Republic

• The US being a democratic republic showed its values of political wisdom + self-gov’t

• People vote for representatives who then make + enforce laws

• The law states that the ruler of a republic, or president, must be obeyed by everyone as part of a social contract

• Citizens must be moral + responsible

Civic Virtue

• If citizens work together for a common good, democracy can thrive

• Citizens must work for + sacrifice for society’s well-being

American Dream

• Geographical + social mobility allowed Americans to be more successful than their parents

• Opportunities + intelligence could lead to huge success

• However, there was the risk of people in higher classes slipping backward

• Freedom from oppression allowed Americans to pursue their dreams

• People were able to live a longer + more comfortable life in US

Yeoman Farmers

• Made up the bulk of population

• Free/cheap land allowed them to push west as subsistence farmers

• Land fever + hopes of the American Dream led to high migration west

• Thomas Jefferson believed that rural Americans are key citizens

Critical Period

• 1783-1789

• Ratification of the Articles of Confederation and later the ratification of the US Constitution

• Unless the states could find a way to be unified, a central gov’t was impossible

• Constitution would allow the Founding Fathers to create a more lasting form of gov’t

Articles of Confederation

• Ratified in 1781

• Created a “league of friendship” among the states

• CONS: No taxation + bad economic controls + no currency + no executive branch

• PROS: States gave western land claims to gov’t as income

• Revisions to the Articles were made at the Annapolis Convention + the Constitutional Convention

Order of the Cincinnati

• 1783

• Secret society of Revolutionary War officers

• Washington prevented the formation of a noble class in society

Land and Northwest Ordinance

• 1785 - Land Ordinance is passed

• 1787 - Northwest Ordinance is passed

• Organized western lands

• The land from the Ohio River Valley to the Great Lakes was surveyed + sold

• Supported education

• Banned slavery from territory

Penitentiary

• Prisons for criminals to be penitent (repent for sins)

• Criminals were forced into solitary confinement with Bibles

• Targeted to improve lives of all citizens

• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens pushed for no European capital punishment in the US

• Eventually a reformed criminal justice system included less executions + more penitentiaries

Republican Motherhood

• 1776

• Societal reform at home

• Mothers were nurturing future responsible citizens

• Placed greater importance on children

Cult of Domesticity

• Believed that republican motherhood was stifling to American women and forced them into domestic roles

• Feminists believed that women don’t belong in the home

Tariffs

• Taxing imported goods

• Making imported manufactured goods more expensive allowed domestic manufacturers to compete

• States were allowed to put tariffs on other states

• Northerners wanted strong protective tariffs

• Southerners disliked tariffs and didn’t want them at all

Shays’ Rebellion

• 1786-1787

• Massachusetts didn’t have paper currency + refused to help farmers against Native American attacks

• An armed rebellion under Daniel Shays almost captured the federal arsenal at Springfield

• Eventually the gov’t put down the rebellion + captured Shays

• The incident provided an incentive to strengthen fed. gov’t

Constitutional Convention

• 1787 - Meeting in Philadelphia

• James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, George Washington

• The Constitution was influenced by the Enlightenment + the Founding Fathers’ personal experience

• Focused on the idea of compromises + checks & balances

• 1788 - Ratified US Constitution

James Madison

• Understudy of Thomas Jefferson

• Drafted Virginia state constitution + Virginia Plan + Bill of Rights

• 1789 - Enters House of Representatives

• Secretary of State + President

• Wrote notes on Constitutional Convention

US Constitution

• Biggest achievement of Revolution

• Preamble

• Provided the foundation for a stable gov’t + guided American people

• Able to be amended

New Jersey Plan

• Created by William Patterson of New Jersey

• Small-state plan

• Citizens would elect the president BUT he would have no veto

• Suspicious of larger states + strong central gov’t

• Equal representation of all states (regardless of size)

  • Angered larger states with more citizens to represent

Virginia Plan

• Created by James Madison

• Influenced US Constitution

• Benefitted larger states

Enumerated Powers

• The powers granted to the Federal government, and specifically Congress, which are mostly listed in Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution

• Each article enumerates key duties for each branch of gov’t

Elastic Clause

• Opening for expansion of federal power

• “Necessary and proper” clause

• Used heavily by Alexander Hamilton

Checks and Balances

• Government branches hold each other in check

• Had both support + opposition

• However, it was later realized to be necessary

The Great Compromise

• 1787

• Created by Roger Sherman of Connecticut

• US Senate would have 2 senators from each state (equal representation)

• House of Representatives would have representatives based on population

Ratification

• States asked to approve new Constitution

• Special state conventions

• 1788 - 9th state ratified Constitution and it became the “supreme law of the land”

Three-Fifths Compromise

• 1787

• Count ⅗ of slaves in Southern states for representation in House of Representatives

• Indirectly sanctioned slavery

BIG PICTURE

• Independence → Optimistic outlook + unique society

• American life - Optimistic + expected better life

• Articles of Confederation - Difficult to unify states

• US Constitution - More power for fed. gov’t + autonomy for states

• Compromise - 3 branches + large & small states + northern & southern states

• Trenton and the Patriot Cause

  • George Washington + Continental Army crossed Delaware River to attack British camp @ Trenton on Christmas

  • Provided supplies + boosted morale + many soldiers re-enlisted

• Patriot Women during the Revolution

  • Wartime sacrifices - Fewer goods, higher prices, more sacrifice

  • More work - Take over husband’s/father’s work while @ war

• Loyalists

  • Professed loyalty to the Crown

  • Threatened & treated badly after Revolution

  • Fled to England, Canada, Caribbean → Left behind possessions