A COLONIAL HISTORY LESSON

Goals/Themes of the Chapter

• The battle of colonial powers for control of America• The process of settlement by the English• The break with England and the Revolution• The Articles of Confederation• The Constitutional Convention• The ratification of the Constitution• The role of everyday citizens in the founding

History

• Lots going on in this chapter!

• Foundations of the country and the Constitution.

History

• And remember, whenever we talk about history that we must learn to separate myth from reality in our history. We don’t need to learn “patriotic” history, especially if it is inaccurate. Even if it makes us feel good.

First Settlements

• Where? When? And Why?• Who was living here?• Shouldn’t you all know this?

English Settlers

• What was the original role of the “American” colonies?

• Why did these people leave England? What did expect to get here that they couldn’t get in England?

Colonial Political System

• Political participation 1. Property qualifications for voting2. Religious qualifications for voting (did they want

religious freedom?)

3. Women/Gender roles4. African-Americans and slavery

Split from England

• French-Indian War and its consequences• Changing ideas about politics—more democracy and

less deference and/or respect• Until the 1760s, American colonies operated without

much oversight by the British, which gave them experience with self-governance

Split from England

• In the 1760s, the British began to interfere in the political life of the colonists, thus planting the seeds for revolution.

• The Stamp Act of 1765, the first tax directly levied against the colonists, led to the cry of “taxation without representation.”

Split from England

• British perspective 1. Subordinate position of colonies2. Obligation of colonies to share in cost of empire

3. "Virtual representation“4. GB were not treating colonies poorly5. Standard of living was high in the colonies

Split from England

• American perspective

1. Equality of colonies and mother country2. No taxation without representation3. Could be doing better4. Trade with other nations

Split from England

• Denunciation of hereditary rule, monarchical government, colonial subordination

• Promotion of independence, political democracy, citizens' rights, free trade, insulation from imperial wars

Split from England

• September 1774, the First Continental Congress met to protest British actions. By the Second Continental Congress, in May 1775, colonists and British troops had exchanged gunfire at Concord and Lexington.

Split from England

• Who is entitled to representation? • Who started this war? (what social classes?)• Were the colonists British or Americans by

1763?• Revolution

Split from England

• Declaration of Independence• “all men are created equal”—what does that

mean?

• African-Americans, American Indians, and women—were they part of this Revolution?

Eve of Revolution

• Population: colonists no longer British• Influence of frontier (movement)• Economic independence• Intellectual independence• Cultural independence

Declaration of Independence• Content a. Grievances against crown b. Defining principles i. National sovereignty ii. Human equality iii. Natural rights iv. Government by consent of governed v. Right of revolution vi. From property to "happiness"

Life after the Revolution

• African Americans – Still remained enslaved in the South– Slave trade continued

• Native Americans– Continued to lose land

• Women– Lost the ability to vote and the previous limited opportunities

to participate in politics

Articles of Confederation

• Established a “firm league of friendship”

• Created a confederacy giving power to the states

• Federal government had few powers and limited ability to carry out those powers

Articles

• The vote of nine states to pass any measure—amendments had to be unanimous

• Delegates selected to the Congress by their respective state legislatures

• Because of the fear of a tyrannical ruler, no executive was created and the national government was quite weak

Problems with Articles• No executive to administer the government (no real leader)

• No power to tax without states’ consent (difficult to do anything like establish a national army without money)

• No authority to regulate commerce (trade between states became chaotic because states were using their own money; continental dollars were worth nothing)

• Congress could pass laws but had little power to execute or enforce them

Constitutional Convention

• “An assembly of Demigods” (the wealthy)• How strong a central government?• Large states, small states (Virginia vs. NJ)

• North and South (slavery)

Ratification

• Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists• The Federalist Papers• Bill of Rights• Freedoms (Bill of Rights)• final vote (geographical splits)

Conflicting Interests

• Founders• Large states• Small states• North• South• Federalists• Anti-Federalists

Two competing plans

The Virginia Plan• Bicameral legislature • Representation in both

based on population• One house elected by the

people; one house elected by state legislatures

• Single executive chosen by Congress

• Favored by large states

The New Jersey Plan• Unicameral legislature• Equal representation• Representatives elected by

state legislatures• Multi-person executive• Favored by small states

The Great Compromise

• Bicameral legislature– House of Representatives based on population and chosen by

the people– Senate based on equal representation and chosen by the state

legislatures

• Single executive chosen by the electoral college• Federal court system

The Battle over Ratification

Federalists• Supported ratification of the

Constitution• Wanted strong central

government• Concerned about security

and order• Madison, Hamilton, Jay

Anti-Federalists• Opposed ratification of the

Constitution• Wanted states to have

power over the federal government

• Corruption best kept in check at the local level

• Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry

The Federalist Papers• Written by Madison, Hamilton, and Jay under the pen name Publius

• Called for ratification of the Constitution

• Published in New York papers to persuade legislators to ratify the Constitution

• Among the best known: Federalist Nos. 10, 51, and 78

Ratification of the Constitution• Required support of nine of the thirteen state legislatures

• Small states were quick to support the Constitution because of the inclusion of the Senate

• Eventually all thirteen states ratified it (Rhode Island the last in 1790)

Principles

• The Constitution was built on five principles that have been central to the stability and endurance of the American constitutional system.

Principles

• The rule of law, although never mentioned directly, is an important legacy of the Constitution. The rulers, like the ruled, are answerable to the law. The framers established this principle by limiting the power of government in many of the Constitution’s articles and amendments.

Principles

• By advocating the principle of republicanism, the framers were calling for a government in which decisions are made by elected or appointed officials ultimately answerable to the people: the people had a voice, but that voice was filtered through their representatives.

Principles

• In the separation of power principle, the framers tried to minimize the possibility of one faction gaining control over the government by establishing legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government.

Principles

• The principle of checks and balances makes it possible for the executive and legislative branches to share some responsibility and gives each branch some control over the others’ activities.

Principles

• In the American constitutional system, the principle of national supremacy makes the Constitution the “supreme law of the land,” providing an authority for settling fundamental disagreements between different levels of government.

Three Elements of Citizenship

• Citizenship should rest on consent.

• There should not be grades or levels of citizenship.

• Citizenship should confer equal rights on all citizens.

STUDY QUESTIONS

Study Questions

• What were the key issues that strained the relationship between the colonies and Great Britain and eventually caused the Revolution?

• Evaluate the situation of the American colonies under British rule. Were the colonists oppressed? Were their human rights violated? Was the situation really that bad?

Study Questions

• Who/what groups might have benefited from the separation between the colonies and Great Britain? How exactly did these groups or individuals benefit?

• What did Jefferson mean when he wrote that “all men are created equal?”

Study Questions

• Describe and evaluate the government established by the Articles of Confederation. What were its strengths? Its weaknesses? How did the government function? Why didn’t the Articles survive?

• What was the Three-Fifths Compromise and what were its implications (both short and long-term)? Why didn't the Founding Fathers simply ban slavery in the United States?

Study Questions

• What parts of the country finally voted for ratification of the Constitution? What sections voted against ratification? Why?

Study Questions

• Why were there property qualifications for voting in colonial America? Why did they need voting rules? Who benefited from these rules?

• Who called for the Constitutional Convention? What did they expect to gain?

Study Questions

• Discuss the Great Compromise. What problems was it trying to address?

• What people were allowed to participate in colonial politics? Who was excluded? Overall, discuss and explain the role of "regular citizens" in the early days of the republic.

Study Questions

• Who were the anti-Federalists and what kind of government did they want? How did they differ from the Federalists?

• What were the Federalist Papers? Who wrote them and what views did they advance about government and politics?

Study Questions

• How can governments be strong enough to govern without threatening freedoms? Is this dilemma covered in the Constitution?

Study Questions

• How might the problems between GB and the colonies have been solved without separation?

Study Questions• Who were the main actors in the decision to split from England? What did

each one want? How did they try to obtain independence? After the Revolution, how successful were these groups in obtaining their goals?

• Why did the Articles of Confederation fail? What were the biggest

benefits of the Constitution over the Articles? Were there any aspects of the Articles that might have been worth keeping?

Study Questions• Many actors had something at stake in the formation of the Constitution.

Focus specifically on what was at stake in the Three-fifths Compromise. Who had something at stake in this compromise, what did they have at stake, and how did each try to get what they wanted?

Study Questions• Discuss the possible negative effects of the Great Compromise today. Are

all states fairly represented? Is the bicameral legislature too cumbersome? Does the system of separation of powers provide too much of a check on one branch of government?

• Was Hamilton right or wrong in Federalist No. 78 when he argued that a Bill of Rights was not necessary? If Hamilton had won, what would American rights look like today? (You may need to take Hamilton's position initially to generate discussion.)

Study Questions

• Discuss the battle for control of the New World. Who was involved and why did each want to be the dominant force in colonial America? What ultimately led the English to gain control?

• Discuss the situation faced by women, African Americans, and Native Americans during the colonial era. What rights, if any, did each group have? How did their situations change after the Revolutionary War?

Study Questions

• Explain the nature of the conflict between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. Who were likely to be Federalists and Anti-Federalists? How did each group view human nature and the role of government?

Study Questions

• What were the two major plans presented at the Philadelphia Convention, and what were the major provisions of each? How were the plans reconciled? Who do you think the winners and the losers were at the Constitutional Convention? Why do you think the winners were winners and the losers were losers?

Terms

• Federalism• Great Compromise• James Madison• New Jersey Plan

Terms

• French-Indian War• anti-Federalists• Articles of Confederation• Bill of Rights

Terms

• Shay’s Rebellion• Virginia Plan• Common Sense• faction