Creating Republican Institutions
1776-1787
“Which of us shall be the rulers?”
Would power reside in the national government or states?
Who would control the new republican institutions: traditional elites or average citizens?
Would women have greater political and legal rights?
What would be the status of slaves in the new republic
The“VirtuousRepublic”
The“VirtuousRepublic”
Classical view of
a model republic
Classical view of
a model republic
“City on a hill”
“City on a hill”Ideal citizen
Ideal citizen
1. Govt. gets its authority from the citizens.
2. A selfless, educated citizenry.
3. Elections should be frequent.
4. Govt. should guarantee individual rights &
freedoms.
5. Govt.’s power should be limited [checks &
balances].
6. The need for a written Constitution.
7. “E Pluribus Unum.” [“Out of many, one”]
8. An important role for women raise good,
virtuous citizens.[“Republican
Womanhood”].
EnlightenmentThinking
EnlightenmentThinking
A republican ideology
Tenants/small farmers and workers/artisans
Merchants and planters
The State Constitutions: How Much Democracy?
May 1776: Congress instructs states to establish republican govts
w/i 6 mos. VA, MD, NC, NJ, DE, PA, CT, RI had constitutions
Lockean ideas & colonial Experience
Social Compacts
From the Massachusetts constitution:
“The body politic is formed by a voluntary association of individuals: it is a social compact by which the whole people covenants with each citizen and each citizen with the whole people that all shall be governed by certain laws for the common good.”
Common Characteristics
All provided for separation of powers
Assembly (2-house)
Courts
Governor
common characteristics
Property requirements maintained for voting
66%
Office-holding limited to men with more property
limited govt b/c all men tyrants at heart
assembly had the most power
States drew up Bills of Rights
religion, press, speech, jury trial
Constitutional Comparisons
Pennsylvania (1776)
w/ support from Scots-Irish famrers, Philly artisans, intellectuals
No governor
all taxpaying men could vote
unicameral legislature
Constitutional comparisons
Massachusetts (1780)
Conservative Patriots (John Adams) alarmed by PA
office-holding to “men of learning, leisure and easy circumstances”
“if you give them the command or preponderance in the...legislature, they will vote all property out of the hands of you aristocrats.”
Constitutional comparisons
Massachusetts
3 branches of govt
2 house legislature with upper house substantial property owners
Governor w/ veto power and power to appoint judges
Constitutional comparisons
New York (1777)
property qualifications excluded 20% of white men from assembly elections; 60% from voting for governor and upper house
South Carolina (1778)
property qualifications ruled out 90% of white men from office-holding
Governor: $700,000 worth of property
Senators: $140,000; Assemblymen: $70,000
Who had the power?
if govt bodies wrote the documents, they could change them as well.
What would protect liberty against the abuse of governmental power?
Massachusetts Constitution
“We the people of Massachusetts...agree upon, ordain, and establish”
1779: citizens elected a special convention for preparing constitution. People would vote to ratify
a national government
Experience w/ GB
State sovereignty
Repblics ill-adapted to a large geographic area
Confederation of small repbulics
Articles of Confederation (1781-88)
John Dickenson
Central govt: Congress. Each state had one vote
9 votes needed to pass important laws
To amend Articles: need all 13
“Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence.”
powers of congress
decide on war/peace
appoint military officers
requisition (beg) the states for men/money
send ambassadors
make treaties
coin money
post office
borrow money
Indian affairs
Inter-state disputes
Powers not given to congress
Regulate commerce
Collect taxes
Enforce own laws
Terms limited to 1 year
Tariffs required unanimous approval
Western Lands prevent ratification
Landless States desired Congress to control unoccupied lands (MD, DE, NJ, RI, PA)
Landed states had some claims extending to Pacific (VA, MA, CT, GA, NC, SC)
MD refused to ratify until Western lands given to Congress
Land Speculation
Fear of spiral of taxation
Western Lands prevent ratification
Thomas Jefferson to rescue
VA to cede all lands on 2 conditions
All prior speculative claims cancelled
Region to be divided into states to be admitted on an equal basis w/ original 13 states
Articles ratified in March 1781
Accomplishments under the Articles
Winning the war
Land Ordinance of 1785
States admitted on equal basis
Self-govt
survey of townships of 6 square miles; 1 section for a public school
$1 in gold/per acre
Speculation
Accomplishments
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Congress to govern territory instead of self-govt (takes away power from small farmers)
Governor < 5,000 people
Assembly, non-voting member of Congress > 5,000 people
State constitution, admission to Union > 60,000
Slavery prohibited
freedom of religion
Major problems under the articles
FOREIGN
Great Britain
Never evacuated 7 military posts in NW Territory
Stirring up Indian tribes
problems under the articles
Spain
Didn’t recognize or territory south of Ohio River and west of Appalachians
Cut off US navigation rights to play on secessionist sentiment
Mississippi River is essential to economic lifeblood of Ohio Valley
Jay-Gardoqui Treaty
East vs. West tensions
Problems under the Articles
FOREIGN TRADE
Britain cuts off trade
Floods US market with cheap manufactured goods
pent-up post-war demands
A tariff never passes (11-2 and 12-1 votes)
Problems under the Articles
Post-war depression in 1780s
Failure to pay war debts
Worthless paper money in circulation
Soldiers, citizens yet to be paid
Newburgh Conspiracy (1783)
Spurred on by nationalists who wanted amendment to Articles
Continental Army
officers concerned about payments, pension
Washington shut it down
Problems under the Articles
Shays’s Rebellion (Summer 1786)
Mass. levied heavy taxes; foreclosed small farms
Daniel Shays: veteran of Army, closed county courthouse
paper money
moratorium on debts
removal of state capital to interior
no imprisonment if in debt
Congress no $$$ to support an army to put down rebellion
Wealthy merchants raise a militia and end rebellion
Threat to law and order and to property alarms many
Social reform
WOMEN
During the war, some followed their men into the camps (nurse, cooks, very few were soldiers)
Maintained colonial economy while men away
Some improvement in divorce laws
Republican motherhood (1760-1800)
Beginnings of education for women
A republic required an educated citizenry
Women expected to help promote these values since they held chief child-rearing responsibility
Mothers raise children to value patriotism and self-sacrifice
Women must be educated to rear patriotic sons
Abigail Adams
“...and by the way in the new Code of Laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies we are determined to foment a Rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation.”
Slaves
After 1780, Northern states did away w/ slavery gradually
Post-nati laws
All states prohibited importation of slaves
Except for SC and GA, restrictions on manumission were lifted
Emancipation only where slavery not economically important
separation of church and state
Anglican Church disestablished in South
NH, CT, MA: Congregational Church still received tax $$
Discontinued early in 1800s
A Social Revolution?
No new social class came to power
No major shift in leadership as result of Revolution
75% of state officials during the war held office prior to 1774
Tory lands were confiscated; sold for revenue
mostly sold to speculators NOT landless farmers
Russian and Cuban Revolutions