Chapter 6

Beginnings of WarBritish Advantages

Outnumber Americans

Superior Army/ Navy

British DisadvantagesResources strainedNavy overextendedMixed support for

war

Colonial AdvantagesMobilized war effort

effectivelyLarger army

Colonial Disadvantages1/5 loyalistLacked training

Needed to attract foreign recognition/capital

No discipline

Strategy and BattlesBritish Strategy

Put down rebellionRestore monarchyDivide and conquer

Colonial StrategyProlong war until Britain’s

taxpayers lose patienceRepulse invading army

BattlesNYC 1777

Gen. Howe arrives 32,000 troops British home base

Trenton 1777/78 Colonial retreat GW Christmas miracle Consequences:

Inspires re-enlistment Wedge between NJ loyalists and

British Forces British soldiers out of NJ

Saratoga 1777 British plan to capture NY Capture Ticonderoga Jane McCrea Horatio Gates- Colonial Victory Turning Point: France joins

war First World War by 1780

General Washington at Trenton, 1776

Which was not an important military problem for the British forces during the Revolutionary War?

A) the enormous size of AmericaB) great distance for the transport of troops and supplies

C) poorly disciplined and inadequately trained troopsD) American determination and commitmentE)  guerrilla tactics used by colonial troops

BattlesPhilly 1778

18,000 British troops land

Defeat Washington/Lafayette

Valley Forge retreatValley Forge 1778

Harsh winter/conditionsVon Stueben arrivesBattle of Monmouth

Ends contest for NorthWest

Didn’t impact war but future issues with Native American

South 1780-1781Charlestown, SC

Benedict Arnold British capture Lack of loyalty

Indian attacks slaves

Camden, Cowpens, Kings Mt. Devastating defeats to Gates Nathaniel Green takes over Guerilla warfare, harass

British Arnold’s treachery

Yorktown French arrive Cornwallis trapped Clinton’s blunder Washington/Greene victory British no longer support war Surrender: October 19, 1781

Treaty of Paris Britain would

recognize the existence of the United States as an independent nation

The Mississippi River would be the Western boundary of the nation

Americans would have fishing rights off the coast of Canada

Americans would pay debts owed to British merchants and honor Loyalist property claims

Social ChangeMen

No titles of nobilityNo primogenitureClass tension erodingVirtue and sacrifice defined a

citizen’s worth more than position

Black AmericansContradictionOpportunities during warOpposition to Slavery

growing abolishing the importation of

slaves, end in Northern slaveryFree Blacks

Second class citizens Difficult employment Some success

Women in WartimeNaturally dependentParticipated in revolution

camp followers Managed homes Some fought

Mary McCauley (Molly Pitcher) and Deborah Sampson – undercover women soldiers

Native AmericansNo mention in declarationLand rights uncertainTreaty of Ft. Stanwix (1784)

and Ft. McIntosh

Organization of New Governments

A. State Governments1. By 1777 state Constitutions had been

adopted in 10 of the new states. 2. Common features of state constitutions

List of Rights Voting (white, landowning males) Separation of Powers (usually three branches) Office-holding

Organization of New GovernmentsB. Articles of Confederation (1776-1777)

1. Ratification – delayed by demands from Maryland and Rhode Island that Virginia and New York give up their western land claims to the federal government

2. Structure of government - - Unicameral (one-house)

legislature- one vote per state- unanimous vote to amend the

Articles3. Powers:

- Congress could: 1) wage war 2) make treaties 3) send diplomatic representatives and 4) borrow money

- Congress could NOT: 1) regulate interstate commerce, 2) collect taxes 3) enforce laws

Organization of New Governments

Accomplishments of Articles of confederation- Winning the war

- Land Ordinance of 1785 (policy for surveying western lands that set aside portions for public education) - Northwest Ordinance of 1787 (rules and procedures for establishing new states in the territory between the Great Lakes and the Ohio River)

The Northwest Ordinance may have been the most important achievement of the Articles Period

Which of the following is a feature of the 1787 Northwest Ordinance?

A) slavery was forbidden in the territory north of the Ohio RiverB) all state debts were to be assumed by CongressC) a section of land was to be set aside for educationD) land was to be divided into townships, six miles on a sideE) it authorized the seizure of Indian land by federal land agents without compensation

Organization of New GovernmentsProblems:

- Financial: unpaid war debts and lack of taxation powers led to the issuance of paper money and massive inflation.

- Foreign: A nation that cannot pay its debts has little respect. Spain and Britain threatened a takeover of western lands.

- Domestic: Shays’ Rebellion – Daniel Shays (Mass.) leads a farmer’s uprising to protest high taxes, imprisonment for debt, and lack of paper money. Massachusetts state militia broke the rebellion, however the central government had no power to intervene.

Finance, Trade, and Economy1781-1786

Debt160 millionBorrowed moneyContinentalsMassive inflation

Robert MorrisSuperintendent of Finance

1781Proposed national import

duty of 5%Didn’t pass

RI rejected

Newburgh Conspiracy 1783Morris/ Hamilton

Persuaded Army officers to threaten a Coup d'état to get treasury taxation authority to raise officers pay

GW responds with speech focused on honor

Coup never happened Highlights perils of nations

finances

TradeEconomic depression

NE Short growing season High taxes

Mid-Atlantic Prospered Europe famine

South Failure of rice/tobacco

Confederation and the West 1785-1787

• Land ordinance of 1785– 160 million acres north of

OH river• Uniform procedures for

surveying land• Township and range • Six square miles is basic unit• One lot for educational

purposes• Land sold at public auction

– Min. $1 an acre

• Land ordinance of 1787– Defined steps for creation

and admission of states– Forbade slavery in

territories– Stages of acceptance

• Territorial government• 5,000 males – temporary

constitution, elect a legislature

• 60,000 males- vote to ratify, Congress had to approve

• Natives– Thought British would

support them– Joseph Brant

• Mohawk• Led resistance in Northwest

• Southeast– Difficulties with Spanish

and their native allies• Alexander McGillivray • Creek Indian• Secret treaty with Spain

1780s– Miss/ New Orleans

• John jay• Jay-Gardoqui treaty of 1786

Toward a New constitution

Shay’s Rebellion 1786-1787Causes

Jay- Gardoqui treatyNE depression (1784)

continuedLegislature raises taxes

to pay off war debt in 3 years (1786)

Shortage of gold/silverMass passed

constitution Favors wealthy Heavy taxes Farm seizes

• Spark– Daniel Shays led 2,000 men

to shut down courts in 3 counties

– Goal: to stop sheriff’s auctions for unpaid taxes – prevent foreclosures

• Consequences– Causes leaders to worry

about Confederations ability to handle civil disorder

– Gw’s meeting– Call for Annapolis convention

• Delegates from 5 states• Suggest Constitutional

convention– Jefferson “a little rebellion is

good now and then to replenish the tree of liberty”

Philadelphia Convention 1787

• 55 delegates from every state – exception Rhode Island– Delegates:

• White, wealthy males• James Madison, Alexander

Hamilton, Gov. Morris, John Dickinson

• Not there:– John jay, Thomas Jefferson,

John Adams, Thomas Paine

• Independence Hall– Private sessions– GW chairperson

• Ben Franklin – major influence

• j

• Issues– What to do with

articles?– How to balance

conflicting interests of large and small states

*group activity:drafting the constitution

responses• Plans

– Madison• Virginia plan

– Favor large states– Strong central government– Congress rights of

legislation/taxation– Power to veto any state law– Authority to use military force

against states– Bicameral legislature

» Upper house : rep. population

» Lower house: elected by votes

» Both houses appt. president and judges

– Opposition• Abolishment of state’s rights• Biggest problem-

– Representation

– Patterson• New jersey plan• Favors small states• States rights• 7 smallest states have

control of congress• Congressional laws

“supreme laws of land”• Similar to VA plan

– July 2• Grand committee

– One delegate from each state

• Connecticut Compromise “grand”– Senate: equal vote for each

state– HOR: proportional voting

• Approved Sept. 17, 1787

Powers• Congress

– Lay and collect taxes– Regulate interstate

commerce– Conduct diplomacy– Supreme law of the land

• States limits– Coin money– Interfere with contracts /

debts– Tax interstate commerce

• National government– Could use military force

against any state

• Restraint of power– Three separate branches– Judicial, legislative, executive

• Executive– Power to veto congress– Limit 4 years per term– No limit to terms– Elected by people and

electoral college• To limit mob rule

• Federalism– System of shared power and

dual lawmaking by national and state governments• Places limits on central

authority• National government:

– Foreign affairs, national defense, regulating interstate commerce, coining money

Dilemma: SlaveryShould they be counted as persons?3/5ths compromise

A slave represented 3/5ths of a personSlavery could be imported for 20 more years

End 1808

Struggle for ratification 1787-1788

Draft approved Sept 1787Sent to each state Population elected

conventionFederalists

Support constitution and strong gov’t

Advantages Political clout: GW, Ben

Franklin Political organization Most newspapers “pro”

constitution

Anti-federalistsConstitution would “doom”

statesSuspicion of central powerBelieved states’ gov’t more

responsive to the will of the people

Issue with no protection for individual rights

Disadvantages Lacked opp. Contacts and

experience at national level Failure to create sense of

urgency People: Patrick Henry, mercy

Otis warren, Henry Richard lee

Debate• Federalist Papers– Response to anti-federalists– 85 newspaper essays– Alexander Hamilton, John Jay,

James Madison– Arguments

• Concerns about powers and limits of new federal government

• Constitution had twofold purpose– Defend minority rights against

majority tyranny– Prevent stubborn majority from

blocking well considered measures necessary for national interests

– Federalist #10• Madison rejects anti-federalist

argument that establishing a republic for a nation as large as US would unleash chaotic contest for power

• Argues that size and diversity would neutralize factions

• Bill of Rights– For : Anti-federalist

• What was to stop government from becoming a tyranny

• BOR would protect Americans

– Against: Federalist• Congress elected by people

so they didn’t need protecting

• Better to assume all rights were protected than to create limited list of rights

Rethinking the U.S. Constitutional Convention• Who?– White, wealthy males

• Issues?– Slavery, taxation, suffrage, balance of powers

• Our convention– “invite” groups that were not represented– Focus:

• Slavery and suffrage• Homework:

– Key terms list– Read position, decide arguments (be sure to anticipate

opposition)– Write speech

• Should slavery be abolished?• Who should have the right to vote?

Debate• Questions

– Should slavery be abolished?• Slave trade?• Escaped slaves?• Formal proposal

– Who should be allowed to vote?• What role should gender, race, and property

ownership play in such a decision?• Formal proposal

QuestionsWhat did you learn from your participation in

the role play and preparation?

Given the different social groups in the United States at the time what do you think might have happened if other people were really given a voice at the convention?

Who wrote the constitution?

Looking ahead• May 1790– Last state, Rhode Island

enters the Union• Chapter 7: Launching

the New republic– Constitutional

government takes shape

– Hamilton and the formulation of federalist policies

– The united states on the world stage

– The emergence of party politics

– Economic and social change