US History - Unit 3: Post-Revolution, Creation of the Constitution, The Washington Administration

Explain the Traditional view of the Creation of the US Constitution

The articles of confederation were created with decentralization in mind because of Great Britain. However, it turned out to be a wreck.

The Founding Fathers "saved the day" by creating the Constitution, and the Framers were put on pedestals

Explain the Progressive view of the Creation of the US Constitution

The progressive view was a socio-economic lens.

Carl Becker said that the US Revolution was not a single event. There was a revolution for home rule, and a revolution for who will rule at home.

Charles Beard expands upon this, saying that the Founding Fathers creating the constitution was through monetary motivation only. Bonds issued during the revolution had lost their value through hyperinflation, and they couldn't pay their debts. The Framers decided to buy them all up, and create a centralized economy through the Constitution, increasing the value of the dollar, and gaining a profit.

Explain the Neo-Progressive view of the Creation of the US Constitution

Forrest McDonald cherry picked the progressive argument, saying that the Founding fathers weren't all of one mindset. Not all of them were against the ideological fights, nor were they all in bonds. Not only that, but they came from many different economies, objectives, and areas. He also argued that not all who speculated in bonds were federalist.

What were the Articles of Confederation and why did they fail?

The Articles of Confederation was a document that loosely connected the former colonies of America. However, it was too decentralized, so Congress wasn't able to levy taxes. It also had no standing army, meaning vigilantism took over, as militia were the mainstay beforehand.

Explain Shay's Rebellion. What caused it, who led it, what did they do, and what were the effects?

Due to British Merchants not getting the money the had been promised, they raised their rates, eventually trickling down to the average farmer, with taxes higher than British rule. Daniel Shays, a MA farmer showed up with some fellow men at courts where a Planter would be settling debt with a Farmer. They shut down those courts through intimidation and guns. While people thought the militia would stop this, they were the militia, The merchants would go ahead an finance an army to engage in a standoff with the Shaysites, and while most people empathized with his feelings, they felt that his actions weren't the best.

Seeing as the current govt under the AoC was too weak to take care of situations like this, this sent a message that there would be a need to bring in a new structure, or else much worse things would happen.

Explain republicanism. What was it, and how did the average person and elite feel about it?

Republicanism is the govt ideology that assumes the best form of govt is where popular sovereignty of free people is recognized and protected, or in other words, a majority dictate what the govt can/can't do.

The Average person felt great about this. This gave them some representation in the political system, and allowed for him to participate in office as well. The elite however, wanted the rabble to take a backseat, as they had experience, and wanted people to trust in them to make decisions. They didn't want any dumb people in power.

What went down at the Constitutional Convention of 1787?

This was a relatively secretive meeting amongst the Founding Fathers+ to discuss the AoC, and what they should do with it. TJ, Sam/John Adams, and Patrick Henry didn't come. In order to reassure the public just in case they got "caught", GW would be their leader of the convention. They ultimately decided to scrap the AoC, and instead go with a brand new Federal Republic.

What was the Virginia Plan?

The Virginia plan was a radical change to the System of govt.

First they would Scrap the AoC, and replace it with a federal republic, where power is shared btwn state and federal govt, the federal govt always wins, and presides over states' arguments.

It would be divided into Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches which would allow for checks and balances.

And Congress would be bicameral, where Senate is much more powerful than the House of Representatives. The Senate would be appointed by state legislatures, and the House would be elected by the people. Both would be based on population

What was the New Jersey Plan?

Changed very little of the AoC, only added a few taxing powers.

What was the Great Compromise?

Combined the NJ and VA plan to make a Compromise. Most of the VA plan would remain intact, but each state would be assigned 2 senators, instead of it being population based.

What was the 3/5 clause?

Southern states take 3/5 of slaves in their population, and add that to their representation .

Who were the federalists, and what did they believe?

The Federalists supported the ratification of the US Constitution, and included people such as Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay

Who were the Anti-Federalists, and what did they believe?

The Anti-Federalists were skeptics of the const, pointing out it's flaws. Notable ones include Patrick Henry (always suspicious of central powers), George Mason, and John Adams

Federalist paper - 10: what was it about, and who was it written by?

Alexander Hamilton wrote about the merits of having a centralized govt. He said that in any society, factions would form, and would be good or bad (not have people's interest at heart). There are 2 ways to go about these factions. One is to go about silencing them which we can't, since liberty. The other is to control them through a large central govt that combines all the states. it would force the bad faction to compromise with the good faction, meaning there would be stability.

Federalist paper - 51: what was it about, and who was it written by?

James Madison wrote about people's concerns of a large central power. He talked about the separation of powers/Checks and Balances, and how they would function as a way to mitigate terror.

Federalist paper - 78: what was it about, and who was it written by?

Alexander Hamilton wrote about the Federal Judiciary. People thought that because judges were appointed for life, they would be more susceptible to corruption. AH argued that they serve when they're preforming well/to standards, and if they're not, there are methods to remove the,.Also, because they don't have to be re-elected, they don't have to worry about that, which would make them much more difficult to corrupt, and their focus would only be assessing the law of the land objectively. If one does view of the court as politically motivated, it [was] the least powerful branch.

What was the deal with the US Bill of Rights?

The Anti-federalists would support the ratification of the constitution, iff a bill of rights would be amended to it straight afterward. James Madison wrote it, feeling inspired by George Mason's Virginia's Dec'l of Rights/Religious Freedoms, and especially TJ's Virginia Statutes of Religious Freedom, which said that the govt should protect a citizen's right to religious freedom, and that there should be separation of church and state.

How was the American Revolution Radical, and why was it not? Use the Original Draft of the Declaration of Independence.

The US Revolution worked! Not many have been, and in that way, it was radical. However, there was a missed opportunity to make it about all people. Within the original draft of the Declaration of Independence, there was a section addressing slavery, and blaming it on King George III. Unfortunately, it was cut.

Explain "Republican Motherhood".

A later term developed by historians. Describes the discussion among men to cultivate republican children. They wanted to teach about the revolution, and wanted it to be passed generationally. They decided that this most important role would be handed to the women, as they were natural nurturers, and educators as well.

List the 2 first political parties of the US, and what they stood for.

Federalist: Most commonly advocated for the ratification for the const, and were found in the northern parts. They call for a more centralized govt, and a more British-like economy (industrial, internationally connected). Alexander Hamilton

Democratic-Republicans: stood for everything Federalists didn't, and were found in the southern states. They want states to maintain sovereignty, and rooted for an agricultural economy (Common Farmer, Grow INSIDE US/Go west). Thomas Jefferson

What was Alexander Hamilton's background, and what was his relationship with Washington

Hamilton was seen as an immigrant, bastard child, and "prodigy". Because he was able to keep books at a mercantile firm at such a young age, his locals raised some money to send him to King's College. Eventually, he became a part of the revolution, Washington's most trusted assistant, and the "son he never had".

What was the line-up of the First Presidential Administration?

George Washington - President

John Adams - Vice President

Henry Knox - Dept. of War

Edmund Randolph - Attorney General

Alexander Hamilton - Dept. of Treasury

Thomas Jefferson - Dept. of State

What was the background behind Hamilton's Financial Plan?

Because the current economy was disorganized, congress asked Hamilton to make 3 reports to make sense of it, and get his recommendation on what to do.

Explain the Report on Public Credit.

Hamilton said that the US's top priority was to become creditworthy and pay off ALL their debts. The national govt owed debts to foreigners and bond holders, and the states owed debts to individuals. Hamilton pooled the debt together ($75.6 mil) and assumed the state's debts. TJ had a problem with the latter, so Hamilton compromised, saying that they'd move the captital from NYC to modern day DC.

In order to pay it off, they would issue $75.6 million in bonds, and offer to convert old bonds to new bonds. They predicted that more wealthy people would buy the bonds and then work to make the economy better. They would tax imports, and certain goods resulting in a revenue of $5.6 million. They would then pay off 6% ($4.6 mil) each year at the bonds face value, resulting in $1 million left.

James Madison had a problem with paying at face value, with the rich would get richer. Also, the original owners would get nothing, so they should pay them a certain amount. Hamilton said that the OG holders sold it, so it's their fault.

Explain the Report on Manufactures

Hamilton said that Congress should subsidize entrepreneurs to jumpstart economy. Congress didn't really support this idea. Firstly, it wasn't exactly equal, as one section of the market might get subsidized, while the other doesn't. Also, it would be difficult to continually find them, as Congress rotated offices through elections.

Explain the Report on a National Banking System

Hamilton said that Congress should make a national bank that would house the funds collected by the govt, mint currency, and give out loans (profit). It would be ran by private citizens, and would function as a form of insurance.

TJ doesn't really like this idea, as they would be putting their finances in the hands of Hamilton's buddies. He also believed that it violated the 10th amendment, which said that if a law wasn't mentioned in the const. the states would have control over that matter. Hamilton responded to this with the necessary but proper clause, saying that one of the powers Congress had was to mint money and determine the value of it. This he interpreted, was the govts power over interstate commerce.

What's the difference between Strict Constitutionalism and loose Constitutionalism?

Strict Constitutionalism tends to take the Constitution literally

Loose Constitutionalism tends to take the Constitution much more interpretatively

What challenges did the Washington Administration face in terms of foreign policy, and how did they solve them?

The French Revolution was mostly inspired by the US revolution. The peasants were rising up against their oppressing ruling class. While the Americans initially supported their efforts, it took an awkward path, when the French started to kill all of the noblemen. They also create a new govt, but quickly find themselves in a war with GB, and ask the US for help (quid pro quo).

While this opportunity does seem enticing, as they would be able to defeat GB again, the US is still a relatively new country at this point, and Washington leaves this decision to his advisors. TJ says that we owe the French for helping us with our revolution, but AH says that we owe nothing to THESE French, as King Louis XVI signed the checks that helped. As a result, Washington made the Neutrality Proclamation of 1793, declaring the US neutral in all world affairs (not commerce, that stays the same)..

What challenges did the Washington Administration face in terms of domestic policy, and how did they solve them?

Many people didn't like the excise tax on Whiskey, especially since it was used as currency in the back country. They thought it was reminiscent of GB, however, they did have representation this time, so it was a little different.

In 1794, a few PA people protested against this law, similar to Shay's Rebellion. They had firearms, attacked agents of the US, and were willing to fight to have this law repealed. As a result, Congress gave Washington the power to gather the militias to take care of this, and he gathered 14k men to quell the rebellion. Once they arrived, the rebels disbanded, as their complaints weren't legit.

What challenges did the Washington Administration face in terms of the British, and how did they solve them?

The British were still salty that the US had won the Revolution. So, they started to conduct impressment on US. They also supplied the Indians in the Great Lakes area. The Miami Indians in Ohio, led by Little Turtle, stopped people from expanding into the area. In order to combat this, Washington created a temporary professional fighting force called the Legion of the United States, led by Anthony Wayne

They eventually stopped the Miami at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, signed the Treaty of Greenville, and disbanded the Legion. They handled GB through Jay's Treaty, essentially restating their promises they made after the revolutionary war (GB leaves US/Stops harassing US troops/US would repay all of GB merchant debt). The US would fully normalize trade relations with them.

What challenges did the Washington Administration face in terms of the Spanish, and how did they solve them?

Due to America and GB getting buddy-buddy, Spain felt that all of it's territory in the west would be compromised by an Anglo-American invasion. There was some disputed land near the present day Mississippi-Alabama border that they defined through Pickney's Treaty. They divided it along the 31st parallel. They also allowed the US free access to the Mississippi River and New Orleans.