Chapter 9 - The Confederation and the Constitution

The Pursuit of Equality

Officers of Continental Army created an order called the Society of Cincinnati which was exclusive
Continental Congress of 1774 called for the abolition of slavery
In 1775, Philadelphia Quakers founded world’s first antislavery society
Several northern states either completely abolished slavery or provided the emancipation of slaves
None of the states south of Pennsylvania abolished slavery
==Thomas Jefferson== ==and his fellow reformers created the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom in 1786==
- Said that religion should be be imposed on anyone and each person should decide his or her own faith
==Civic Virtue== ==was the notion that democracy was dependent on the unselfish commitment of each citizen to public good==
==Republican Motherhood== ==was the notion that a mother was selflessly devoted to her family with it being the model of a proper republican mother==

Constitution Making in the States

The Second Continental Congress called on the colonies to draft up new constitutions in 1776
Massachusetts called a convention to draw its constitution and submitted the final draft to the people
==State constitutions== ==were intended to represent a fundamental law== which was superior to the short-lived “impulses” of regular legislation
Capitals of New Hampshire, New York, Virgina, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia all moved west in the Revolutionary era

Economic Crosscurrents

Economic democracy preceded political democracy
U.S. had a limited trade with Britain after gaining its independence and thus had to start making products “in-house”
The post-war economy struggled as it wasn’t good with many Americans were poorer after the war

Creating a Confederation

Before declaring independence in 1776, the Second Continental Congress put in place a committee with the job of drafting a written constitution for the new nation with the written constitutions being the Articles of Confederation
- The ==Articles of Confederation were adopted by congress in 1777==
- The ==Articles of Confederation convinced France that the U.S. had a genuine government==
In 1781, the Articles of Confederation were ratified by all 13 colonies

The Articles of Confederation: America's First Constitution

The 13 colonies came together for joint action when dealing with issues relating to foreign affairs
Congress possessed two major handicaps: Congress didn’t have the power to regulate commerce with this leaving the states free to establish conflicting laws relating to tariffs and navigation and Congress was unable to enforce its tax collection program with the state not being required to pay government taxes (they were simply asked to do so)
The Articles of Confederation possessed many faults with them acting as stepping stones towards the Constitution in place, today

Landmarks in Land Laws

The Land Ordinance of 1785 stated that the acreage of the Old Northwest should be sold with the proceeds being used to help pay off the national debt
The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was a uniform national land policy and it created the Northwest Territories and gave the land to the government (the land could then be purchased by individuals)
When a territory had 60,000 people it had a chance to be admitted by Congress as a state with the same privileges of the 13 other states

The World's Ugly Duckling

Great Britain declined making any type of commercial treaty with the colonies and refused to repeal the Navigation Laws which required the use of British ships to trade with Britain
Sheffield argued that Britain could win back America’s trade without having to repeal the Navigation Laws
American states didn’t honor the treaty of peace when it came to debts and the Loyalists
==Spain== ==was openly unfriendly to America and in 1784, it closed off Mississippi River to commerce==

The Horrid Specter of Anarchy

In Massachusetts, 1786, Shays’ Rebellion occurred in which poverty-stricken back-country farmers who were losing their farms to mortgage foreclosures and tax delinquencies, tried to enforce demands of cheap paper money, lighter taxes, and a suspension of property take overs
The Rebellion was led by Daniel Shays with the uprising being put to an end, with it playing a role in the changing of laws

A Convention of "Demigods"

In 1786, Virginia called for a convention at Annapolis, Maryland with the purpose being to deal with the issue of interstate commerce
==Alexander Hamilton== ==saved the convention from collapsing and called Congress to meet in Philadelphia in the next year to fix the Articles of Confederation==
- Hamilton advocated a powerful central government
On May 25, 1787, 55 representatives from every state, except for Rhode Island were sent to Philadelphia to discuss how the government should operate
- George Washington was elected as the leader

Patriots in Philadelphia

Delegates hoped to save revolutionary idealism with them wanting to make it into a strong political structure
The 55 delegates that hoped to save the revolutionary idealism were young and well off

Hammering Out a Bundle of Compromises

Some delegates decided they would scrap the old Articles of Confederation which contradicted instructions from Congress to revise it
A “Large-state plan” was ==proposed by Virginia with it being the first to suggest the framework of the Constitution with it saying that a state’s representation in Congress should be based upon the population of the state==
New Jersey presented the “small-state plan” which focused on equal representation in Congress with no regards to the size or population of a state
A "Great Compromise" was eventually agreed upon with it calling for representation by population in House of Representatives and equal representation in Senate
- The ==“Great Compromise” decided that each state would have 2 senators, called for a President, and called for the end of the slave trade by the end of 1807==
The constitution was meant to be a broad document with it growing out of common law (it wasn’t necessary to be specific about every single deal)

Safeguards for Conservatism

Members of Constitutional Convention agreed economically and demanded sound money and the protection of private property
- The members agreed politically, with them favoring a stronger government that had a system of checks and balances with 3 branches

The Clash of Federalists and Anti-federalists

Anti-federalists opposed the stronger federal government with them fearing it would take away the power of the common man
- Led by Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, and Richard Henry Lee and consisted of the poorest class
Federalists were led by George Washington and Benjamin Franklin with most living in the settled areas along the seaboard
Federalists were wealthier, more educated, and better organized than the anti-federalists with them also controlling the press

The Great Debate in the States

Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, and New Hampshire were the first 9 states to sign the Constitution
Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island were the only states to not sign the Constitution and were hence known as the four Laggard States

The Four Laggard States

Virginia and New York gradually ratified the Constitution before it was put into effect
Rhode Island and North Carolina were the last states to ratify the Constitution and they did so after the new government had been operating for a few months
Virginia, New York, Rhode Island, and North Carolina didn’t want to ratify the Constitution but, they couldn’t safely exist as they were the only states that were "outside of the fold"

A Conservative Triumph

The “architects” of the Constitution believed that every single branch effectively represented the people with the branches being the executive, judicial, and legislative branches