• Title = Who is us?• What characteristics

or ideals of the American people have we learned about so far this year (from colonialism to 1783) that you feel connect to the American people of today?

• Evaluate the political structure of the Articles of Confederation and motives behind it

• Analyze why the Articles of the Confederation will fail

• Analyze the impact of Shay’s Rebellion on the direction of the government in the USA

♫ Articles of Confederation and why they fail♫ Convention facts and who is there♫ 2 Compromises in the Convention♫ Principles – Federalism, Checks and Balances,

Separation of Powers♥ 7 Articles, powers for each branch♥ How a Bill Becomes a law♥ How to make an Amendment♥ Electoral College♥ Ratification – Feds vs Antifeds♥ Bill of Rights♥ Supreme Court

The Newburgh Conspiracy• To Coup or not to Coup• Officers not paid for months• Promises broken• Government unable to fix the

issues• Articles to weak • First signs of issues

• What happens? ↑• “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in

the world” – King George III (is he right?)

• GW didn’t want to follow others in history…– and take advantage of colonies (King)

• GW and his image (Past-Present-Future)

• Whig Ideology– Power Dispersal?– Liberty/Order

Spectrum?– We also be virtuous too!

• Past Practice…when?– What other past

republics?• “Americans” ♥ states

– States be as separate as possible

– States have as much power as possible

• First forms of republicanism put to practice (for decades)– Suffrage (voting) rights – Civic Rights (1st Amend)

• Models for the 2nd Constitution later on– Will have better gov

structures that the federal gov will emulate/follow

• Adopted 1777• Approved 1781

– War…attention diverted…• What kind of gov was

created?– “The said states hereby

severally enter into a firm league of friendship”…

• How was power shared?• A rough draft

• What could it do?– Conduct Wars– Conduct Foreign

Relations– Make Laws…– Borrow $$$...– Set Coin Standards– Run postal service

• What could it not do?– Tax (why???)

• Had to petition states for $$ (lucky to get ¼)

– Regulate Trade• Foreign or Interstate

Commerce (Tariffs)

– Raise an army• States formed their

own militias

– Can’t enforce laws on the states

• No Executive Branch (to execute the laws)– Still a bitter taste of George III– President of Congress was like Prime Minister

• Samuel Huntington, Thomas McKean, John Hanson, Elias Boudinot, Thomas Mifflin, Richard Henry Lee, John Hancock, Nathaniel Gorham, Arthur St. Clair, Cyrus Griffin

• No Judicial Branch (to defend & interpret laws)– No National Court System…only State Courts

a. # Reps Per State– You pick!!!

b. # Votes Each State Has– ONE

• Problems?– 23K GA = 230K MA– 68K RI = 680K VA

c. To pass any law or money measure, you need ___ of 13 states to approve

d. To make any amendment to the Articles of Confederation, you need ___ of 13 states to approve

• Problems with both answers?

• 1785 = Land Ordinance– Set rules for how

western lands will be surveyed & divided

• 1787 = Northwest Ordinance– forced states to

give up claims to western land

– 10 territories that eventually became states

• Who is from

• Rules for NW Territory…

• No slavery in NW Ordinance Territory!!– This will be

important later on!!

• System used later on as USA expanded

We will keep using this system…

• 36-square-mile townships– What is #16?

• Who is from – Gov…(?)

• Use the $$$ to pay off…

– Rich land developers

– Common folk…• What ideas does

this system reflect?

“Hey, I saw thesquares on TV during

the election last night!”

• What is wrong with the structure of the gov?– Too chaotic (spectrum)– Nobody shows up! (Jay )

• Whig Ideology…if you want liberty, you also need– VIRTUE!!! And are we

showing enough of it?

• Is a good Federal Gov solution available?– can’t raise the $$$...– can’t regulate trade between

states…to be continued– can’t regulate trade w/other

countries!!!!– can’t protect merchant boats

• State Govs do what?– Some print too much $$$...– Tariffs/Duties/Taxes on each

other…NY vs CT & NJ • “Important” people realizing

Articles of Conf can’t work (spectrum)

What is happening here?

• Europe rooting against us– USA’s Republic

struggling = ?• Europe’s actions…

– GB…trade restrictions & assisting Indians…

– Spain…closed Miss River & Indians

– North African States...pirates enslaving US merchants

What is realized?

• Think too much power has been given to..–States

• #6-a-b-c-d is evidence why it is a bad idea–Ordinary Citizens

• Why is this bad?– Not or enough– Will make bad decisions…mobocracy

Who are the voices?

The richwanted

the power

a. Who…– GW, Madison,

Hamilton– Mainly wealthy

elite

b. Wanted…– Stronger

national gov

c. Issues…– Chaos =

Tyranny– Chaos can lead

to Tyranny (Roman Republic)

• They still liked the Articles of Confederation– Parliament’s actions from 1754-1775 and the

American Revolution was still fresh in their minds

• Megalomania…we are meant to do great things• One-hit wonder “Rock Band”

– 1st album is a hit– 2nd album a dud– 3rd album…

8c. Other issues forNationalists

• Philosophes = cook book writers

• Nationalists = great bakers of the world?

• 1st cake (Articles of Confed) is about to do what?

• 2nd cake better work

• One Accomplishment = Meet again in 1 year (1787)• Nationalists need help if they are to get what they want…

– They’ll get it…

Annapolis Convention (1786)

12 representatives from 5 states[NY, NJ, PA, DE, VA]

GOAL address barriers that limited trade and commerce between the states.

Not enough states were represented to make any real progress.

Sent a report to the Congress to call a meeting of all the states to meet in Philadelphia to examine areas broader than just trade and commerce.

• USA is in bad Debt…so are some states• Some states create an unfair solution

– Raise taxes and payment conditions…• Farmers in western parts of states (many are

Rev War vets ) can’t make the payments– Choose…Go to jail (debtor’s prison) or lose home

• East vs West…

• Poor farmers = – Capt Daniel Shays is

• Shays leads revolt of hundreds of farmers

• Rebels’ Goal = Help us!– Cheap paper money,

lighter taxes, suspension on mortgage forclosures

• Escalation of anger– Drove off tax collectors– Shut down courts

(militias to them!!!)

• “In monarchies, the crime of treason and rebellion may admit of being pardoned or lightly punished, but the man who dares to rebel against the laws of a republic ought to suffer death.”

Sam Adamsweighs in

• RI and NY have copycat rebellions• Why doesn’t Congress stop this????• Large MA Army is raised by the Governor

asking the rich to pay for it• Shay’s rebellion squashed in January 1787• “Justice” served months later (Shays pardoned)

• Congress = too weak (2 ways!)– Problem1 Shays Problem2

• What is needed?– Stronger National/Federal Gov– States have to give up power to

a binding/unifying entity• 2nd Revolution?

– People mad & have power to act!– Rich worry about social

revolution!

• May 1787…2nd Constitution Convention meets– Shays’s

Rebellion almost squashed

• Shays’s Rebellion made the elite even more scared of “Mobocracy”– Especially GW

• “there are combustibles in every State which a spark might set fire to…I feel infinitely more than I can express for the disorders which have arisen. Good God!”

– When GW announces he is going, the Convention gains legitimacy

• “I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government.”

• January 30, 1787…Letter to James Madison

• What country before ever existed a century & a half without a rebellion? & what country can preserve it's liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon & pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants. It is it's natural manure.

• Nov 13, 1787…Letter to Colonel William Smith