The Impact of the American Revolution on American Society

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?