SS 3 - Creating a New Nation: The Political Revolution, 1776–1800

Continental Congress de facto roles (6)

* raising armies
* directing strategies
* appointing diplomats
* obtaining loans
* issuing paper money
* disbursing funds

Congress could not

levy taxes (no legal authority)

Who did Congress choose to be commander-in-chief of the Continental Army (vote count)?

George Washington (unanimously)

Who did Congress choose Washington over to be commander-in-chief?

John Hancock

introduction of declaration

* claimed natural law provides people with the ability to seek independence while acknowledging their cause for doing so must be reasonable and explicable
* identified the document’s purpose: to announce publicly and clearly why America wanted to leave the British Empire

preamble of declaration

* “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal”
* philosophy of government where revolution is justified if a government threatens or harms natural rights

indictment of King George of declaration

* “history of repeated injuries and usurpations”
* resulting in “the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.”
* 27 grievances

27 grievances are split into (declaration)

* 1-12
* 13-22
* 23-27

grievances 1-12

lists George III’s abuse of his executive power

* suspending colonial laws
* dissolving colonial legislatures
* maintaining a standing army during peacetime

grievances 13-22

accuses George III of colluding with Parliament to subject the colonies to unconstitutional measures

* taxing the colonies without consent
* altering charters
* suspending their trade
* limiting the right to a trial by jury

grievances 23-27

describes George III’s violence and cruelty in waging war against his American subjects

denunciation of declaration

Jefferson argues that a severing of the relationship between the colonies and America is justified and necessary

conclusion of declaration

emphasis on the colonies’ need to dissolve their ties with the British Empire and gain their political freedom

How many signers were there on the declaration?

56

What did the signers of the declaration pledge?

“to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor” to the cause of independence

Who created broadsides for the declaration?

John Dunlap

How many broadsides did Dunlap create overnight?

200

Where and when was one of the first formal public readings of the declaration?

July 8 in the yard of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall.

When did Washington read the declaration to his troops?

July 9 in NYC while British troops waited in the harbor

What was Parliament’s response to the declaration?

No formal response, but the prime minister published a rebuttal.

Frederick, Lord North’s rebuttal (prime minister)

Answer to the Declaration of the American Congress

What did (how many) Loyalists from NY do in response to the declaration?

547 signed A Declaration of Dependence

What did the 3rd clause of Lee’s Resolution state (why were people wary)?

Congress prepare “a plan of confederation”

* colonists were wary of a strong centralized power
* but there was a need for national coordination

Articles of Confederation established

a loose union where each state “retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence”

Articles of Confederation was just

a treaty for mutual defense

* not blueprint for government

What did Congress appoint John Dickinson to do on June 12, 1776?

chairman to draft a constitution for the union of the states

* presented a month later

thorniest issues of Dickinson’s document (5)

* state sovereignty
* legislative and executive powers of Congress
* western land claims
* voting procedures
* whether to have a judiciary

John Dickinson’s document name + completion date

Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union + November 15, 1777

What did the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union achieve?

created a limited national government with clearly delineated powers

What could the national government do (6)?

* declare war
* make treaties with foreign nations
* adjudicate state disputes
* borrow and print money
* request funds from states for mutual defense
* no chief executive or judiciary
* couldn’t tax

How many votes were required for adoption of the Articles?

unanimous

When was the Articles ratified?

February 1778 (all but Maryland)

What happened to western land claims in the Articles?

Congress left it to the states

* Maryland wanted larger states to cede land

When did Maryland ratify the Articles?

February 2, 1781

When did news of Maryland’s ratification reach Congress?

March 1, 1781

Ordinance of 1784

called for Northwest Territory to be divided into separate states (April 23, 1784)

Northwest Territory

* west of Appalachians
* north of Ohio River
* east of Mississippi River

Land Ordinance of 1785

created a standardized system for selling land in the West

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

established federal control over lands and created a system for the admission of new states into the Union

* abolished western land claims of states

requirement for becoming a state

60,000 inhabitants

1st state from the Northwest Territory

Ohio (1803)

Which other states came from the Northwest Territories?

* Indiana
* Illinois
* Michigan
* Wisconsin
* Minnesota (portion)

What did the Northwest Ordinance prohibit?

slavery

Who established a ban on slavery in the 1784 Ordinance?

Thomas Jefferson

Who disrupted the flow of trade for the US?

British Navy

What 2 things did the British government do to affect American commerce after the war?

* prohibit trade to the Caribbean
* restrict exports to Britain

republicanism

authority in government comes from the people and therefore creates a system of popular representation

What republican response did many legislatures adopt to debt?

* passing a range of favorable debtor laws
* printed money to respond to lack of hard currency

Who didn’t like debt relief measures?

people expecting to be paid

James Madison quote on class struggle

“the class with, and \[the\] class without, property.”

subsistence agriculture

all the produce and livestock raised are used to feed the farmer and their family, leaving little surplus for trade or sale

Where was an exception to debtor leniency?

Massachusetts

What was the economic situation in Massachusetts?

* farmers could obtain goods on credit from suppliers and repay later
* suppliers couldn’t sustain lines of credit from Europe
* Europeans wanted hard currency
* suppliers demanded the same from local farmers

Did Massachusetts pass debtor relief laws?

No, that’s why farmers revolted.

What happened to farmers who couldn’t pay their debt in Massachusetts?

* had their land and possessions seized
* some were thrown into prison