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The Economic and Intellectual Influences in The Debate over Ratification of the U.S. Constitution

The Economic and Intellectual Influences in The Debate over Ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Rick Riley PSC 499 Fall 2009. Economic Interests. http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/vc3.8.jpg. Economic Model Charles A. Beard, Jackson T. Main Progressive/Liberal

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The Economic and Intellectual Influences in The Debate over Ratification of the U.S. Constitution

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  1. The Economic and Intellectual Influences in The Debate over Ratification of the U.S. Constitution Rick RileyPSC 499 Fall 2009

  2. Economic Interests http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/vc3.8.jpg

  3. Economic Model Charles A. Beard, Jackson T. Main Progressive/Liberal Constitution was designed to benefit Founders economically Anti-Federalists and Federalists divided along class lines Intellectual Model Forrest McDonald Conservative Constitution had ideological roots Anti-Federalists had localist tendencies Federalists were Nationalists The Competing Schools of Thought on Constitutional History

  4. McDonald V.S. Beard State by State http://amhist.ist.unomaha.edu/module_files/fx12_states_fight_over_ratification_of_the_constitution.jpg

  5. New Jersey, Delaware, Georgia All ratified unanimously Beard: farming interest not given enough time to organize, security holders dominated. McDonald: large number of farmer delegates Small number of personality interests Early Ratification States

  6. Virginia and North Carolina Large number of farmers Holders of Confiscated British wealth in Virginia Public security holders support Constitution Debtors divided in North Carolina Southern Opposition States http://www.gutenberg.org/files/22461/22461-h/images/i5.jpg

  7. Agrarian Dominated States • Connecticut, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire • Beard: personality groups dominated conventions • McDonald: over half of Delegates were farmers in all states • Majority of debtors vote for ratification

  8. Personality States • Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island • Eastern Regions: strong Federalist cities • Western Regions: majority Anti-Federalist • Few members of realty interest, yet, strong opposition http://www.anythinganywhere.com/commerce/coins/coinpics/usa-early.html Massachusetts Coins

  9. Jackson T. Main’s Class Model • Federalists were in high leadership positions • Anti-Federalists in lower class • Disproven in many states

  10. McDonald’s Economic Groups • Beard’s economic interests too rigid • Economic interest were complex • Four primary interest groups -farmers, manufacturers, merchants, professionals • Numerous subgroups

  11. Subsistence -permanent group -potentially commercial -all from isolated areas Commercial -Slave holding: divided, depending on situation -non-slave holding: mainly Anti-Federalists Farmers http://www.hnet.uci.edu/mclark/HumCore/CoreF2005/WebCoreF05/F05CrevLec.html

  12. Service Industries -Tied to customer’s interests Stable producers -Nothing at stake Capitalists -Heavily Federalist for economic reasons Manufacturers http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~prsjr/occupations/occup-idx.htm

  13. retail foreign trade agents shipping merchants non-shipping merchants Mercantile Interests http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/albany/streets.html Return of The Experiment, By L.F. Tantillo, Depicts Albany, NY in 1787

  14. Professionals • Physicians -Not affected • Lawyers -Constitution elevates them -some with political careers • Public Office Holders -Support based on stability of situation

  15. Intellectual Influences http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Images/federalist.jpg

  16. McDonald’s Two forms of Republicanism http://www.alexanderhamiltonexhibition.org/gallery/images/pic_gouverneur_morris.jpg http://www.artexpertswebsite.com/pages/artists/artists_l-z/sully/Sully_PatrickHEnry.jpg Patrick Henry Gouverneur Morris

  17. Influenced by ancient republics and Great Awakening Prominent in New England Private behavior important to public virtue Community before the Individual Virtues: Industry, Frugality, Work Ethic Prominent Founders: John Adams (Federalist, MA.), Richard Henry Lee (Anti-Federalist, VA) Puritanistic Republicanism http://www.reclaimamericaforchrist.org/john%20adams.JPG John Adams

  18. Influences: 17th and18th Century theoristsand The Anglo Saxon Myth. Prominent in the South Property ownership and right to bear arms. Rights of the individual over community Vigilance and jealousy of power Prominent Founders: John Taylor of Caroline (VA, Anti-Federalist), Patrick Henry (Va, Anti-Federalist) Agrarian Republicanism John Taylor of Caroline http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=t000086

  19. Views of History http://www.historycentral.com/bio/nn/WytheGeorge.jpg Robert Yates http://www.anistor.gr/english/enback/ahamilton.jpg Alexander Hamilton

  20. Federalists “new science of politics” Hamilton, “Federalist No.9,” “The science of politics, like most other sciences, has received great improvement.” Anti-Federalists Historical patterns of human nature. Robert Yates, “Brutus” “It is a truth confirmed by the unerring ages that every man, and every body of men, invested with power, are ever deposed to increase it, and to acquire superiority over every thing that stands in their way.” Viewsof History

  21. Interpretations of Montesquieu http://csmh.pbworks.com/f/Baron%20de%20Montesquieu.jpg Baron de Montesquieu

  22. Federalists Ruling elite Madison, “Federalist No. 51” Protection from insurrection Hamilton, “Federalist No.9” Anti-Federalists “Moderate governments” and states rights George Clinton, “Cato’s Letter III” Interpretations of Montesquieu http://www.liberty-page.com/defenders/revolution/georgeclinton.jpg http://www.mackinac.org/media/images/2005/povertyjames.jpg Clinton Madison

  23. Level of Contact with Outside World • Federalists lived in areas were contact with outside world was common • Anti-Federalists tended to be from isolated areas • This divide consistent in most cases • Exceptions

  24. Conclusion http://teachingamericanhistory.org/ratification/federalpillars.html

  25. Conclusion • Multiple and diverse influences • Economic models of Beard, Main discredited by fact, but not in all cases • Diversity of influences

  26. Bibliography • Beard, Charles A. 1960. An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States of America. New York. MacMillan • Epstein, David, F. 1984. The Political Theory of the Federalist. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press • Frohen, Bruce. 1999. The Anti-Federalists: Selected Writings and Speeches. Washington, D.C.:Regnery Publishing. • Main, Jackson Turner. 1961 The Anti-Federalist Critics of the Constitution, 1781-1789. ChapelHill, N.C.: University of North Carolina Press • McDonald, Forrest. 1979. E Pluribus Unum, The Formation of the American Republic 1776-1790. Indianapolis: Liberty Press • McDonald, Forrest, 1992. We The People, the Economic Origins of the Constitution. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers • McDonald, Forrest, 1985. Novus Ordo Seclorum, the Intellectual Origins of the Constituion. Lawrence, K.S.:University Press of Kansas • Rakove, Jack, N. 1997. Original Meanings, Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution. New York: A.A. Knopf. • White, Morton, 1987. Philosophy, the Federalist, and the Constitution. New York.: Oxford University Press.

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