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Coming up with a Government Part I: Confederation

Coming up with a Government Part I: Confederation. US History. Why is the founding of this country such a big deal?. The first country in modern times with a government DESIGNED and RUN according to democratic principles. Democracy: demos (Gk: people); cracy: (Gk: rule).

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Coming up with a Government Part I: Confederation

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  1. Coming up with a Government Part I: Confederation US History

  2. Why is the founding of this country such a big deal? • The first country in modern times with a government DESIGNED and RUN according to democratic principles. • Democracy: demos (Gk: people); cracy: (Gk: rule)

  3. The Idea of Democracy • Am colonists didn’t invent it. • It came from earlier ideas and traditions: • philosophical ideas: • John Locke’s concept: if a govt can’t protect life, liberty and property, you have the right to change it. • Institutional traditions: • Parliament in England > Assemblies in the colonies • And tons of English history….

  4. Idea of Democracy • English history! • 1650s Cromwell’s Commonwealth republic--written constitution and no king! • 1660s-70s Restoration: Parliament alone makes laws and controls the ruler’s purse. • 1688 Glorious Revolution: Notion of rights from English Bill of Rights. • Even earlier: Magna Charta (1215)

  5. Transformation during the Revolutionary War • From 1776 on, colonial govts converted themselves into state govts (like countries). • Colonial charters were rewritten into constitutions.

  6. Elections: Vehicle for Change • Idea came from Locke: “right of revolution” • Let people regularly cast ballots to show satisfaction / dissatisfaction with govt. • Some state broadened participation in govt by changing the property requirements. • Yes, you have to own land in order to vote!

  7. “Keeps” and Changes • Every state (except PA) kept bicameral legislature. • Legislators were answerable to electorate (voters) not to king. • Legislators had short terms: • Makes them more responsible to voters. • Governors [executives] had short terms (2 years) to limit power. • Legislatures had more power than governors.

  8. Rights • States added bill of rights to their constitutions. • Guaranteed… • …freedom of speech • …freedom of worship • …protected property ownership. • …right to bail if accused of crime. • …right to trial if accused of crime.

  9. The Dilemma: Whole or Sum of Parts? • Situation • States are countries unto themselves. • BUT they are acting together! • Big question: • How do you establish central govt but also preserve SOVEREIGNTY (power and authority) of states.

  10. One Solution: Confederation • John Dickinson (remember him?) from in 1777: “Articles of Confederation” • Meaning: • Federation from Latin foederatus: “league” • Confederation: “togetherness league” • Essentially, a loose union with shared power between states and national central govt. • It took 4 years to ratify [pass] it during the Continental Congress! • Lasted from 1781 to 1789: “The Critical Period” in American history.

  11. Characteristics of Confederation • Weak central govt • Why? Fear of big, distant power running things from afar. • Power was close to home…in the states. • Central govt had difficulty exercising powers. • Laws required 2/3 majority vote to pass. • Amendments to Articles of Confederation (the written document) needed unanimous approval. • Few powers it had: • Make war. • Negotiate treaties • Borrow money. • Resolve conflicts between states.

  12. Biggest problems… • No “power of the purse” • It couldn’t raise taxes. • Limited sovereignty in central govt. • It couldn’t regulate commerce (business). • It couldn’t raise troops. • No separate executive officers, only secretaries answerable to congress. • No “national” courts to settle disputes or prosecute offenders of central govt laws.

  13. Functioning smoothly depended on cooperation • With so few powers in the central govt, it relied on good will of states to work • To get funding. • To make “central laws” work.

  14. Problem Situations • Several situations pointed up the problems with the Articles of Confederation…

  15. Trade got worse • At the end of the war and afterward, free trade with the rest of the world (China, France, French West Indies, Spain, etc.) NOT AS GOOD AS with Britain.

  16. Frontier • Army was poorly equipped to protect settlers into the Ohio River Valley. • Br forces were still stirring up problems.

  17. Economy • Horrible! • Central govt couldn’t raise taxes • > very little money in treasury • > no faith in the money issued by govt. • States issued money, but people didn’t trust that either. • They used Br, Fr, Dutch, and Sp coins (hard currency)!

  18. Shays’ Rebellion • In Massachusetts… • Farmers who owed lots of money were forced by merchants to pay in hard currency. • 1785 New England merchant-bankers pushed overtaxed farmers into bankruptcy. • In Western Mass former Rev War vet Captain Daniel Shays was forced into prison for debts. • Outrage! Political meetings! Petitions to the Mass assembly! • “We want tax relief and printing of more paper money.”

  19. Shays’ Rebellion • Response by Mass assembly: silence. • Go figure: merchants dominated the assembly. • Mobs got ugly and threatened tax collectors and courts. • Gradually it became a rebellion and spread throughout the state. • The governor called out troops to break up mobs. • Shay and friends fled to Vermont…

  20. Impact of Shays’ • George Washington and others blamed • the weakness of the central govt. • disputes between states. • economic crisis. • mob outburts like Shays’.

  21. Conflicts among states • And then the states started quarrelling… • States started imposing taxes on each other’s goods.

  22. Let’s talk • James Madison (VA) and Alexander Hamilton (NY) called a meeting of state delegates to discuss interstate trade. • Sadly, only 5 states showed up in Annapolis, MD.

  23. So, they made a date. You are invited to a meeting to discuss dealing with trade and other problems. When: Next year, 1787. Where: Philadelphia. Why: To deal with trade and stuff… What to wear: wigs. Regrets only

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