L1-L3: Colonial History Review The Founding Period: Ideals, Contradictions, and Uncertainties

1. L1-L3: Colonial History ReviewThe Founding Period: Ideals, Contradictions, and Uncertainties • Agenda • Objective: • To refresh our memory of colonial American history. • To analyze the Declaration of Independence and its role in the founding vision of America. • To analyze the Articles of Confederation and its role in the founding vision of America. • To develop a preliminary understanding of the founding vision of America. • Schedule: • Opening activity • Lecture, Discussion, and Readings • Homework: • Consult unit schedule. No modifications to assignments at this time.

2. The Founding Period: Ideals, Contradictions, and UncertaintiesIntroductory Unit • Our introductory unit will look at the founding period of American history (1776-1787) • In particular we will look at the Constitution, supported by other founding documents, to analyze the ideals, contradictions, and uncertainties contained in our founding texts. We will do so with a particular focus on our course themes. • We will do this through a series of discussions.

3. The Founding Period: Ideals, Contradictions, and UncertaintiesUnit Schedule, Assignments, and Assessments • Unit Schedule (website) • Assignments (website) • Assessments (website)

4. Getting Started!Jogging Our Memory… • What do you remember about American history from abut 1607-1787?

5. British Colonization • 1607: First British settlement at Jamestown • 1630: British Puritans establish Massachusetts Bay Colony • 1733: 13 original Colonies established • Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

6. Colonial History in a Nutshell • Each colony developed its own system of self-government • Population was growing rapidly • Steady flow of Northern European immigrants • Slave system in the South • Slaves comprised 20% of American population in 1770s • More and more taxes being imposed by the British on the colonies in an effort to raise money to pay off debts incurred during the French and Indian War 1754-1763

7. Build Up to War • Boston Tea Party (1773) • Protest against increased British taxes • First Continental Congress (1774) • Convention of delegates from 12 colonies (no Georgia) • Called for a boycott of British trade • Published a list of grievances against the king and petitioned him to redress these grievances • Second Continental Congress (1775) • Convention of delegates from 13 colonies • Met in response of the failure of the king to address the list of grievances from the First Continental Congress • Adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776

8. Declaration of Independence • Document in which the thirteen colonies declared that they were no longer a part of the British empire, but rather were a series of independent states • First time a people had formally and successfully claimed independence from the imperial power that ruled them • Primary Author: Thomas Jefferson • July 4, 1776

9. Declaration of Independence • First of the founding documents we will be considering • Document lays out guiding principles / vision for the values on which the new nation will be founded • Read & Discuss • What is the political theory laid out by the document? • What does the document say about our course themes? • Equality and Hierarchy? • Individualism and Collectivism? • Balance of power between state and national government? • View of liberty and democracy? • Balance between individual rights and the greater good? • Foreign Policy?

10. American Revolutionary War • 1776-1783 • British vs. Continental Army • Americans received supplies and support from the French • Americans win • Result is that the United States is created as a separate nation

11. Now What? • America was now confronted with the challenge of establishing a government for the new nation. • What does the Declaration of Independence suggest about what this new government might look like?

12. Articles of Confederation • First national constitution • November 1777 • Read & Discuss • What type of government does it establish? • What powers does it give to the national government? • What powers does it give to the state governments? • What is the “vision” of the document? • Does it embody the ideals of the Declaration of Independence? • What are the strengths of the document? What are the weaknesses?

13. Articles of Confederation Shows its Weaknesses • Articles of Confederation proved inadequate in the face of two post-war crisis: • Economic Depression • Significant post-war debt • Inability for Americans to obtain loans • Currency shortages • Shay’s Rebellion (1786) • Armed uprising throughout central and western Massachusetts by rural war veterans over economic conditions • Successfully shut down courts throughout Mass • No strong federal government to intervene; state of Mass had to find volunteers to raise an independent army • In light of the nation’s economic problems and Shay’s Rebellion some began to call for a new constitution that had a stronger national government.

14. Constitutional Convention • May 1787 • Goal was to create a new constitution--a new design--for the American government. • 55 delegates representing each state--except Rhode Island who opposed an increase in central authority. • Most delegates were men of property, merchants, or slaveholding planters. • There were no artisans, tenants, blacks, or women.

15. The Constitutional Convention • The Convention drafted a constitution which consisted of a preamble and seven articles. • You should all be familiar with this text! • To be accepted as the new “law of the land” required 9 states to approve. • Two parties soon emerged one in support of ratification and one opposed. • Federalists (supported ratification) • Anti-Federalists (opposed ratification)

16. Who Were the Federalists? • Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804) • Was the primary intellectual force for nationalism throughout the founding period • Was Washington’s most trusted advisor • Was the principle architect of the nation’s economic policy as Secretary of the Treasury. • James Madison (1751-1836) • Was the principle architect of the Constitution. • Delegate to the Virginia Ratification Convention • John Jay (1745-1829) • President of the Continental Congress • Governor of New York State • The Federalist Papers • Series of 85 articles or essays promoting the ratification of the Constitution published in The Independent Journal and the The New York Packet between 1787-1788. • Written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay • Published under the pseudonym “Publius” to keep their anonymity.

17. Who Were the Anti-Federalists? • George Mason (1725-1792) • Wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights, detailing specific rights of citizens, which became the model for the Declaration of Independence and the first ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. • Patrick Henry (1736-1799) • Prominent figure in the Revolution, known for his “Give me liberty or give me death” speech, • Governor of Virginia • Others • George Clinton, Robert Yates, Samuel Bryan, Richard Henry Lee • Writings • Wrote independently • Unlike the Federalists, never had a coordinated writing effort • Wrote under pseudonyms: Cato, Brutus, Centinel, and Federal Farmer

18. Understanding the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists • Working in small groups, you will be assigned a brief excerpt from a piece by either a Federalist or an Anti-Federalist. • Using this excerpt… • Identify the main beliefs of either the Federalists or Anti-Federalists. • Identify one quote/evidence to support each belief. • We will then use this information to build an understanding of the philosophy/platform of each group.

19. Federalists Anti-Federalists Understanding the Federalists and Anti-Federalists

21. Federalists and Anti-Federalists Discussion • What is the philosophy/platform of each group? • How would each group respond/relate to our themes? • Equality and Hierarchy • Individual and Collective • Individual and Community • State Government and National Government • Foreign Policy

22. Compromise: Ratification and the Bill of Rights • Overall, the Federalists were more organized in their efforts and had a wider readership of their essays. • However, the Anti-Federalists were influential and were successful at preventing ratification until a Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution. • Bill of Rights • First 10 Amendments of the Constitution • What do they say? • Following the addition of the Bill of Rights the Constitution was ratified.

23. Reason for the Bill of Rights • Fulfill the Promise to Anti-Federalists • Keep the Constitutional Scheme Intact • Limit the National Government • Protect the States • Create Legally Enforceable Rules

25. The Two-Party System • Following ratification, the divisions between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists coalesced around the issue of federalism. • Federalists favored broad construction of the Constitution and strong national powers. • George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and John Marshall were proponents of this general philosophy. • Anti-Federalists favored strict- construction of the Constitution and advocated popular (State’s) rights against what they saw as aristocratic, centralizing tendencies of their opponents. • Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican Party formed around these beliefs • In one form or another, these two competing philosophies have dominated American politics throughout its 200-year history from the Civil War to regulating the economy during the New Deal to current debates over abortion.

26. Our Task From Here: Background • Our goal this unit is to understand the ideals, principles, and vision for the United States that emerged during the founding period. These notions influence American society and government throughout history and up through today. • The Constitution will form the central part of this analysis, because as a blueprint for the American government it is imbued with a set of values.

27. Our Task From Here: Plan • To explore the ideals, principles and vision for the United States during the founding period we will analyze the Constitution along with a variety of founding documents in light of what they have to say about our course themes. • We will do this in a series discussions.

28. United States Census 1790 and Representation in the Congress of 1793