Declaration of Independence and Lead up to the Constitution

The Enlightenment

A philosophical movement of the late 17th and 18th centuries marked by a rejection of traditional social, religious, political ideas and an emphasis on rationalism

Thomas Hobbes’ beliefs

In nature, without government, people were cruel, greedy, and selfish due to their desire for power. Without laws life would be “nasty, brutish, and short.”

John Locke

A philosopher from the 17th Century who believed in peace, learning from birth, and that all humans are born with natural rights that are to be protected all throughout their lives.

Natural Rights

John Locke believed that all humans are born with natural rights that come from God - Life, Liberty, and property.

Social Contract

An agreement between the ruled and their rulers, defining the rights and duties of each

Consent of the governed

Government’s legitimacy and moral right to use state power is justified and lawful only when consented, or agreed to, by the people.

Montesquieu and the role of government

Believed in separating power, too much power in the hands of one person is dangerous.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s beliefs

People are basically good but become corrupted by society. The general will (of the people) should direct the state toward the common good. Hence, the good of the community is more important than individual interests.

Voltaire’s beliefs

Advocated freedom of thought, speech, politics, and religion. Attacked corrupt government officials, and the slave trade. Championed religious freedom and tolerance. His books were outlawed, and even burned by the authorities.

Causes of the Revolutionary War

The Stamp Act, The Townshend Acts, The Boston Massacre, The Boston Tea Party, The Coercive Acts, Lexington and Concord, British attacks on coastal towns.

First Continental Congress

Several future luminaries, including John Adams, George Washington, and John Nay came together in Carpenter’s Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with the hope to organize colonial resistance against the Intolerable Acts newly passed by the British Parliament.

Second Continental Congress

Several people met up to discuss the supervising of the United Kingdom starting a war against them even though they proclaimed their loyalty. They ended up writing the Declaration of Independence as a result after they synthesized what was happening.

Declaration of Independence/Four principles of government

The Declaration of Independence’s governmental purpose was to promote the public good, and to protect natural rights. Authors included Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, and Robert Livingston. The general purpose of the Declaration of Independence was to be sent to King George III and his Parliament, to inform them that the U.S. was declaring independence. It was additionally written to convince other nations to recognize the new United States, to persuade France to give them financial and military assistance, and use the language in the D.O.I. to appeal to French philosophers. Another general purpose was to inform and persuade colonists to fight the war.

Thomas Jefferson and the Paradox of Liberty

Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the U.S., but he owned several slaves; it is pondered on that he may have contradicted his own purpose in a paradox.

Articles of Confederation

The written document that establishes the functions of the national government of the United States after it declared independence from Great Britain.

Shay’s Rebellion

In Massachusetts, high taxes were causing the state to struggle; there was a rebellion to prevent this from happening. This was trying to send a message that the Articles of Confederation were failing to help in the U.S., and that they were not going to succeed any longer.

The Constitutional Convention

A meeting of delegates in Philadelphia in 1787 in which the Constitution was written to create and structure the federal government.

The Federalist Papers

A set of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison to effectively allow the Constitution to be written.

Compromises of the Constitutional Convention

A set of compromises that were made in between Virginia and New Jersey, Northern and Southern states, and groups of delegates making the Constitution more effective.

Compromise: The Great Compromise

A compromise where Virginia was planning to provide representation according to each individual state’s population, while New Jersey was planning to represent each state equally regardless of population, and they came to the compromise that there would be two chambers in Congress: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate would be made up of equal representation for every state, and the House would be made up of individual state population.

Compromise: Three-Fifths Compromise

A compromise where Northern states felt that enslaved people should not be added into the final sum of the representation in order for the South not to have a greater number of representatives than the North, while Southern states fought for slaves to be added into the final sum of the representation, and they came to a compromise where each group of 5 enslaved people would be merged together and counted as 3 individual people.

Compromise: The Commerce Compromise

A compromise where Northern states wanted the government to have the ability to impose tariffs on products to protect them from competition outside of the U.S., and to encourage the Southern states to buy goods made in the Northern states, while Southern states were scared of tariffs being imposed on their goods, since their trade that they relied on largely would take very much damage, and they came to the compromise that they would initiate a mandation of only allowing tariffs being imposed on something imported to the U.S. from foreign countries. Additionally, it stated that the federal government would regulate interstate commerce. It required that commerce legislation would get passed by a ⅔ majority within the Senate, benefiting the Southern states in that it countered the power of the Northern states.

Compromise: The Compromise on Trade of Enslaved People

A compromise where Northern states wanted to bring an end to the importing and selling of slaves, while Southern states believed that slaves were crucial for the success of their economy, and that the government should not be interfering, and they came to the compromise that the North would wait until 1808 when Congress banned the trading of slaves in the U.S. The fugitive law was also imposed as part of this agreement: it required the North to deport any people looking for freedom.

Compromise: The Electoral College Compromise

A compromise where certain delegates felt that the president should be popularly elected to their presidential position, while other delegates were scared of the electorate not being informed sufficiently to make this decision, and they came to the compromise that the Electoral College would be created, which was made up of electors who were proportional to population.

Federalist Arguments

• Lots of the hardships that were run into before the Constitution were a result of an ineffective, uncentralized government; the Constitution would solve that problem by forcing in an effective, centralized government that is federal.

• State governments still exist in order for the states to be sufficiently represented

• More leadership and support for the nation would be present with the Constitution

• Three branches would be present in this way - executive, legislative, judicial - that would reduce the risk of power from a centralized government, because these branches would limit the power of one another when needed

• This would allow certain states to control other states that are not willing to cooperate with certain states; this would make the risk of conflict/war less, and it would keep the country at peace.

Anti-Federalist Arguments

• A “President” may just be a synonym for a king; this would recycle the U.S. back to where they were before the Revolutionary War

• Too much power in the hands of one person may result in becoming a tyrant and taking advantage of power to become selfish

• This may result in a rebellion, as stated in the Declaration of Independence: People have the right to rebel against the government and start a war if they fail to protect basic rights, and this would be a very large risk if the Constitution were ratified

• It may take away individual state government power

• This sets up the power of the Congress to be more than the states; the system may be set up for failure before it even starts