Forging a New Nation

1. Forging a New Nation

2. What type of government did the colonists have during the colonial era? • Monarchy  King of EnglandKing George III – born into power • British Parliament- elected (for the most part) by the people • Colonial Assemblies • Royal Governor

3. What type of leadership did the colonists have during the American Revolution? Colonial Assemblies Continental Congress met in Philadelphia George Washington (leader of the Continental Army) Sons of Liberty Thomas Jefferson (wrote the Declaration of Independence)

4. Articles of Confederation (1777) Based on “Republicanism” the idea that governments should be based on the consent of the people.

5. States begin drafting individual constitutions. They realize that they have some similarities. Guess what some of them were.

6. Similarities in State Constitutions • They limited the power of government leaders • They guaranteed specific rights for citizens, including freedom of speech, religions and press • In general state constitution emphasized liberty rather than equality • Reflected a fear of centralized authority

7. Searching for a Model • Most governments at this time were still run by kings. • Our nations founders searched history to find an example • They look to the democratic system of Ancient Greece and Rome, but it was not easily adaptable to the nation’s situation.

8. A Balancing Act Gov’t under the King Colonists’ Goal No Government Order Liberty (Liberty or Order) (Liberty or Order) (Liberty or Order)

9. Liberty vs. Order • Under the King, the colonists were safe and someone was in charge, keeping _____________, but they did not have much ___________________. • 2) If you lived on an island with all of your friends (no parents or teachers), you will have much _______________, but maybe not a great deal of ________________.

10. Do Now Take out your “Forming a New Government” . Go around and discuss what you believe to be important considerations in forming a new government with your class mates. Write down some similarities and differences.

11. Major Issues • Representation • Dividing Power • Western Lands • Governing New Lands Articles of Confederation

13. Hmm, what is going to happen to all of that land in the West?! Under the Land Ordinance of 1785. When a territory had as many people as the smallest state in the country, it could apply for statehood. While many states would grow out of territories there was one issue… slavery

14. Problems the Articles of Confederation Created • Political and Economic Problems • Borrowers vs. Lenders • Foreign Relations Lack of support from states for national issues

15. No National Unity! States Acted Individually, NOT as a Team

16. Borrowers Lenders Debtors (owed $$) Creditors (gave $$) Favored low taxes and more printed money Favored high taxes and less printed money

18. Articles of Confederation (1777) • Review: • -What was it? • What were the problems with it? • How could they fix it?

19. Shays Rebellion

20. The war for independence was all but won by 1783. Soldiers and civilians alike rejoiced. The army could be disbanded; officers and enlisted men could go home.

21. The United States treasury was empty. Congress needed to shed the costly burden of maintaining the Continental Army as soon as possible. Yet, how could Congress peaceably disband these soldiers when it lacked the means to pay them?

22. Despite the rumors, the year wore on with neither discharge nor pay in sight. An ungrateful nation once again turned a cold shoulder to the soldiers whose sacrifices had preserved it time and time again from disaster.

23. The soldiers are not doing well. Let’s examine how things were on the home front.

24. Profitable Peace The long-awaited peace had arrived, and business was brisk. People were eager to buy goods that were not available during the war.

25. Brisk Business West Indies rum went out the door in gallons, quarts and pints. Housewives welcomed the sugar they and their families had missed, as well as much-needed salt for pickling and preserving the hundreds of pounds of pork and beef their families consumed year-round.

26. Fall 1784 The exciting retail activity of the previous fall and winter was over. Although the shelves were as crowded with tempting merchandise as ever, fewer customers were willing or able to buy. Predictions of post-war prosperity remained unfulfilled.

27. Daniel Shays • Daniel Shays was angry. As a veteran of the Revolutionary War, he returned back to his farm with a heavy debt. • He, like many other veteran farmers faced debtors prison and tried to convince the courts to close so that he and other veterans could get their affairs in order.

28. Springfield, Massachusetts, was accustomed to hosting the judges, lawyers, plaintiffs and defendants who Court sessions for debtors

29. Unrest plagued Massachusetts throughout the summer and fall of 1786.

30. Defenders of Liberty Hundreds of Regulators converged on Springfield to stop the Supreme Judicial Court scheduled to open on September 26. Veterans wore their uniforms; as in the early days of the Revolution, men wore evergreen sprigs in their hats symbolizing resistance to tyranny.

31. At the Arsenal In Springfield, Massachusetts, January 25, 1787, dawned cold; the four feet of snow on the ground made it seem colder still.

32. At All Hazards Like their commander, the men were determined to hold the Arsenal "at all hazards" including those few who faced fellow townsmen and neighbors. The alternative was too frightening to contemplate: thousands of rebels marching on Boston armed with cannons and muskets seized from the Arsenal.

33. "Murderers!" Cannonballs and grapeshot tore into the first men in the advance, dispelling all hope that this would be a bloodless confrontation. Several of the rebels in Shays 1,200 men army died.

34. No Choice Four weeks ago, the men of Captain Agrippa Wells' company had marched on the Arsenal at Springfield. Now they stood together at a local tavern, taking an oath of allegiance to the very government that had not hesitated to open fire on them.

35. A Grand Convention During the Revolution, the states had formed a deliberately weak Confederation. Their colonial experience with the British government had made all 13 republics innately suspicious of strong central authority.

36. A Warning Shays' Rebellion had sent a clear warning: the United States were in danger of collapse. The chaotic, shoestring finances of the war years, and its inability to regulate trade or raise revenue, or even convene a quorum, crippled Congress.

37. Unauthorized Agenda Their mission was clear: the Confederation Congress had called on the states for representatives to meet in May "for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation." Some delegates, however, arrived in Philadelphia already determined to overstep those instructions.

38. Why Does it Matter? Our Debt to Shays: Denounced by their opponents as desperate debtors and anarchists, the Regulators and their sympathizers share a lasting legacy in the creation of the Constitution itself; it is thus we who are ultimately indebted to them. In their actions and protests, the Regulators raised fundamental questions about the relationship between citizens and their government and the accountability of those who govern. “Shays’ Rebellion” is a powerful reminder that such questions have always been, and will remain, at the heart of the American experiment.

39. “What a triumph for our enemies…to find that we are incapable of governing ourselves.”

40. Do Now Take out your “Are You a Federalist or an Anti-Federalist” sheet. Respond to quiz questions 1-10. We will go over what they mean as a class! 

41. Constitutional Convention(1787) James Madison What is a “convention”? __________________________

42. Key Conflicts at the Constitutional Convention CENTRAL GOV’T vs. STRONG STATES • Authority derives from the people • In a new plan of government, the central government should be stronger than the states. • Authority derives from the people • In a new plan of government, the state governments should be stronger than the central.

43. LARGE STATES vs. SMALL STATES • Congress should be composed of two houses. • Number of delegates to both houses of Congress should be assigned according to population. • Congress of one house should be preserved. • Each state should have one vote. NORTH vs. SOUTH • Slaves should not be counted when deciding the number of congressional delegates. • Slaves should be counted when levying taxes. • Slaves should be counted when determining .congressional representation. • Slaves should not be counted when levying taxes.

44. Problem #1: What form of Democracy? Vote on Laws Vote on Laws direct democracy representative democracy

45. Two Plans for Government Proposed Virginia Plan New Jersey Plan (proposed by James Madison) (proposed by William Paterson) Bi-Cameral (TWO HOUSE) Legislature Number of representatives based on the population of the state Uni-Cameral (SINGLE HOUSE) Legislature Number of representatives equal for each state

46. Solution: The Great Compromise Solution: The Great Compromise Senate House of Representatives Equal representation: Two representatives for each state (New Jersey’s Plan) Senators Representation based on population of the state (Virginia’s Plan) Representatives CONGRESS

47. Problem # 2: Slavery

48. Different Viewpoints on Slavery Different Viewpoints on Slavery 1) Southern states (like VIRGINIA ) wanted the enslaved population to count toward their total population because it would give them a _______ population and get them _________________ in Congress. More representatives meant more _____________ !!!! 2) However, _____________ states (like Massachusetts) DID NOT want the enslaved population to count toward population because then the ____________states would get more ________________ than the people in the northern states. Fewer representatives meant __________ power!!!

49. Different Viewpoints on Slavery 1) Those southern states (like VIRGINIA ) wanted the enslaved population to count toward their total population because it would give them a _larger___ population and get them _more representatives_ in Congress. More representatives meant more __power___________!! 2) However, __northern____ states (like Massachusetts) DID NOT want the enslaved population to count toward population because then the southern___ states would get more _____representatives____ than the people in the northern states. Fewer representatives meant __less_____ power!!

50. Solution: 3/5 Compromise The northern states and southern states agreed that they would count ___3/5__ of the enslaved population toward the total population. 1 1 1 1 1 50,000 slaves count as 30,000 HOWEVER, enslaved people were NOT allowed to VOTE nor did they have any say whatsoever in the United States government.