history notes

Final Exam Content  

Against All Odds: The American War of Independence (1776-1783)  

Roots of the revolution 

  • Classics( Greek and roman Political theorists) 

  • Continues through the enlightenment and great awakening  

  • New republic will borrow symbols and imagery from antiquity to develop their new democracy 

  • ENLIGHTENMENT: 1700’ s France, Scotland,  

  • Notion of natural n human rights: anyone born are born with rights  

  • Social contract( Rousseau)- natural rights, given up your rights for other people,  

  • State of Nature: people join in the contract and in the government give up some of the human rights to manage the society, there isa a delegation of powers of the government to government to provide protection for the colonies 

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  • Progress through reason and science 

  • Can improve justice, by implement religious implementing superstition 

  • State of Nature: people join in the contract and in the government give up some of the human rights to manage the society, there isa a delegation of powers of the government in order to government to provide protection for the colonies 

  • British Opposition Thinker ( late 17th century)  

  • Power is corrupted and dangerous  ( john Locke)  

  • Becomes tyrannical- abuse power 

  • Have a right to topple the government 

Thomas Paine  

  • Post sucessful revoluitonary propaganda  

  • English man, who published common sense, small political piece in 1765, he highlighted the rejection of the idea that olonies owed anything to britain their roots were in euroe and showed teh colonies were mistreated by a tyrannical monarchy encouraged independence.  

  • After concord and lexington 

  • CORRUPTED PARLIAMENT ONLY SOLUTION IN INDEPENDENCE ( FIRST CALL OF THE COLONISTS THAT WAR WAS THE ONLY OPTION 

  • COLONIES DON’T OWE ANYTHING TO THE BRITISH 

John Dickinson 

  • Patriot who had prooted resistance and non importation during previous tax crises)  

  • Colonist don’t have any chance 

  • Americans were unprepared for war  

  • Too many disagreements among the future states to make a successful union.  

  • Feared France had made a deal with Britain deprived the colonies from key ally 

  • Patriot but doesn't believe in independence 

  •  Lots of debates over this  

Loyalists  

  • Americans who sided with the British during hte revoluionary war, independence as a divisive topic unclear how many Americans opposed the war in private  

  • All ranks of society: some held official government poisitons but also farmes artians merchants persecution during the war, property confiscated)  

  • Does ‘think war is the correct option but they believe they should be taxed  

  • 100,000 men and women permanently left America at the end of the war, forced exile and to go to other parts of British empire 

Many supported the war effort but __________ 

 Harry “ Washington” 

  •  George Washington’s  slaves at mount Vernon  

  • Escaped in 1771 recaptured  

  • 1775 joins lord dunmore’s forces in VA  

  • Significance: example of many enslaved African Americans who chose the loyalist side for freedom.  

  • Becomes corporal in hte : Black Pioneers regiment england ( thing that british going against colonists)  

 

WRITE TIMELINE ON PAPER 

First continental congress= illegal gather of representing of the colonies, that doesn’t exist, no federal representation, no government control  

Jefferson : wrote declaration of auaes and necessity of taking up arms ( thought was vital to the people)  

 

Lexington and Concord **without a real army, they might have a real chance 

  • Attack troops in boston  

  • Seize the weapons 

  • “ British are coming”  

  • When they meet concord, they meet all kinds of militia, attacked the army  

  •  Significance: First change of fire, military exchange that give Americans a lot of confidence that they can win. 

 Minute men: militia members ready to fire in minutes notice, train a little bit , and you were start regime, ready to assemble on minutes notices( volunteer) bulk of the continental army  

Second continental congress: 

  1. Allocate funds and resrouces for the new army( paper money) start repesntaive sof a indepdnent nation before deckartion independence was reclaimed)  

  1. Start to act as representaives of soverign nation before indepednece was declared 

Continental Army:  Led by George Washington and commander of the trroops of united provinces of north america 

 

Best military experience and knows birtish strategies( GEORGE_  

Declaration of independence( July 4th 1776)  

= started from a rev that was introduced in congress by vigrginia rihard henry lee  

United colonies are and of right ought free and independent states  

Thomas Jefferson composer the fist 

 

Limits and Achievements of the Revolution and the Making of the Peace Treaty 

The us victory in the revolutionary war although unlikely at first brought many gains to the new nation 

Challenges:  

HIGH COST( due to the war effort)  

  • Many challenges have remained even after independence had been on ( no government structure, temporary  structure in place, and inflation, racial tension, due the ___________ 

  • Main Point: Nothing changed or benefit significantly from the creation of hte ISA ( womens, blacks,loyalist( kicked out of america losers), poor white farmers found themselves a huge burden of taxes 

  • The second phase of the revolution, was more conservative but no less important than the war itself, the united states were not born out of the revolution, they were made in the 1780’s through the creation of new political institutions. 

  • 1780 crafting of the political institutions and balance powers that create the US 

Phases of the War 

 

  1. War in the north 1766-1767 american defeats  

  1. Battle of saratoga october 1777 

  1. French alliance ( 1778)  

  1. War of wouth of us vicotry at Yorktown( october 1781)  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Treaty of Paris of 1783( Impacts on a Map View)  

  • Land gains after 1783 

  • Near the Ohio river, gained by France now is transferred to US  

  • Spain regains Florida  

  • Located from Ohio river, to the north across the great lakes (Canada)  

Treaty of Paris 

  • Hard negotiations with england spain and france  

  • American deplomatic delegation in paris ben franklin john adams 

  • Land increase and england recgnonizes american independence  

  • British colonies, sovereign independent  

  • Global Significance: inspired other revolution and independence movements 

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Other points:  

  • Huge land increase: Mississippi north to modern Canada border, south to southern Georgia, Florida becomes spanish) fishing rights  

  • Official Trade Partnerships   

  • War Debt temporally covered by france( American will repay slowly while their economy is improving)  

  • Lead to the French revolution( the payments to France)  

Post Revolutionary America  

  • Deep scars in the country ( destruction property, infrastructures, violence by enemy etc)  

  • Higher Ideal creation of a new stable republic based on equality and liberty( REPUBLIC?) 

  • new tensions and divisions issues of slavery and western expansion Indians and women’s rights who would be included in new nation. 

Articles of Confederation 

1777 continental congress(lasted in between 1777-1783)  

  • State constitution: most states do this until the end of the revolutionary war 

 

Critical Period  

-Definition:  period to shape the articles of confederation 

Weaknesses of the articles of confederation and lead to big issues they can resolve  

  1. Financial crisis:  

  1. Deep financial crisis inability to collect taxes and huge devaluation of continental currency 

  1. Foreign Policies Crisis: government are unable to establish a national commercial policy or fulfill treaty treatments, need coma[naie to be reinforced. 

  1. Civic Protests: and the dangers of democracy(if you let me protest disagreements of government ides, cannot stop the revolution): popular discontent and protests continue, especially on the western frontier. Revealed diverging views of future/constitutional needs (shay’s rebellion)  

  1. Too much democracy does not lead to a resolution, how to stabilize the situation, democracy is not a proper solution.  

  1. 1783-1783 critical period 

Articles > state constituion> constitution  

Philadelphia Constitutional Convention of 1787 

  • Gather many leaders ( george washington, james madison, and anddre hamiliton and ben franklin) ( Jefferson france not there) 

  • Meeting to revise the articles of confederation aftera critical period  

  • Influence State constitutions: preceded federal) all state had already passed bill of rights  

  • CHECKS AND BALANCES( equal powers) 

  • Definition: a gather of many leaders to revise the articles confederation during the critical period in private.  

Significance: representation of small and large states, slavery issue, should we abolish slavery 

Strengths and powers of the federal government and executive; determines how much power, do we give executive, legislative etc. 

No journalists 

  1. James Madison: VIRGINIA plan: foundation for the new federal system,  

  1. Strong central government system( Federal government: Federal government has more power than the states.  

  1. Two houses(bicameral) one elected by the people and one chosen by the first houses from nominations made by state assemblies. ( congress( lower proportional to population) ,and senate( upper 2 delegates) 

  1. Representation proportional to state’s population 

  1. Problem: do you include slaves in your population??  

PA: started counting cows because they had no rights like slaves did etc. 

  1. Checks and Balances (equal power) between legislative, executive, judicial, government 

16/55 Delegates initially refused to sign the constitution 

Created a framework of future us development  

  • But created new framework for future development and made it possible for a national economic market  

  • Created political institutions and limited power of states  

  • Placed limits on popular democracy.  

Federalists vs Anti Federalist was solved through compromised 

Solution to the arguments between F and AF: adding the bill of rights and not abolishing slavery 

Get pro rights to support the constitution  

Constitution Ratified (needs to be approved by each state) (Delaware first, 1787, Rhode Island 1790) This whole process 1787-1790. 

Achievements of Constitutional Convention 

  1. Created a new introduced of democratic government  that was not known before 

  1. UNIQUE GOVERNMENT 

  1. Protected Democracy and the will of people  

  1. Only people authority if elected by the people, saved from dictatorship, and other military leaders. US more democratic 

  1. POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY 

  1. Managed to negotiate and come to agreement despite their differences 

  1. COMPROMISED 

  1. Conceived of nation making as a process that could continue as conditions changed and time passed ( leave room for future innovations,  

  1. FLEXIBILITY ABILITY TO CHANGE 

  1. Inspired people( got rid of privilege and aristocracy( if not all inequalities)  

  1. EQUALITY, FREEDOM, HAPPINESS PROGRESS 

  1. AS MUCH AS IT DOESN’T APPLY TO EVERYONE, IT APPLIES TO MOST,  INSPIRED OTHERS 

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787  

Definition: provides a structure f government for the northwest territory creates a system to settle new territory and turn them into states and incorporate them in the union  

Passed by the Philadelphia convention 

( NORTH WEST TERRITORY: OHIO basin, south of the great lakes, Kentucky, Indiana)  

Each territory was to be ruled by the governor a secerty ,and three judges apointed by congress 

Once population 5k voters who owned could elect their assembly  

Once reached 60k  voters could write a constitution with laws an petition the federal government is be annexed as a union( between the states to join the union)  

Significance: Outlawed slavery in those new territories, signifies slavery was becoming abolished, (OHIO< ILLINOIS MICHIGAN WISCONSIN WOULD BE FREE) no slavery in these states. Leads to separation free states and slave(south)  

 

Limits to the Revolution 

  1. While most slaves supported the British to seek freedom about 5k of enslaved men and served in the patriot army with enslaved and free black sand also making a significant contribution to the navy some integrated units. 

  1. After the blacks that been enslaved revolution by slavery, assemblies gaining freedom by petitioning.  

3/5 Compromise ( one of the biggest limits of the constitution)  

  • During Philadelphia Convention ( 1787)  

  • Definition: compromise to gain support to slave states by counting 3/5 of slave population. 

 

  • Debate about how many representatives and taxes per slaves should we count on free white population or count slaves who can’t vote? ( pay taxes, vs not wealthy)  

  • Compromise to: the slave states in the north could count 3/5 of their slave population towards the state population and direct taxation. 

  • Sign of sectional crisis to come(N and S)  

  • Also decides to outlaw slave trade after 1808 

  • Get more slaves because of the 3/5 compromise, to get themcounted more in the poppulation( why is that important, why do they do this?)  

  • Significance: the constitution failed to end slavery setting conditions for the civil war in the 19th century 

Women Dissappointment 

  • No voting rights  

  • Hopes for equality  

  • Political womens wer seen as deangerous unnatureal  

  • Little gains, and civic status unchanges  

  • Slow change in mentalisties first feminists and advocates for equality  

  • Women play a important rolein war effort in the front and home and hope for equality 

  • Republicanism as the new model., defines role in motherhood and raising virutalist ciizten,( home=makers, wife mothers 

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