APUSH Chapter 6: Making War and Republican Governments (1776-1789)

In order to build support for the war, what did Patriots encourage Americans to do?

Take an active role in government.

How did the colonists win the Revolutionary War despite being inferior to Britain in almost every way?

French aid, "home-field advantage," passion, great leadership under George Washington (defensive strategy minimized casualties and kept morale up), the population was spread out, poor communication (3 prong attack failure at Albany, NY), underestimated the Patriots (Howe believed that taking over Philadelphia would end the war), the colonists had a greater margin for error since the local governments were run by Patriots. The colonists didn't really win, just refused to stop fighting until the British gave up.

British advantages?

Lots of money, powerful/disciplined army, huge population, most powerful navy in the world, support from loyalists and natives

British disadvantages?

Britain was far from the USA, they didn't know the land as well as the colonists, they underestimated the Patriots, there was no single major city to capture.

Colonist disadvantages?

Didn't have a navy, their army wasn't well-trained, political division, the government was not well financed, didn't have a reliable tax revenue

Why would Lord North want Howe to capture NYC in the Battle of Long Island?

It would isolate the Northern radical Patriots from the southern colonies.

Colonists were forced to retreat

The British stopped their military campaign for the winter months, allowing for a surprise attack at Trenton, NJ

Articles of confederation

1st national government.

Weak central government with lots of power in the states

Each state got 1 vote

All amendments to the Articles required unanimous approval

Smaller states wouldn't ratify the articles until other states gave up western land claims.

Unicameral. No executive or judicial branches. Only legislative.

Could make treaties, borrow and print money, ask for tax money (but could not require it), declare wars, intervene in disputes between states

Pros: Northwest land ordinance

Cons: couldn't tax

Why did the French want to support the colonists in the American Revolution?

After the win at the Battle of Saratoga, France saw that the colonists really might have a chance to win this war. They wanted to avenge the loss of Canada to Britain in the French and Indian War and wanted to challenge its domination of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

How did the diplomats take advantage of this rivalry?

The Treaty of Alliance 1778 said neither party could sign a separate peace until the colonies were free.

How successful were British in pursuing their Southern strategy?

Very. Won battle after battle, but still could not pacify the countryside. The French sent soldiers to help the colonists.

Britain's Southern Strategy

Britain wanted the resources and loyalists of the south to be preserved/protected.

Why did the south contribute few individuals to the war effort?

They were afraid to leave slaves unattended.

Currency Tax

Tax on colonists' money by colonists. Few cents per dollar to help finance the war.

Foolish British military decisions

Howe didn't pursue Washington's army in 1776. Howe and Burgoyne didn't coordinate their attacks in 1777. Cornwallis marched deep into Patriot-dominated Virginia in 1781.

What effect did the Industrial Revolution have on the colonial economy?

British products were everywhere, forcing urban artisans and wartime textile firms out of business.

What kinds of people wanted to fix the Articles of Confederation?

People that wanted a strong central government, people that wanted a system that would last and be effective in a large country, not just in small states.

Nationalists: they were afraid if the articles weren't fixed, people would never feel pressured to pay taxes.

Creditors: men weren't paying their debts.

Opposers of Shays' Rebellion: they wanted to prevent anarchy.

Who wanted to keep the Articles of Confederation and why?

States with strong commercial traditions: they wanted to control their own tariffs.

Southern states: planters wanted to import British textiles and iron ware at the cheapest prices.

Debtors: they would be under more pressure to pay back their debt.

Fugitive Clause

Clause of the Constitution that allowed masters to reclaim their slaves that fled to other states.

3/5 Compromise

The south wanted slaves to count as citizens in the census. Northerners said they should be excluded since they can't vote. This saw slaves as 3/5 of a person for taxation and representation purposes. (This helped the south to dominate the national government)

Philipsburg Proclamation

Proclamation from Britain saying that slaves that rebelled would gain protection and freedom from Great Britain.

Battle of Yorktown

Last major battle of the war (Cornwallis surrenders)

Why couldn't the diplomats get a peace treaty for two years?

The Spanish were stalling, hoping to seize a West Indian island or Gibraltar

This angered colonists who negotiated secretly with GB, prepared, if necessary, to sign a separate power.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

GB recognized American independence

US gained all land east of the Mississippi River

US gains fishing rights off of Newfoundland

GB could pursue debts

France + Spain don't gain much. France becomes severely in debt and the American Revolution led to the French Revolution. Spain gains back Florida.

GB didn't ask for lands for their native allies

GB couldn't take away American slaves or property

Americans could freely travel on the Mississippi River

Individual Constitutions of the states

Most had strong governors with veto power. PA had a unicameral legislature with total power and no governor. Most other states created bicameral legislatures. Only PA and VT were truly democratic. Property was required to vote. Most had bills of rights. Many had a continuation of state-established religions, while others disestablished religion. Only white men were full citizens.

Abigail Adams

"Remember the ladies." Wanted to end customs and laws that oppressed women (married women could not own property, have contracts, etc.)

Who paid the price for American freedom?

Loyalists: suffered economically, others fled.

Natives: Pushed further west off their lands.

Slaves: didn't gain freedom after the war.

Philadelphia Convention

Mostly wealthy and upper-class delegates.

Jefferson and John Adams were NOT there.

Virginia/NJ plans

VA Plan: proposed a bicameral legislature where representation in congress would be based on population (would favor the large states)

NJ Plan: proposed that representation would be equal for each state (favored smaller states)

Virginia Plan

By James Madison

National government could veto state laws

Bicameral legislature where representation in Congress was based on population (favored large states).

3 tier election system. Ordinary voters elected the lower house of the national legislature. The lower house selected the upper house. Both houses appointed the executive and judiciary.

2 fatal flaws: most people opposed the idea of the national government being able to veto state laws. The plan based the representation of the lower house on population. The bigger states would crush the smaller ones.

The convention moved ahead with this pan with some modifications (great compromise)

New Jersey Plan

Favored small states. Representation would be equal for each state.

Gave the confederation the power to raise revenue, control commerce, and make binding orders on the states

Not favored by states with larger populstions

Great Compromise

At Constitutional Convention, it combined elements of the VA and NJ plans.

Bicameral legislature.

# of representatives (lower house) depended on population. Smaller states had equal representation (2 members) in the Senate (upper house) (elected by STATE LEGISLATURES).

Slave trade compromise

Slave trade couldn't be stopped until 1808

Constitution

Elastic clause allows laws and powers for congress that are not explicitly stated, increasing the power of Congress.

The delegates didn't submit the constitution to the state legislatures for the unanimous vote required by the articles because they knew some states would reject it.

Federalists

Favored ratification of the constitution

Easterners tended to be federalists

Their name suggested that they supported a federal union (a loose, decentralized system) and it obscured their commitment to s strong, centralized government

Anti-federalists

Against ratification of the constitution

Feared centralized power that the states' expense

Wanted a bill of rights. Only with the promise of the addition of a bill of rights did the Antifederalists ratify the constitution

People in the backcountry tended to be Antifederalists

Federalist Papers

Written to promote the ratification of the constitution

Said a large area would be good for republicanism because it would help prevent any one group from dominating others

Tories

Loyalists. Strongest in the south. Weakest in New England. Attracted oppressed minorities.

Military strategies of the colonists

Attrition (long British supply line), guerrilla tactics (don't need to win battles, just wear the British down), make an alliance with one of Britain's enemies.

Military strategies of the British

Break the colonies in half by getting in between the north and south, blockade the ports to prevent goods and supplies from allies, "divide and conquer" (use the loyalists).

Bunker Hill

British won, but lost many lives.

Confederation Congress

Came up with the northwest ordinance of 1787.

Annapolis Convention

Goal: address the weaknesses of the articles of confederation/barriers that limited trade and commerce between the states. Called for by Hamilton. Not much gets done since not enough states were represented to make any real progress, so a future meeting was set up which would examine all areas, not just trade and commerce, which eventually became the constitutional convention.

Battle of Saratoga

Was meant to be a 3 pronged attack at Albany

Howe ruined the plan by attacking Philadelphia instead, hoping to end the rebellion

Turning point in the war

The patriots won

France began giving the US financial and military success

Treaty of Alliance

Between America and France

Ensured the independence of the US

Robert Morris

Secured valuable financial aid from Holland and France

Valley Forge

Baron Von Steuben helped to train the American army

Battle of Yorktown

Last major battle of the war

F+US vs GB

Cornwallis surrenders to Washington

Northwest Ordinance

Slavery was banned in the northwest territory

Some money from land sold would go to education

Congress would appoint a governor and judges to oversee each new territory until the population reached 5,000 free adult men. When this happened, the citizens could elect a territorial legislature. Territories could create a republican constitution and apply for statehood when they reached 60,000 people

Shay's Rebellion

MA increased taxes 5X to pay off war debts

Many farms were foreclosed

Former revolutionary war veteran, Daniel Shays led a rebellion

Demonstrated the weakness of the articles because it took a long time to put down

Helped many to see the need for a new government

Courthouses were closed so courts couldn't take away property.