America-A Narrative History (chapter 6)

Forging a New Nation (224)

  • Colonists feared government abuse of power
  • Articles of confederation was more a league than a national government of 13 colonies
  • Transition from war to peace wasn’t simple bs america wasn't self sustaining yet
  • 160 mil in debt

The Confederation Government (225)

  • 1783-1787 (critical period) 
  • gave birth to the first political parties- federalism(The sharing of power between national, state, and local governments)
  • Unrest by riots and war debts because raising taxes
  • Articles of Confederation had created a loose alliance of states
  • States were only united in theory “each state maintains sovereignty, freedom, and independence”
  • Only one house legislature- rhode island with 68k ppl had the same power as Virginia with 747k ppl.
  • AOC couldn’t regulate trade or create taxes (relied on voluntary contributions)

Robert Morris(226)

  • Closest to an executive leader of confederation
  • Issued government bonds to help pay off war debt

Land Policy (227)

  • Treaty of paris doubled the size of US
  • Land outside colonies became public domain, owned and administered by national government
  • Thomos Jefferson drafted the Land Ordinance Act of 1784 (how to deal with lands west), urged states to drop the Indian region west of Appalachians, so the vast unmapped region could be divided into 14 self-governing colonies. 
  • All adult white males allowed to vote, hold office, and write constitutions for new territories, 
  • Those territories had to meet the Rhode Island population to be eligible for statehood, until then they were just colonies.
  • Townships of 36 square miles would be surveyed for less than a dollar and acre and settled, in order to prevent chaos. Surveyors would keep moving westward from there
  • Indian lands were divided into 6 mile square blocks, divided into 4 farms.

Northward Ordinance (228)

  • Passed 2 yrs after land ordinance
  • 2 new principles- territories would eventually become states, and slavery would be banned north of the Ohio river. Said indian lands wouldn’t be taken but broke promise
  • Process for statehood- When adult males reached 5k they could elect territorial legislature, when 60k free inhabitants, adult males could draft a constitution, and apply for statehood

Diplomacy (228)

  • Relations between great britain and spain were tense bc they retained trading posts, forts and soldiers on american soil
  • British refused to remove troops south of canadian border in failure to pay debts
  • Spain had disputes about the location of the southern boundary of the US, and the right for Americans to send boats down the Mississippi which Spain controlled. Spain also still had control of Georgia.

Trade and the Economy 

  • American economy was fragile
  • Ppl serving in army were never paid
  • Civilians that helped hadn’t been reimbursed. 
  • British treated US as an enemy nation
  • British warships began stopping and boarding american ships and “impressing” them into service for royal Navy
  • British closed profitable caribbean island colonies- southern planter were hit hard
  • To punish british, taxes were imposed on british vessels arriving at american ports
  • States waged commercial war and resulted in chaos
  • 1787- The government needed to regulate interstate trade and foreign relations.

Scarce Money (230) 

  • Hampered economic development (critical period)
  • No stable national currency and only 3 bank- Philly, NYC, Boston
  • Began to print paper money

The “Gathering Crisis” (230)

  • Class distinctions were disappearing, scaring wealthy ppl
  • “The revolution was being converted into equality
  • More men could vote and hold office, property owning qualification were reduced/eliminated
  • Raised taxes to pay war debts, americans revolted, “no taxation even with representation”

Shays Rebellion (231)

  • Farmers demanded more paper money to pay for “unjust” taxes
  • Farmers resented new constitution bc it raised  property qualifications
  • The Massachusetts legislature refused tax relief and 3 angry countries erupted in a disorganized revolt.
  • Shay, a veteran was one of the ppl who joined the revolt and government responded by sending in 4400 militiamen- 4 farmers dead  and many wounded
  • End legislature decided to eliminate some taxes
  • Shay's rebellion sent shock across the nation. 

Creating the Constitution (232)

  • Shays rebellion made realize that the national government needs more power. 
  • Empowered national gov to bring social order and economic stability. 
  • States were behaving like ungovernable nations, hamilton wanted to revise constitution
  • Constitutional convention in 1784
  • Gathered in Philadelphia to revise articles of confederation, RI refused to come
  • Began may 25, after 15 weeks of revision 39/55 delegates stayed to sign the constitution
  • Founding fathers were practical men of experience and talented
  • George Washington was elected as presiding officer.
  • WASHINGTON barely participated in debated in fear ppl would take him too seriously
  • Benjamin Franklin similarly provided wisdom but rarely spoke
  • Most active was james madison
  • Decisions- government must have direct authority over citizens rather than governing through states, and nations must derive legitimacy from people.
  • National government was given authority to print money, tax and regulate commerce, instead of the state.

The Virginia and New Jersey Plans (235)

  • James Madison's Proposals “Virginia Plan” create new constitution instead of just revising
  • Supreme legislative, executive or legislative branches. 
  • Congress is divided into 2 houses.
  • Many disagreements, especially between small states
  • Alternative proposed “New Jersey Plan '' kept equal representation of the states, power to collect taxes, regulate commerce etc, but not the right to veto state laws.

Three Branches of Government (235)

  • Great compromise between 2 propositions
  • Preserved one vote per state, each state would elect 2 representatives. 

The Legislature (236)

  • Compromise enables separation of powers
  • Start of representative democracy
  • Senate would help protect minority, and could overrule pres(executive)

Presidency (236)

  • Debates over how much power pres should have
  • Decision to have a single chief executive, natural born citizen, at least 25
  • Pres powers were limited to key areas- only congress could declare war and make peace, pres could be removed from office

Judiciary (237)

  •  Third branch, sparked most debate
  • Meant to interpret laws and ensure every citizen received equal justice to law.
  • “The supreme law of the land”

The Limits of the Constitution (237)

  • The constitution was made by white men and benefited white men only
  • Natives were left out and treated separately.
  • Issues about Slavery(238)
  • Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Rhode Island abolished slavery. Southerners defended slavery (south carolina, georgia)
  • Due to this slavery was not discussed in constitution, 3/5ths of all persons would count towards population
  • Absence of Women in constitution (240)
  • Some women asked for political equality, however didn’t get it
  • Thomas Jefferson said that ladies would be contended to soothe the calm and minds of their husbands.
  • Immigration (241)
  • Although US was made of immigrants they weren’t sure if they wanted it to continue like that
  • Worried that they wouldn't embrace republicanism 

Fight for Ratification and Choosing Sides (241)

  • New constitution completed in September 1787
  • People were invited to debate and vote for constitution
  • Sides- Federalists and Anti-Federalists First american political parties
  • Federalists- james madison and hamilton
  • Anti- Patrick Henry, John Adams, George Mason. Most feared this gov would eventually grow corrupt

Whiskey Rebellion (261)-

1784 Washington's Election(264)-

  • Two terms- out of respect for washington, until FDR

His Cabinet (247)-

Jay Treaty (259)-

  • Washington and John Jay
  • Negotiating with french and british
  • Jay was sent to deal with imprisonment 
  • British-(mercantilism/colonialism) won't trade outside their own colonies, jay wanted open trade is again
  • Jay achieved a treaty, hated it, republicans hated more than federalists
  • outcome was trading rights with the indians, reimburse americans for ships, left forts

Hamiltonian Financial Policy(250)-

  • Views on this policy were so extreme, it forced most ppl into a political parties

  • Appealing to federalists

  • Bonds- Government takes out loans from the government. Elites(federalists) buy bonds. Hamilton believes it's good to be in debt, the government should be in debt to the elite. Financial incentive to keep America going.

  • Excise Tax- Tax made at the moment of creation, instead of bought. Manufactured goods. This ment farmers would have new taxes, (extra wheat made into whiskey (manufactured)), leading to whiskey rebellion.

  • Tariffs- Manufactured goods. “To protect industry.” the economy of sales, factories can always be made cheaper, so British production is cheaper than american. Solution is tariffs on British products. So americans start buying american goods, but prices go up of these, and factories are in the north, and southerners still have to pay the tariff and no help to them

  • Refinance Debt- federal gov will pay off all debt. Clean slate for all states. All states have to pay equal debts now and southern states are almost paid off debts, while the north has lots of debt, unfair to the south.

  • Bank of United States(bus)-republicans think it's unconstitutional. Jefferson says it Violates 10th amendment (right to state if not specified). Congress needs unanimous opinion for this, it's not unanimous. 

  • Jefferson and Hamilton met and said he would go with the plan if they moved the capital closer to jefferson. New Neutral territory, no influence. District of Columbia (DC)

Federalists(245-257)-

  • Alexander Hamilton. John Adams
  • Urban N/NE
  • Industrialists, merchants
  • Conservatives (edmund burke-like american rev but not french)
  • Elite, and proud about it (hamilton is perfect example)

Democratic Republicans(257)-

  • James Madison, Thomas Jefferson
  • S/SW Rural farms
  • Common man 
  • Loved the small farmer (their perfect industry)

French Revolution(258)-

  • Revolt against french elite bc poor were starving away
  • Federalists were against it, though it was too chaotic. and republicans liked this revolution bc it was a revolution of a common man
  • Controversy bc french elites supported america during revolution, but they loved democracy 

Adam Smith(265)-

  • Adamas didn't like being criticized
  • Passed alien and sedition acts

Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 (267)-

  • you could be deported for being and immigrant
  • You could go to jail for criticizing gov
  • Hamilton gets killed for this (duel)
  • Federalist do do bad bc of this, Federalists come in 3rd place during election
  • Jefferson and Burr tie 35 times, jefferson wins