The Legacy of the Revolutionary War

1. The Legacy of the Revolutionary War

2. I. The Legacy of the Revolutionary War A. Peace Talks in 1782 1.U.S., Great Britain, France, and Spain 2.Britain did not want American full independence 3.France wanted American independence 4.France and Spain feared American power B. Treaty of Paris (1783) 1.U.S. independence 2.U.S. boundaries set a. Atlantic Ocean to Mississippi River b. Canada to Florida border

3. C. Effects of the Revolution 1.inspired democratic revolution 2.inspired war for independence 3.inspired a new American society 4.egalitarianism a. belief in the equality of all people b. ability, effort, and virtue define one's worth, not wealth or family c. applied to white men with property 5.Declaration of Independence a. rejected monarchies and nobility b. set the precedent for a republic, a government by the people c. a social contract that outlined our beliefs and our complaints against the King of Britain

4. II. The Articles of Confederation (1777) A. The 13 colonies acted independently, reluctant to unite under a strong, central government. The challenge was to balance the states' interests with those of the nation. B. Two levels of government that shared basic powers 1.National government supreme in some powers 2.State governments supreme in other powers 3.a confederation

5. C. Weak national government 1.Done to avoid a monarchy 2.Powers of Congress a.declarewar b.makepeace c.signtreaties d.borrowmoney e.setstandards for coins f.setstandards for weights and measures g.establisha postal service h.dealwith Native American people i.makelaws

6. 3.Non-Powers a.no executive or judicial branches b.notable to enforce laws c.notable to interpret laws d.notable to tax e.couldnot coin and print money f.couldnot regulate interstate and foreign trade 4.Other Weaknesses a.eachstate had one vote in Congress b.9 of 13 were needed to ratify a law c.amendmentsneeded all 13 votes d.no national unity

7. III. Shay's Rebellion A. Problems with Trade 1.Poor farmers could not make a profit because imports from England outweighed purchases of American goods. a. Congress could not regulate international or interstate (domestic) trade. B. Problems with Money 1.Congress could not coin money. 2.Revolutionary war soldiers still had not been paid. C. Problems with Taxes 1.Congress could not levy taxes to help farmers or pay soldiers. 2.Massachusetts' Constitution forbid poor men from voting and holding office. 3.Massachesetts raised taxes on land of farmers. D. Daniel Shays' Rebellion 1.Summer of 1786 2.Marched with 700 soldiers on Springfield. 3.Subdued by an army paid for by the wealthy class.

8. “A little rebellion now and then is a good thing…God forbid that we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion…The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”-Thomas Jefferson

9. IV. The Constitutional Convention A.Mayto September 17, 1787 B.Philadelphia, PA in the Philadelphia State House C.JamesMadison, Alexander Hamilton, Ben Franklin, George Washington D.Absolutesecrecy 1.Windows closed 2.No passing notes 3.No outside discussions 4.Revolution on paper E.Agreements 1.Abolish the Articles of Confederation 2.Need for a stronger national government 3.Need for separation of powers F.Disagreements 1.How much power the national government should have 2.How many representatives each state should have in Congress

10. G.The Great Compromise 1.The Virginia Plan a.JamesMadison b.Eachstate would have proportional representation to population 2.The New Jersey Plan a.WilliamPatterson b.Eachstate would have one representative 3.The Great Compromise a.RogerSherman b.Houseof Representatives (lower house) 1.Representation based on population (proportional) 2.Elected by the people c.Senate(upper house) 1.Two representatives per state 2.Chosen by state legislatures

11. H. Slavery 1.The Three-Fifths Compromise a. Three-Fifths of all slaves would be include d in population counts 2.Congress cannot interfere with the slave trade until 1802