Creating a New Nation1775–1788

>> Which political theories did the American colonists use to justify their revolution, and how did they adapt those theories over the course of the next decades in the light of their experiences?

>> What does Britain’s failure to defeat the colonies tell us about the limits of empire?

>> How did the doctrine of equality take on a life of its own?

>> To what extent has the conflict between the Federalists and the Antifederalists continued to shape American history?

>> In which ways was the American Revolution democratic? Not democratic?

Coercive Acts, 1774, aka “Intolerable Acts” for colonists• Closed Port of Boston• Exerted control of MA govt.• Trials in Britain for offenders• New Quartering Act – in private homes• Quebec Act – gave Ohio region to Quebec, allowed Quebec to remain

Catholic (former French colony) – preferential treatment of loyal Canadians

Occupation of Boston by British Troops Led to 1st Continental Congress, 1774

• All colonies except Georgia• Boycotted trade with Britain• Declaration of Rights (of freeborn British subjects, not

independence)• Agreed to meet again next year• Committees of Correspondence formed

The colonists developed ideas of republicanism as they protested the British acts

Main ideas? How similar or different than previously held political beliefs? Fear of power, political, monarchy How govt is run?: popular rule, individual can make

political decisions Economic independence = political independence

Overview • The War Begins• Winning the Revolution• The Challenge of the Revolution• Creating a New National Government

The War Begins• The First Battles• Congress Takes the Lead• Military Ardor• Declaring Independence• Creating a National Government• Creating State Governments

“Despite… signs of impending conflict, no one anticipated eight years of warfare that would make the colonies a single nation under a centralized government.”• The First Battles

Concord and Lexington, 19 April 1775• Congress Takes the Lead

What were range of attitudes—radical to conservative—among the delegates of the 2nd Continental Congress with regard to war against Britain? What events pushed moderate delegates to adopt the radical position?

• Military Ardor The Continental Army and the Quebec campaign Summer 1775

British tried to seize American arms & head off revolution

Results:

MA militia occupied Boston

Battles in Boston

2nd Continental Congress• Emphasis on unity between states and leaders –

uniting radicals and moderates• Military preparedness – Continental Army formed

under Washington’s leadership• Attack Canada to force British to give up• Petition king one more time• Rejected by King George who declared colonists to be

in “an open and avowed Rebellion”

Major Questions:• What pivotal role did Thomas Paine’s Common Sense

(January 1776) on the Declaration in July? Fiery language in pamphlets, circulated throughout the colonies Strongly for independence, inevitable Questions power and relationships that had formerly been

“common sense” Appeal to the people, popular revolt

• Why did Thomas Jefferson insist, years later, that there was nothing original about the Declaration? Borrowed a lot of the wording, language of Enlightenment

• What were the major contributions of these 2 documents to political theory?

Main ideas?:

Main ideas?:• Equality• Liberty• Pursuit of happiness • Rights, individual• Right to form and be part of govt./decisions• Right of people to revolution, revolt to form better

government• List of grievances

• Creating a National Government “Although both the public and the state governments acted as if Congress

were a legitimate national government, it actually had no more authority over the states than they were willing to give it, and it had none whatsoever over the people.”

Articles of Confederation - weak central govt., not ratified until 1781

• Creating State Governments “In 1776, all attention was focused on state governments, where the new

ideas about liberty, equality, and government were put into practice.” New political ideas, concepts were worked out in state legislatures Varied from radical democratic to more conservative Ideals and realities of state governments affected later Constitutional

Convention – what worked, what didn’t, what was best for people, what was best for stability?

Winning the Revolution: Fighting the War• Competing Strategies• The British on the Offensive: 1776• A Slow War: 1777–1781• Securing a Place in the World

Major Fact: The British entered the war with clear advantages in population, wealth, and power, but with a flawed premise about how the war could be won.

British: • Belief in invincibility• Belief in regular troops vs. untrained Americans• Hope of isolating New England• Focused on NY and Middle Colonies• Defeat Continental Army there• Capture major ports – was successful at this• Failures: to fully fund or support war; to fight on American

turf; to fight guerilla war; to demoralize American public; to ever fully defeat Washington’s army

• Hiring Indians and Hessians

Americans:• Believed they could quickly and easily win war – wrong• Early military victories at Quebec would force British

surrender – wrong• Washington – avoid major defeats, wear out British

over time• Get French support in war – force British into “world

war”

Battles in NY & MiddleColonies, 1776-1777:

British occupation ofNYC

Pushed Washington to NJ and PA

Xmas Eve, 1776 –W’s nighttime attackand victory at Trentonand Princeton

Maintained ragged army despite hard-ships to fight anotherday

Major Questions:

• Was the American Revolution a civil war?• Why or why not?

• Who were the true revolutionaries in the south?

• Whose version of revolution won? Lost?

Most of the American population lived in rural areas:

“The war ultimately became a struggle for the support of this unpoliticized, local-minded population.”

• British could only maintain control of area if they kept troops there• When they left, civil war raged between Patriots and Loyalists

A Slow War: 1777–1781• The Battle of Saratoga (Oct. 1777) upset British strategy

Prevented British advance in New York Convinced the French to aid the American cause:

Tied the British down in other parts of the world $$$$$$ for Americans to fight the war

British invaded GA in 1778, SC in 1780 Attempted to live off of land, defeat local

patriots Harassed by local militias, small Cont. Army,

which both used guerilla tactics Civil war in the countryside: plundering,

murder, theft between neighbors British forced out of deep south (except for

major ports)

Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation, 1775: slaves who fought for British would earn freedom

• Text of document• Thousands of slaves left plantations to aid the British • Whose Revolution? For whose benefit?• Were ideals of liberty, freedom, and equality real?

Failure of Dunmore’s strategy:• Not consistent British war strategy or idealism, just expediency to try

and win• Forced many moderates or even Loyalists to side with Americans b/c

they feared losing slaves and power

• Link to further info. on Dunmore’s Proclamation and slaves during the Revolution

British General Cornwallis cornered at Yorktown in 1781

Surrendered on October 19, 1781 Treaty of Paris, 1783

Granted U.S. independence from Britain Territory from Appalachians west to Miss. River, north to

Great Lakes No trade with British territories, however No benefits or concessions for Loyalists British Indian allies sold out – lost territory, no formal

rights under new U.S. govt.

“Radicals and moderates had compromised to begin and win the Revolution, yet there were significant disagreements between them that resurfaced once the fighting ended.”

1st Challenge: The Departure of the Loyalists• Loyalists – up to 80,000 – left the colonies • U.S. lost wealth and elite• Benefits: Opening for new elite• Benefits: Enhanced the democratizing tendencies of

the Revolution – no strong monarchical or conservative Americans

Economic scramble after the war: creation of new haves and have-nots• Land speculators rushed to buy up good land• Price inflation for land and consumer goods• New lands: taken from Indians; expansion of slavery• Deflated currency (printed too much money during

and after war) – people couldn’t buy anything or pay off debts

• Some states raised taxes to pay off debts, further angering farmers and lower classes

Use of language and ideals of revolution by the poor and farmers

• Many state constitutions were radically democratic: unicameral legislatures (PA), weak executive, much debate on popular issues

• Mobs and riots in towns and cities – demanded cheaper goods and food

• Local farmers’ mobs in NY state attacked landlords and refused to pay rents

• Shays Rebellion, 1786 (MA) – local farmers refused to pay debts, armed rebellion,

• Whiskey Rebellion, 1793 (PA) – poor farmers made and sold whiskey in frontier settlements – way to make $ and pay debts (discretionary income)

These examples of popular uprisings and local power forced many U.S. leaders to question the necessary power of federal vs. state/local govt.

Many people – beyond white males - tried to apply the language and ideals of the Revolution to their own situations

They challenged the status quo – not just British power

How did the Revolution affect and inspire women?: Can Women Be Citizens?

• Women contributed to the American Revolution• Altered views of their “place” in America• Challenged laws on property, vote, citizenship• Abigail Adams: “Remember the Ladies”

Slavery & slaves challenged Americans to live up to revolutionary ideas

• Fought for freedom during Revolution (on the British side primarily)• Some whites, particularly in northern states, less enmeshed in slave

economies, began to question morality, ethics, and politics of slavery

• Gradual emancipation laws in northern states• Northwest Ordinance, 1787: new nw territories can become

states, but no slavery• Some southern masters freed slaves, but most used new political

and economic power to reinforce the institution in the south• Increasing regional differences in attitudes towards slavery,

exhibited during the Constitutional Convention

Creating a New National Government• A Crippled Congress• Writing a New Constitution• Ratifying the Constitution: Politics• Ratifying the Constitution: Ideas• Postscript: The Legacy of the Revolution

Revolution didn’t end with the war Continued into battles over Republic Constitutional Founding is complicated history

• Competing ideals for Revolution and Republic: What would they mean?

• Many different factors• Official founders didn’t always agree: conflicts,

compromises• Founders responded and reacted to others• Left many things unanswered

If you are interested:•Dartmouth Conference/Presentations, “Why Does America Have the Constitution of 1787?”: New Historical Perspectives•C-SPAN, Joseph Ellis•C-SPAN, Jack Rakove•Video Lesson 5 in Blackboard

“This split between moderate nationalists and radical localists culminated in the battle over the Constitution….”• A Crippled Congress

What problems did nationalists see with the federal government as authorized by the Articles of Confederation?

• Writing a New Constitution Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787

Who participated in the Convention? How was it conducted?

Why was the issue of representation so difficult to resolve? How was it resolved?

Lack of unity among states States had power Couldn’t make decisions Currency, taxation Money for trade; defense; roads Money to support western expansion Creating national economy

What’s the difference?

The year is 1787 The Revolutionary War is over, and the United States

of America is now on its own to decide how to rule itself

Being a new country isn’t easy:• The states disagree about what kind of government they

want• The framers disagree about what kind of government they

want• People are becoming frustrated and rebelling against the

current government

At the Constitutional Convention, representatives from each state (except Rhode Island) began to write a list of rules to replace the weak Articles of Confederation

Most delegates wanted a strong national government However, they also wanted to have strong local

governments and individual rights Other major conflicts?:

What were the major compromises/ settlements of the Constitutional Convention?• VA Plan – separate powers, checks and balances• On representation: House (pop.); Senate (equal)• Slaves?: 3/5 Compromise• 1808 first time to end slave trade• Bill of Rights

After much debate, the Constitution was finally signed in September 1787

It was then sent to the states to be approved

The Anti-Federalists:•A variety of people under a big umbrella:•Radical democrats, debtor farmers, urban artisans•Some framers who thought the Constitution gave the government too much power•They argued that states or locals should have more power because they were closer to the people…what could a national government possibly know about state and city problems?•Also, there was no Bill of Rights – nothing that said what people can and cannot do•Those opposed set out to campaign against the Constitution, arguing that it would create a government with so much power, it would just be like having a king again

What do you think…• What’s better for the people – a strong national

government or something else?• Benefits or problems with either vision?• Do we really need a Bill of Rights?• At this point…would you vote to approve the

Constitution as it is?• Why or why not?

The Federalists supported the Constitution as it was. • After all, it was decided upon by representatives from each state

The Constitution had a strong sense of CHECKS AND BALANCES, or a balance of power between the three branches of the national government and the local and state governments – Why?

The Federalists wrote the “Federalist Papers” to encourage states to approve the Constitution

What were the Federalists’ main arguments?

What do you think…• Would you agree or disagree with Federalist

arguments?• Should democracy/the people be distrusted? • Does the people’s power (legislature) need to be

checked?• Does the national government work fine the way it is?• Do we really need a Bill of Rights if everything is so

well done in the Constitution?• At this point…would you vote to approve the

Constitution as it is?

The Constitution required 9 of the 13 states to approve it in order for it to become law

Both sides (the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists) tried to convince people their side was correct

Good site on Constitutional Debates State-by-state votes After great debate, the states finally ratified

the Constitution…only if there was a Bill of Rights

While Federalists didn’t think it was really necessary, they agreed to add a Bill of Rights so that both sides would be happy

The rights would be added as amendments…meaning they were seen as “official changes, corrections, or additions”

The Bill of Rights were based upon the constitutions developed by the states

There were a total of ten amendments added…and they became known as “The Bill of Rights,” ratified in 1791

Which side had the best argument…the Federalists or the Anti-Federalists?

Why? Does the Constitution really need a Bill of

Rights? Why or why not? If you were alive back in 1787, how would you

vote? How would your status, class, economic

interests, regional position, or other factors, have affected your position?

Revisiting the Common Threads>> Which political theories did the American colonists use to justify

their revolution, and how did they adapt those theories over the course of the next decades in the light of their experiences?

>> What does Britain’s failure to defeat the colonies tell us about the limits of empire?

>> How did the doctrine of equality take on a life of its own?>> To what extent has the conflict between the Federalists and the

Antifederalists continued to shape American history?>> In which ways was the American Revolution democratic? Not

democratic?

Ideals and Contradictions

Freedom Liberty Equality Self-determination Democracy Progress On the right side of history = fundamentally

good

“We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness;…”

Constitution, Preamble: “We the People of the United States, in Order

to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America”

Article I, Section 8 of U.S. Constitution:“The Congress shall have Power: To lay and

collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and General Welfare of the United States;…”

“To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes”

Article I, Section 8: “The Congress shall Have Power:

“To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution…”

MAIN IDEAS OR GOALS: HOW TO ACHIEVE THEM:

Ideals? Definitions?

Most Americans agree on common goals or ideals, but disagree on definition or how to achieve them:

Use of founding documents to justify govt. action or inaction to ensure ideals are achieved

Conflict over meanings of same documents• Example: diff. interpretations of the Constitution• Elastic Clause, “General Welfare” very open-ended• Commerce Clause also open-ended• Strict-constructionists disagree – if it isn’t explicitly

listed in the Constitution, then govt. can’t do it

Power Conflict Idealism Compromise Stalemate Ideas of Progress vs. Stability Individuals, Movements, Society