American Revolution to the late Confederation period: –In the 1770s, American political
leaders saw tyrannytyranny as the greatest threat to the USA
–But…by the mid-1780s, they saw ordinaryordinary citizenscitizens who lacked virtue as the greatest threat
Thus, states created weak state governors & a weak Articles of Confederation
The problem is an excess of democracy not an excess of tyranny
Shays’ Rebellion will help prove this point to the Founding Fathers
Constitutional Reform By 1787, the fatal flaws of the
Articles of Confed were exposed:–Shays’ RebellionShays’ 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
Merchants in MA hired their own mercenary
militia to end the uprising
Congress did not have the tax funds to send an army
In Sept 1786, James Madison led the Annapolis Convention to
discuss improving American trade
Shays’ Rebellion gave nationalists like Washington, Madison, Hamilton the
urgencyurgency to call for a stronger national gov’t
The Constitutional Convention in
Philadelphia, 1787
The Philadelphia ConventionShays 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 NOTNOT intend to replace the Articles
The Philadelphia ConventionThe 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
be printed or spoken to the public–Every state got 1 vote but all
decisions needed a majority vote (not 9 of 13 states) to pass
Is this a government of the people?
To amend the Articles, all 13 states had to agree
Inventing a Federal RepublicDelegates incorporated 4 major
principles into this new gov’t: –Limited gov’tLimited gov’t—even though a
stronger gov’t was being created, citizens’ liberty is protected
–RepublicanismRepublicanism—the people vote for their leaders
–Separation of powersSeparation of powers—three branches with defined powers
–FederalismFederalism—the national gov’t shares power with state gov’ts
Inventing a Federal RepublicWilliam Paterson
presented the New Jersey PlanNew 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 PlanVirginia Plan:–Bicameral
legislature –Larger states
had more representatives
–Create a chief executive appointed by Congress
Small states objected to this large-state dominance
The large states listened politely then
overwhelmingly voted against it
The Great CompromiseRoger Sherman helped resolve
the differences between the large & small states by proposing the Great CompromiseGreat 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
Also known as the “Connecticut” Compromise”
Victory for the small states
Victory for large states
Only the House of Reps could introduce tax bills
The 3/5 Compromise Problems still remained between
the northern & southern states regarding how to count population size (do slaves count?)
The Three-Fifths CompromiseThree-Fifths Compromise settled the issue:–Three-fifths of the slave
population could be counted toward representation in the House of Representatives
Compromising with SlaveryDespite 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
The Last DetailsIn 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
Including ideas once considered tyrannicalIncluding ideas once considered tyrannical: Presidential power to appoint judges & presidential veto power over Congress
James Madison helped broker many of the compromises that made the Constitution possible & is referred to as the “father
of the Constitution”
The supremacy clause establishes the Constitution (not the states) as the
"the supreme law of the land"
FederalismFederalism—state gov’ts & the national gov’t both have power
A state law cannot contradict a national law
The Struggle for Ratification
The Struggle for RatificationThe 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
Federalists & Anti-FederalistsFederalistsFederalists
Supported ratification of the Constitution
Were well-organized & educated
Used Federalist Federalist PapersPapers to argue for ratification
Had the support of the media
Anti-Federalists 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
Authored by Madison, Hamilton, & Jay
“The Constitution is itself a Bill of Rights”
Anti-Federalists argued for more protection of
individual liberties
Adding the Bill of RightsTo 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
If 1776 was the 1st American Revolution… 1787 was the 2nd American Revolution
Discussion QuestionWhich 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?
Essential QuestionEssential Question:
–In what ways did the Constitution deviate from the gov’t under the Articles of Confederation?
–What were the Federalist and Anti-Federalist critiques regarding the new Constitution?
top related