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