War and transition to a new government for the colonies

Early Influences on Government and Economies Thomas Paine –Author of Common Sense Common Sense was a pamphlet that state in clear, easy to understand terms why the colonies should break free from British rule. “Tis the true interest of America to steer clear of European contentions, which she can never do while by her dependence on Britain …”

Adam Smith Author of Wealth of Nations

Laissez-faire…hands off the econony “Smith is critical of government and officialdom, but is no champion of laissez- faire. He believes that the market economy he has described can function and deliver its benefits only when its rules are observed – when property is secure and contracts are honored. The maintenance of justice and the rule of law is therefore vital.”

Treaty of Paris The Revolutionary War ended in 1781 and America’s victory was confirmed by the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

What did the Treaty of Paris do? Formal recognition of the US Established U.S. boundaries Specified certain fishing rights Restored the rights and property of Loyalists Opened up the Mississippi River to citizens Provided for evacuation of all British forces.

State Constitutions The colonies would all have State Constitutions that would provide the rule of law for the states…and protect individuals of that state. Constitutionalism- The idea that government should be based on an established set of principles.

Virginia Constitution Adopted the Virginia Declaration of Rights in June, Included a Declaration of Rights for the people Served as model for other State Constitutions and later the US Bill of Rights

Articles of Confederation See handout

Articles of Confederation weaknesses leads to problems States bickered with one another. States made agreements with foreign governments, an action prohibited by the Articles of Confederation. Many states organized their own military forces. Many states began creating their own currencies.

Shays Rebellion Armed uprising led by famer Daniel Shays that took place in Massachusetts Shays was a Revolutionary War vet…as were many of those taking part. Shays and his rebels shut down debtor courts as the State of Massachusetts was aggressive in going after farmers hurt financially during the war. Lack of a strong national government demonstrated weak nature of Articles of Confederation

Movement for change Meetings took place at Mount Vernon and Annapolis to work out some of the issues, primarily trade disputes, between Maryland and Virginia. The meetings were so successful that by mid- February 1787 Congress had requested that the 13 states send representatives to Philadelphia “for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation… This meeting in Philadelphia became known as the Constitutional Convention.

All but Rhode Island 12 of 13 States sent delegates to Philadelphia, totaling 55 delegates in attendance. The “Framers” of the constitution included George Washington, James Madison, Edmund Randolph, George Mason, Ben Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton. Average age was 42 years old

Northwest Ordinance "An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States North West of the River Ohio," Adopted by the Confederation Congress on July 13, Established a government for the Northwest Territory, outlined the process for admitting a new state to the Union, and guaranteed that newly created states would be equal to the original thirteen states..

George Washington George Washington was unanimously elected president of the convention.

A new national government The framers quickly determined it would be best to establish a new national government that would consist of a supreme Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches.

The Virginia Plan 3 Branches Bicameral legislature with each house representation based either upon the state’s population or how much money it gave in support of the central government. Gave strong power to the central government including the power to enforce decisions.

The New Jersey Plan Smaller state’s response to the Virginia Plan Called for a Unicameral, one house, government with all states represented equally. Called for a weak central government that was based upon the state’s determining the fate of the central government.

Politics: The Art of Compromise The Connecticut Compromise- Congress would be composed of 2 houses. The smaller of the two, The Senate, where the states would be represented equally. The larger, The House of Representatives, would be based upon a state’s population. The Three-Fifths Compromise- Southerners wanted slaves counted in the population, Northerners did not. They settled on slaves being counted as 3/5 a person.