US History Study Notes - Period 3 (1754-1800)

Contextualizing Period 3: 1754–1800

• Learning Objective: Explain the context in which America gained independence and developed a sense of national identity.
• Transformation: In the 150 years after 1607, the 13 British colonies developed a distinct identity, leading to independence, a constitution, and a democratic republic within 50 years.
• Causes of Transformation:
  • Changes in British rule.
  • Impact of European affairs and ideas.
  • Development of American leaders desiring self-government.

British-French Wars

• Conflict: Series of wars between Britain and France for control of territory in Europe, the Americas, and South Asia.
• Seven Years’ War (French and Indian War): Began in North America in 1756.
  • American Indians heavily involved, mostly allied with the French.
  • British victory in 1763 consolidated control of North America, ending colonists’ fear of French attacks.
  • Colonial contributions reflected their political maturity and confidence.

Colonial Independence

• Taxation: British attempt to collect more taxes from colonies to pay for the war.
• Colonial Perspective: Colonists saw themselves as self-sufficient and called for greater self-governance due to "enlightened" thinking.
• Clashing Views: Led to the colonies founding a new nation.

Articles of Confederation and the Constitution

• Initial Governance: Articles of Confederation, inspired by republican ideals.
• Weak National Government: Led to the adoption of a new constitution with a stronger federal government, reserving powers for the states.
• Bill of Rights: Protected basic individual liberties.
• Constitution's Significance: Still provides the basis of the U.S. government today.

Conflicting Views of Government

• Debates: Leaders (Founding Fathers) argued over the economy, individual rights, foreign affairs, relations with Native Americans, and roles of federal and state governments.
• Emergence of Political Parties:
  • Democratic-Republicans: Advocated for stronger state governments.
  • Federalists: Advocated for a stronger federal government.
• Election of 1800: Peaceful transfer of power from Federalists to Democratic-Republicans tested political stability.
• Decline of Federalists: By 1820, the Federalist party disappeared, but their ideas continued to influence through judges and later politicians.

Changes in Economics, Politics, and Culture

• Immigration and Westward Migration: Continued immigration and westward migration led to conflicts with Native Americans.
• External Challenges: British, French, and Spanish claims on North American territory posed challenges; the U.S. had to defend its borders and economic interests.
• National Identity: While independence was declared in 1776 and the Constitution ratified in 1788, a national identity was not recognized until after 1800.

Landmark Events: 1750–1800

• 1754: The Seven Years' War (the French and Indian War) begins.
• 1763: Britain's Proclamation limits colonial westward expansion.
• 1776: The Declaration of Independence marks separation from Great Britain.
• 1783: The Treaty of Paris ends the Revolutionary War.
• 1787: The passage of the Northwest Ordinance expands the new nation.
• 1788: The Constitution is ratified, and a new government begins to form.
• 1789: George Washington takes office as the country's first president.
• 1798: The Alien and Sedition Acts make deporting people easier and restrict the press.

The Seven Years’ War (French and Indian War)

• Learning Objective: Explain the causes and effects of the Seven Years’ War (the French and Indian War).
• Historical Context: European rivalries brought to North America intensified conflicts between Great Britain, France, and Spain.
• British Triumph: British victory in 18th century wars came at the cost of rebellion and loss of Atlantic coast colonies.

Empires at War (1689–1763)

• Conflict: Wars involving Great Britain, France, and Spain across Europe, India, and North America.
• Stakes: Power in Europe and control of colonies for lucrative trade.
• Valuable Possessions: Sugar-producing islands in the Caribbean and fur-trading network in North America.

The First Three Wars

• King William’s War (1689–1697): British expeditions to capture Quebec failed; American Indians supported by the French burned British frontier settlements.
• Queen Anne’s War (1702–1713): British gained Nova Scotia from France and trading rights in Spanish America.
• King George’s War (1744–1748): James Oglethorpe repulsed Spanish attacks in Georgia; New Englanders captured Louisbourg in Canada but Britain returned it for gains in India, angering New Englanders.

The Decisive Conflict

• Shift in Strategy: European powers recognized the value of colonies for raw materials and deployed regular troops to America.
• Demographics:
  • French colonies: 60,000 settlers engaged in fur trade with Native Americans.
  • British colonies: 1.2 million people producing grain, fish, tobacco, lumber for British industry.
• Seven Years’ War/French and Indian War: The North American phase (1754–1763).

Beginning of the War

• French Provocation: Building forts in the Ohio River Valley to halt British westward expansion.
• Fort Duquesne:
  • Virginia’s governor sent militia under George Washington to stop the French.
  • Washington's troops surrendered to French and American Indian allies on July 3, 1754.

Early British Setbacks

• Braddock’s Defeat (1755): Expedition led by General Edward Braddock resulted in a disastrous defeat near Fort Duquesne.
• Algonquin Raids: Frontier ravaged by Algonquin allies of the French.
• Failed Invasion: British invasion of French Canada repulsed (1756).

The Albany Plan of Union (1754)

• Purpose: Coordinating colonial defense.
• Proposal: Benjamin Franklin’s plan for an intercolonial government to recruit troops and collect taxes.
• Failure: Colonies concerned about preserving taxation powers rejected the plan.
• Significance: Set a precedent for later revolutionary congresses in the 1770s.

British Victory

• William Pitt’s Strategy: Concentrated military strategy on conquering Canada.
• Key Victories:
  • Retaking of Louisbourg (1758).
  • Surrender of Quebec to General James Wolfe (1759).
  • Taking of Montreal (1760).
• Peace of Paris (1763): Great Britain acquired French Canada and Spanish Florida; France ceded Louisiana to Spain.
• British Dominance: Extended control in North America, ending French power on the continent.

Immediate Effects of the War

• British Supremacy: Unchallenged among Europeans in North America.
• Impact on American Indians: Autonomy challenged.
• Naval Power: British established as the dominant naval power.
• Reduced Threat: American colonies no longer faced attacks from the French, Spanish, and their American Indian allies.

Conflicting Views

• British View: Low opinion of colonial military abilities, considering them poorly trained.
  • Believed colonies were unable/unwilling to defend frontiers.
• Colonial View: Proud of their military record and confident in their ability to provide for their own defense.
  • Unimpressed with British troops and outdated warfare methods.

Reorganization of the British Empire

• Shift in Colonial Policies: Abandonment of salutary neglect with more forceful policies to control North American dominions.
• Financial Pressures:
  • Costly wars led to pressure to reduce taxes on British landowners.
  • King George III and Parliament wanted colonies to bear more costs.

Pontiac’s Rebellion (1763)

• Causes: American Indian anger over westward movement and British refusal to offer gifts.
• Events: Pontiac's alliance attacked colonial settlements in the Ohio River Valley.
• British Response: Sent regular British troops instead of relying on colonial forces.

Proclamation of 1763

• Purpose: Stabilize the western frontier by prohibiting colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains.
• Colonial Reaction: Anger and defiance due to denied access to western lands after the Seven Years War.
• Defiance: Thousands streamed westward past the boundary line.

Growing British-Colonial Tensions

• Context: Divergent views on the war and changes in British imperial policies.
• Issues: Debates over taxation and representation.

Taxation Without Representation

• Learning Objective: Explain how British colonial policies regarding North America led to the Revolutionary War.
• Shift in British Policy: Britain began to assert power in the colonies and aggressively collect taxes and enforce trade laws.
• Colonial Discontent: Colonists angered by violations of political rights and trade restrictions.
• Desire to Defend Rights: Colonists sought to defend representative government, local self-rule, and individual rights, influenced by Enlightenment ideas.

The Issue of Representation

• Colonial Argument: No direct representation in Parliament, thus no consent to British actions.
• British Response: Virtual representation—all members of Parliament represented the interests of the entire empire.

New Revenues and Regulations

• Lord Grenville’s Measures: Three acts aroused colonial suspicions.
  • Sugar Act (1764): Duties on foreign sugar and luxuries to regulate trade and raise revenue; stricter enforcement of Navigation Acts with trials in admiralty courts.
  • Quartering Act (1765): Required colonists to provide food and living quarters for British soldiers.
  • Stamp Act (1765): Required revenue stamps on most printed paper in the colonies and was the first direct tax.

Reaction to the Stamp Act

• Colonial Indignation: Every colony reacted with anger.
• Patrick Henry: Demanded recognition of citizens’ rights, including no taxation without representation, in the Virginia House of Burgesses.
• James Otis: Initiated a call for cooperative action among colonies.
• Stamp Act Congress (1765): Representatives from nine colonies resolved that only their elected representatives could approve taxes.
• Sons and Daughters of Liberty: Secret society to intimidate tax agents, destroying revenue stamps and harassing officials.
• Economic Pressure: Boycotts against British imports.
• Impact: Sharp drop in trade led London merchants to pressure Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act.

Declaratory Act (1766)

• Repeal of Stamp Act: Parliament repealed the Stamp Act and Grenville was replaced.
• Declaratory Act: Asserted Parliament’s right to tax and make laws for the colonies "in all cases whatsoever."

Second Phase of the Crisis (1767–1773)

• Townshend Acts (1767): New duties on tea, glass, and paper to pay crown officials.
  • Provided for search of private homes with writs of assistance.
  • Suspended New York’s assembly for defying the Quartering Act.
• Initial Colonial Acceptance: Accepted indirect taxes paid by merchants.
• Protests:
  • John Dickinson (Letters From a Farmer in Pennsylvania): Argued Parliament could regulate colonial commerce, but taxation required approval of colonial representatives.
  • Massachusetts Circular Letter (James Otis and Samuel Adams): Urged colonies to petition Parliament to repeal the Townshend Acts.
• Renewed Boycotts: Merchants increased smuggling to avoid duties.

Repeal of the Townshend Acts (1770)

• Lord Frederick North: Urged Parliament to repeal the Townshend Acts due to trade damage.
• Respite: Except for the Boston Massacre, there was a three-year respite from political troubles as the colonies prospered (Parliament retained a small tax on tea as a symbol of its right to tax the colonies).

Boston Massacre (March 1770)

• Context: Resentment of British troops in Boston.
• Event: Guards fired into a crowd, killing five, including Crispus Attucks.
• Legal Defense: John Adams defended the soldiers; they were acquitted of murder, but two were convicted of manslaughter.
• Propaganda: Samuel Adams denounced the shooting as a “massacre” to inflame anti-British sentiment.

Renewal of the Conflict (1770–1772)

• Committees of Correspondence: Initiated by Samuel Adams to spread the idea that British officials were undermining colonial liberties.
• Intercolonial Committees: Organized by the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1773.

The Gaspee Incident (1772)

• Event: Colonists disguised as American Indians burned the British customs ship Gaspee.
• British Response: Ordered a commission to investigate and bring guilty individuals to Britain for trial.

Boston Tea Party (December 1773)

• Tea Act (1773): Made British East India Company tea cheaper than smuggled Dutch tea, but Americans refused to buy it.
• Action: Bostonians, disguised as American Indians, dumped tea into the harbor.
• Colonial Reaction: Mixed—some applauded it as a defense of liberty, others thought it too radical.

Intolerable Acts

• British Reaction: King George III, Lord North, and Parliament angered by the Boston Tea Party.
• Coercive Acts (1774):
  • Port Act: Closed the port of Boston until the destroyed tea was paid for.
  • Massachusetts Government Act: Reduced the power of the Massachusetts legislature and increased the power of the royal governor.
  • Administration of Justice Act: Allowed royal officials accused of crimes to be tried in Great Britain.
  • Expanded Quartering Act: Enabled British troops to be quartered in private homes in all colonies.
• Quebec Act (1774): Organized Canadian lands gained from France, established Roman Catholicism as the official religion of Quebec, set up a government without a representative assembly, and extended Quebec’s boundary to the Ohio River.
• Colonial Response Colonists viewed it as an attack on their representative government and feared similar laws would be enacted in America; Protestants resented recognition of the Catholic Church.

The Demand for Independence

• Polarization: Britain’s crackdown forced colonists to take sides.
• Supporters: Wealthy merchants and southern planters.
• Opponents: Challenged the British, especially in Boston and New England.
• Growing Movement: Increasing violence led to public protests and support for independence.

Philosophical Foundations of the American Revolution

• Learning Objective: Explain how and why colonial attitudes about government and the individual changed in the years leading up to the American Revolution.
• Loyalty to the Crown: Americans traditionally loyal to the king and Great Britain before increasing differences led to the search for justification.
• Influence of the Enlightenment: Particularly the writings of John Locke.

Enlightenment Ideas

• Peak of Enlightenment: Mid-18th century; influenced leaders such as Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and Adams.
• Deism: Belief in God who established natural laws and rarely intervened directly in human affairs.
• Rationalism: Trust in human reason to understand the natural world and respond to problems.

Social Contract

• Political Idea: Agreement among people to form a government to promote liberty and equality and a break from monarchs ruling by divine right.
• Power Source: From “below” (the people), not from “above” (God).
• Influence: From John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, influencing educated Americans in the 1760s and 1770s.

Thomas Paine’s Argument for Independence

• Common Sense (January 1776): Advocated for the colonies to become independent states and break ties with the British monarchy.
• Arguments: It was contrary to common sense for a large continent to be ruled by a small island and for people to pledge allegiance to a corrupt king.
• Impact: Spread rapidly and ignited public demands for independence.
• Target: Attacked King George III and the idea of monarchy, widening the divide between the colonies and Great Britain.

The American Revolution

• Learning Objective: Explain how various factors contributed to the American victory in the Revolution.
• Parliament’s Passage of the Intolerable Acts: Intensified conflict between the colonies and Great Britain culminating in the decision to sever ties.

The First Continental Congress (September 1774)

• Purpose: Respond to Britain’s threats to colonial liberties.
• Desire: Protest parliamentary infringements and restore the relationship with the crown that existed before the Seven Years’ War, not declaration of independence.
• Delegates:
  • Wealthy White men with diverse views.
  • Radicals: Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, John Adams.
  • Moderates: George Washington, John Dickinson.
  • Conservatives: John Jay, Joseph Galloway.
  • Unrepresented: Loyalists.

Actions of the Congress

• Galloway’s Plan: Proposed reordering relations with Parliament but failed to pass.
• Adopted Measures:
  • Endorsed the Suffolk Resolves: Called for repeal of the Intolerable Acts, military preparations, and boycotting British goods.
  • Passed the Declaration and Resolves: Urged the king to redress colonial grievances while recognizing Parliament's authority to regulate commerce.
  • Created the Continental Association: Network of committees to enforce economic sanctions.
  • Declared to meet again in May 1775 if colonial rights were not recognized.

Fighting Begins

• British Response: Angrily dismissed the petition, declared Massachusetts in rebellion, and sent more troops.
• Lexington and Concord (April 18, 1775):
  • General Thomas Gage sent troops to seize military supplies in town.
  • Paul Revere and William Dawes warned the militia.
  • Skirmish broke out; British forced Americans to retreat under heavy fire.
  • British destroyed military supplies in Concord.
  • British attacked by militiamen during the march back to Boston, suffering 250 casualties.
• Bunker Hill (June 17, 1775): British attacked colonists’ positions and took the hill, suffering over a thousand casualties; Americans claimed a victory of sorts.

The Second Continental Congress (May 1775)

• Divisions:
  • Delegates from New England thought the colonies should declare their independence.
  • Delegates from the middle colonies hoped the conflict could be resolved by negotiating a new relationship with Great Britain.
• Actions:
  • Adopted a Declaration of the Causes and Necessities for Taking Up Arms.
  • Called on the colonies to provide troops.
  • Appointed George Washington as commander-in-chief of the colonial army.
  • Authorized a force under Benedict Arnold to raid Quebec.
  • Organized an American navy and marine corps to attack British ships.

Peace Efforts

• Initial Policy: Waging war while seeking a peaceful settlement.
• Olive Branch Petition (July 1775): Pledged loyalty to King George III and asked him to intercede with Parliament to secure peace and colonial rights.
• British Rejection: King George dismissed the plea and agreed to Parliament’s Prohibitory Act (August 1775), declaring the colonies in rebellion.
• Parliament: Forbade all trade and shipping between Britain and the colonies.

The Declaration of Independence

• Gradual Shift: Congress began to favor independence rather than reconciliation.
• Richard Henry Lee's Resolution (June 7, 1776): Declared the colonies to be independent.
• Drafting: A committee, including Thomas Jefferson, wrote a statement in support of Lee’s resolution.
• Declaration of Independence:
  • Listed specific grievances against George III’s government.
  • Expressed basic principles justifying revolution.
  • Adopted on July 4, 1776.

The Revolutionary War (1775–1783)

• American War for Independence: A long and bitter struggle.
• Foundation of New Identity: Former colonies became a new country, the United States of America.

The Competing Sides

• Population: 2.6 million people in the 13 colonies in 1775.
• Political Affiliations:
  • 40% were American Patriots.
  • 25% sided with the British as Loyalists.
  • Others remained neutral.

British Strength

• Resources: Outnumbered colonists.
• Finances: Wealthy economy to finance a war.
• Military: Large, well-trained army and powerful navy.
• Experience: Previous conflicts with French.

American Patriots

• Demographics: Largest number from New England and Virginia.
• Military Style: Reluctant to travel; served in local militia units for short periods; Washington never had more than 20,000 troops at one time.
• Challenges: Army was chronically short of supplies, poorly equipped, and rarely paid.
• Commitment: Strong dedication to independence.

African Americans

• Initial Rejection: George Washington rejected idea of African Americans serving in the Patriot army.
• Change in Policy: When British promised freedom to enslaved people, Washington and Congress made the same offer.
• Participation: Approximately 5,000 African Americans fought as Patriots.
  • Composed of free citizens from the north, in mixed racial forces; a number recognized for their bravery.

Tories (Loyalists)

• Civil War Aspect: Anti-British Patriots fought pro-British Loyalists.
• Support: Almost 60,000 Tories fought next to British soldiers, supplied them with arms and food, and joined in raiding parties.
• Diversity: Included wealthy, conservative, and often government officials and Anglican clergy.

American Indians

• Initial Policy: Tried to stay out of the war.
• Shift: Attacks by colonists prompted many to support the British, who promised to limit colonial settlements in the west.

Initial American Losses and Hardships (1775–1777)

• Setbacks: Poorly trained and equipped revolutionary army experienced early defeats.
• British Occupation: By the end of 1777, the British occupied New York and Philadelphia.
• Valley Forge (Winter 1777–1778): Washington’s troops suffered through a severe winter.
• Economic Problems: British occupation of American ports resulted in a 95 percent decline in trade; goods were scarce, and inflation was rampant. Paper money became worthless.

Alliance with France

• Turning Point: American victory at Saratoga in October 1777 led to French support.
• French Motivation: Saw a chance to weaken Great Britain by undermining its colonial empire.
• Secret Aid: From 1775, France secretly provided money and supplies to the American revolutionaries.
• Alliance (1778): Afterward, France allied openly with the Americans; later, Spain and Holland also entered the war against Britain.
• Impact of French Alliance: Decisive in the American struggle for independence, forcing the British to divert military resources.

Victory

• Shifting Tactics: Facing a larger war, Britain consolidated its forces in America.
• Territorial Gains: Patriots, and then George Rogers Clark, captured British forts in the Illinois country to gain control of the Ohio territory.
• Southern Strategy: In 1780, the British army concentrated campaigns in Virginia and the Carolinas.

Yorktown (1781)

• Battle: Supported by French naval and military forces, Washington’s army forced the surrender of a large British army commanded by General Charles Cornwallis.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

• Conditions:
  • Britain would recognize the existence of the United States as an independent nation.
  • The Mississippi River would be the western boundary of that nation.
  • Americans would have fishing rights off the coast of Canada.
  • Americans to pay debts owed to British merchants and honor Loyalist claims for property confiscated during the war.

The Influence of Revolutionary Ideals

• Learning Objective 1: Explain the various ways the American Revolution affected society.
• Learning Objective 2: Describe the global impact of the American Revolution.
• Revolutionary Ideas and Impact: Shaped new state governments and had particular significance for women, enslaved workers, and Native Americans.

Women in the Revolutionary Era

• Opposition to British Actions: Groups like the Daughters of Liberty organized to oppose British actions.
• Direct Action: Boycotting British goods.
• Supporting Troops: Provided supplies to the fighting forces.
• Participation in Battle: Some women fought, as in the case of Mary McCauley (Molly Pitcher) and Deborah Sampson.
• Loyalist Support: Female Loyalists also provided support to colonial and British troops.
• Economic Role: Maintained the colonial economy while men were away fighting, running family farms and businesses.
• New Role: They provided much of the food and clothing necessary for the war effort.
• Political Demands: Combination of revolutionary rhetoric and being actively engaged in the struggle.
• Republican Motherhood: New view of the status of women in society calling for women to be educated so that women taught new children.
• Shape Political Life: women given a more active role in shaping the new nation’s political life. However, it was still a role carried out in the home, not in public, and it did not imply equality with men.

Status of Enslaved African Americans

• Contradiction: Institution of slavery contradicted the ideal that “all men are created equal.”
• Corrective Steps:
  • Continental Congress abolished the importation of enslaved people.
  • Several northern states ended slavery.
  • Some owners voluntarily freed their enslaved laborers.
• Decline of Slavery: Many leaders, including slave owners such as James Madison, wanted slavery to end, but he hoped that freed people would simply returned to Africa.
• Change with the Cotton Gin (1793): Increased demand for low-cost labor, leading slave owners to believe that enslaved labor was essential to their prosperity.
• Ideological Shift (1830s): Religious and political justifications for continuing slavery were developed to justify holding other human beings in lifelong bondage.

Native Americans and Independence

• British Support: American Indians generally supported the British in the Revolutionary War so they did not benefit from the success of the colonies’ independence. .
• Racism and Greed: Colonists viewed American Indians as obstacles to settlement that should be removed due to racism and greed for land. Very few colonists believed that the ideas of liberty and equality applied to American Indians.

International Impact of the American Revolution

• Influence of Ideas: The right to self-govern, equality, and inalienable rights.
• Movements Inspired: French Revolution, United Irishmen rebellion, Haitian Revolution, Latin American revolutions.
• 20th-Century Examples: Countries like Zimbabwe and Vietnam.

The Articles of Confederation

• Learning Objective: Explain how different forms of government developed and changed as a result of the Revolutionary Period.
• Need for Government: To win independence, the 13 colonies needed some form of government amid distrust of tyrannical British government.
• Intentional Weakness: The central government was intentionally weak under the Articles of Confederation.

Organization of New Governments

• State Governments: Leaders of the 13 colonies worked to change them into independently governed states, each with its own constitution.
• Central Government: Congress defined the powers of a new central government for the nation.
• State Constitutions: By 1777, ten of the former colonies had written new constitutions.
  • Each constitution was the subject of heated debate between conservatives and liberals.

Common Features of State Constitutions

• List of Rights: Each state constitution began with a "bill" or "declaration" listing basic rights and freedoms.
• Separation of Powers: State government powers were given to three separate branches- legislative, executive and judicial.
• Voting: The voting rights were extended to all white males who owned some property.
• Office - Holding: Those seeking elected office usually had to meet a higher property qualification than the voters.

The Articles of Confederation

• Drafting: John Dickinson drafted the first constitution for the United States as a nation which was called the Articles of Confederation.
• Adoption: Was submitted by Congress to the states for ratification in 1777.
• Delay in Ratification: Caused by a dispute over state claims to American Indian lands west of the Alleghenies.
• Ratification (March 1781): After Virginia and New York ceded their claims to western lands.

Structure of Government

• Central Government: Consisted of just one body, a congress with a one-house with one vote each state.
• Unicameral Legislature: Each state had one vote; nine of 13 votes required to pass laws.
• No Separate Branches: No executive nor judiciary branch.
• Amendment Process: Required a unanimous vote.
• Committee of States: Could make minor decisions when Congress was not in session.

Powers of Congress

• Granted Powers: Wage war, make treaties, send diplomatic representatives, borrow money.
• Denied Powers: Regulate commerce or collect taxes.
• Financial Dependence: Congress had to rely on taxes voted by each state.
• Lack of Enforcement: The government had no executive power to enforce its laws.

The United States Under the Articles (1781–1789)

• Weak Central Government: Consisted of a weak Congress and no executive or judicial branch.

Accomplishments of the Articles

• Independence: Claimed responsibility for Washington´s army ultimate victory.
• Credit: It could claim some credit for the ultimate victory of Washington’s army and for negotiating favorable terms in the treaty of peace with Britain.
• Land Ordinance of 1785: Congress established a policy for surveying and selling the western lands.
• The policy set aside one square-mile section of land in each 36 square-mile township for public education.
• Northwest Ordinance of 1787: Set rules for creating new states in the region between the Great Lakes and the Ohio River.
• Granted limited self-government to the developing territory and prohibited slavery.

Weaknesses of the Articles

• Troubled Foreign Affairs: European nations had little respect for a nation unable to pay its debts or take united action.
• Failed Treaty Enforcement: Could not enforce the Treaty of Paris due to the U.S. government being too weak. Also to weak to force state to to there
• Economic Problems:
  • Congress had no taxing power and could only request donations from the states.
  • No dependable source of revenue.
  • Large state debts resulted in limited credit.
  • Printing of worthless paper money caused economic depression.
• Internal Conflicts: The 13 states treated one another as rivals which added tension.
• Tariffs/Restrictions: They placed tariffs and other restrictions on goods moving across state lines. A number of states faced boundary disputes with neighbors that increased interstate tension.
  Shays’s Rebellion: The national government had no power to settle these disputes.

Shay's Rebellion**: Led by Captain Daniel Shays, a Massachusetts farmer the farmer's stopped collection of taxes and forced closure of duetor courts.

The Government´s action: It put downShays’s Rebellion

The Constitutional Convention and Debates Over Ratification

• Learning Objective: Explain the differing ideological positions on the structure and function of the federal government.
• Need for the Constitution: Establish a central government strong enough to hold 13 states together.
• Problems: Led to a convention that wrote a new constitution, which was followed by intense debates.

The Annapolis Convention

• Purpose: To review how to overcome the country’s critical problems, Washington hosted a conference a agreed that the problems were serious enough and later discussio at annapolis maryland, with all the states invited.
• **Result Only 5 states sent delegates.
• Result: James Madison and Alexander Hamilton that another convention should be held in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation

Drafting the Constitution at Philadelphia

• Congressional Approval: Congress consented to give its approval to the meeting in Philadelphia.
• Task of the meeting: It called for all 13 state