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Lesson 1: The Confederation
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Even before independence, members of the Continental Congress realized that the colonies needed to be united (Establish 1 Government). Nov 1777: Congress adopted the Article of Confederation and Perpetual Union (1 st Official government of the US). Called for a “loose” union of states under the authority of Congress.
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Articles set up a weak central government that met once a year. Many Americans feared a more powerful government (Reason for Independence). Powers of Articles: Power to declare war, raise an army, and sign treaties. Powers Articles lacked: Power to impose taxes and regulate trade. This will be the downfall of the Articles of Confederation. The only way the government could raise money was to sell land west of the Appalachian Mountains.
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Under this ordinance, Congress arranged this land into townships to make it easier to divide, sell, and govern. Townships were divided into 6 square miles which were divided into 36 sections, one square mile each.
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This was the basis for governing new territory. It created a new territory north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River. Eventually 5 states will be established Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Congress would choose a governor, secretary, and 3 judges. When 5000 men settled the territory, they could elect a legislature. When the population reached 60,000 it could apply for statehood. Ordinance banned slavery in new territories.
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Great Britain tried to impose restrictions on America even after the American Revolution. US negotiated trade treaties with France, Holland, Prussia, and Sweden. By 1790, the United States trade was greater than before the American Revolution.
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Trade: Following the war, British merchants flooded American markets with inexpensive goods (Competition for American Merchants). Problem: No centralized government to regulate trade. States would not impose the same taxes on imports. British merchants would land their goods at states with lowest taxes. States set up custom posts on their borders and levied taxes on interstate commerce. These actions weakened the Articles of Confederation.
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The Federal Government had no power over the states. It could not force states to pay their debts or return property to Loyalist who lost their land following the revolution. Congress had no way of raising money to pay off debt. Result: British refused to evacuate American soil. Problem with Spain: Border dispute between Georgia and Spanish Florida. American farmers could not trade in Spanish territory along the Mississippi River.
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The U.S. Suffered through a severe recession following the war. To finance the war, many states issued bonds that were sold to wealthy American citizens. To pay back the bonds, citizens argued for the states to issue paper money. Problem: States didn’t have the gold and silver to back the paper currency.
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Occurred in MA in 1786. MA government decided to raise taxes instead of issuing paper money. Those who could not afford the taxes lost their property. 1,200 farmers led by Daniel Shays tried to prevent farm foreclosures by attacking the state arsenal. Result: MA militia defended the arsenal and killed 4 of Shays men. Many Americans realized that the Articles had failed and the need for a stronger central government was evident.
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Chapter 3
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The weaknesses of the Articles worried many Americans. Nationalists: People who supported a stronger national government (Washington, Franklin, Madison, and Hamilton). Alexander Hamilton suggested that a convention be held to “revise” the Articles. May 1787: All states with the exception of RI sent delegates to Philadelphia.
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Most of the 55 delegates had political experience at the colonial, state, or national level. George Washington served as the presiding officer of the assembly. James Madison: He kept the most accurate record of the events in Philadelphia. The meetings were held in private and closed to the public. Thomas Jefferson was in France during the proceedings (U.S. Ambassador to France).
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Delegates had to decide to either revise the articles or start over. Many arguments over representation at the national level occurred at the convention. What type of government should be established.
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VA delegates arrived in Philadelphia with a detailed plan for a new national government. James Madison came up with most of the plan. Plan proposed throwing out the Articles and to create a government with power to make national laws and power to tax. Called for three branches of government. Plan benefited states with larger populations. Representation in Congress would be based on population. Plan drew criticism from smaller states that wanted equal representation.
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Plan was proposed by William Paterson. Plan was to revise the Articles to make a stronger central government. Under the plan, Congress would have a single house with equal representation. Plan would allow Congress the power to tax and regulate trade. Congress: They voted to proceed with the VA plan with the purpose of working on a new constitution.
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Some delegates were divided geographically. Small states wanted protection against big states (Representation). Northern and Southern states were divided over the slavery issue. The convention appointed a special committee to resolve the issues between big/small states. Benjamin Franklin was chosen as the chairman
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Also referred to as the Connecticut Compromise. Roger Sherman came up with the compromise. Proposed that the House of Representatives would be elected by the people and representation depended on population. The Senate would be chosen by the House and each state would have equal representation (2 Senators).
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The slavery issue slowed down the proceedings. South: Wanted slaves to count towards total population. North: If slaves were counted for representation, they should also count towards taxation. 3/5 th Compromise: Plan for counting slaves to determine taxes and representations. Every 5 slaves will count as 3 free citizens.
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Popular Sovereignty: Ruled by the consent of the people. Constitution created a system of Federalism which divided the government between the national, state, and local levels. It also provided a separation of power between the 3 branches of government. Legislative Branch made the laws, Executive Branch enforces the laws, and the judicial branch interprets the laws.
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Constitution provides a system of Checks and Balances to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful. It also created a system for making changes or amendments to the document.
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Chapter 3
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As soon as the convention was over, delegates rushed home to begin the campaign for ratification (Acceptance). Each state held its own meeting (convention) to vote on the Constitution. 9 out of 13 states needed to approve the Constitution for it to take effect.
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This referred to those who supported the Constitution. They believed that a strong central government was needed to impose taxes and regulate trade. Supporters: Washington, Jefferson, and Madison.
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These individuals opposed the Constitution. They felt it endangered the independence of individual states. They felt that it should also include a Bill of Rights that would protect individual freedoms. They agreed that the U.S. needed a central government, but questioned who would have the authority (National vs. State power). Supporters: John Hancock, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, and Samuel Adams.
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Anti Federalists complained that the Constitution failed to protect basic rights, but they had nothing to offer in place of it. The Federalists were better organized and had the support of many newspapers across the country.
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Collection of 85 essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay. (Wrote under the name of Publius). Essays explained how the document worked and why it was needed. Late 1787 to 1788: Published in New York papers. They were very influential and still today, judges, lawyers, and legislatures rely on them to help interpret the Constitution.
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Federalists realized that they had a clear majority in some states, but that ratification would be difficult in some states. December 1787 to January 1788: 5 States will ratify the Constitution. Delaware (First State), Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut all ratify.
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Massachusetts convention met in January 1788. Anti Federalists had a clear majority at the beginning and were led by Samuel Adams. Federalists promised to add a Bill of Rights to the Constitution and agreed to reserve all powers not granted to the Federal Government to the States. They agreed on ratification. June 1788: Maryland, South Carolina, and New Hampshire ratified the document. This meant that 9 states had now ratified.
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Both states were very influential and the Federalists knew they needed them to support the new government. VA: Washington and Madison presented arguments for ratification. VA. will ratify after Madison promised a Bill of Rights.
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New York: 2/3rds of the states members were Anti Federalists. Led by Alexander Hamilton and John Jay the state held off ratification until 9 other states approved. NY: The state was in an awkward position because all other states around them had ratified the document. NY delegates ratified the Constitution in a very close vote (30 to 27).
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North Carolina: They waited for the proposed Bill of Rights before ratification. Rhode Island, May 1790: Last of the original 13 colonies to accept the document (Close vote 34 to 32). May 1790: United States now had a new government. Question: Will it work better than the Articles of Confederation.
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Promised by the Federalists. September 1789, Congress agreed on 12 constitutional amendments. Only 10 were approved. The first 8 protect the rights of individuals against actions of the federal govt. The 9 th states that people have powers not listed. The 10 th reserves powers for the State governments.
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