Chapter 6: Shaping a Federal Union

• E Pluribus Unum → “Out of many, one”

• No luxury of time or resources

• Branches of government and people

The Confederation Government

• The critical period was when the government was under the Articles of Confederation’ the congress has little authority, but no branches yet

• Robert Morris

• Superintendent of finances in the final years of the Revolutionary War

• Developed a system where taxation and debt were more manageable

• Secured a charter in 1781 for the Band of North America

• Alexander Hamilton: congressman from New York

• The Newburgh conspiracy: a scheme to line up in front of congress to start a coup d’état if congress didn’t get more power

• The Confederation of congress might ultimately have drawn a rich source of income from the sale of western lands

• Under the Articles of Confederation land not included in the 13 states was owned by the government

• Land Ordinance of 1784: When a territory’s population equalled the smallest existing state, the territory would be eligible for full statehood

• Land Ordinance of 1785: land size becomes a rectangular pattern

• 1/16th dollars go to schools

• Northwest Ordinance (1787)

• A period of preparation for statehood

• Goes under a congress chosen government

• Votes in after there are 5,000 free males

• 3 significant differences 

• 1. State when there was a big enough population

• 2. Religious freedom

• 3. No slavery north of the Mason-Dixon line (Ohio River, Mississippi River)

• New states were to be equal to existing states

• Indians pushed out

• Treaty of Fort Stanwix (1784) - Iroquois

• Treaty of Hopewell (1785) - Cherokees

• Ohio Tribes (1785)

• The Creeks (1784-1785) → war in the summer of 1786

• An acute contraction between 1770 and 1790

• Primarily → separation from British Empire

• Trade with Britain didn’t continue till 1783

• 1787:

• Seaports flourish

• Trade with other countries including China

• Around the rip of South America

• Express of China

• 1790: Dollar value and trade exports exceeded the amount of trade generated by the colonies before the revolution

• Britain and Spain had forts in the Americas

• Torys can return and get farmer properties back

• Mississippi helps determine who’s land is Spain’s and who’s is America’s

• Currency shortage right after the war

• 1787: a need for regulators of the Interstate trade system

• Paper money bail

• Common Wealth → lack of money → Shay’s rebellion

• 3 counties in Massachusetts erupt in revolt (crop = money)

• Federalists → realise a need for an updated constitution

Creating the Constitution

• Constitutional Convention called to revise the Articles of Confederation

• Included 55 delegates

• James Madison (ablest philosopher in the group)

• Elbridge Gerry 

• Harvard Grad

• Old Grumbletonian

• Opposed anything he didn’t come up with

• James Madison

• High pitched

• Short

• Princeton Grad

• Well studied

• Virginia Plan: write a new constitution and separate government into separate branches

• New Jersey Plan: Give congress more power to levy taxes and regulate commerce

• Great Compromise: more populous states won apportioned by population in the House of Representatives, and other states could vote equally with individuals

• South colonies wanted to keep slaves

• ⅗ law was to please south holdings of slaves, and it changed the taxes based on the number of slaves

• South wanted to continue the slave trade with Africa, so congress put a time limit

• Check and balance between people vs government; north vs south; small states vs big states

• “They worried that majorities might tyrannize minorities”

• “People (are) ‘a great beast’” ~ Alexander Hamilton

• Lower House = closer to people → 2 years terms

• Upper House (Senators) = farther from people → 6 years terms

• Presidential role

• Judicial, Executive, and Legislative

• Judicial Review: Judiciary branch reviews legislative actions

• Presidents veto + congressional power to impeachment and removal + Senate’s power to approve or reject treaties and appointments + the courts’ implied right to judicial review

• ⅔ votes

• Federalists (favoured the New Constitution) vs anti-Federalists (favoured a more decentralized federal government)

• Federalists (younger)

• Bill of Rights: additional amendments to support the Constitution

• The Federalist Papers

• Essays originally published from New York from 1787 to 1788 by Publius (Hamilton, Madison, and Jay)

• Madison’s paper 10 said it would be impossible to have a majority if self-governed by states with a growing country

• Mercy Otis Warren (Massachusetts)

• women anti-Federalist who wrote a political commentary

• Compared the Constitution to “Shakers on our own neck”

• Highlighted the absence of a Bill of rights to protect the rights of individuals and states

• Ratification: aroused debates among the people

• Failed to address slavery

Timeline:

• 1781: Morris secured a charter for the Bank of North America

• 1783: Trade with Britain continues

• 1784: 

• Land Ordinance of 1784

• Treaty of Fort Stanwix

• The Creeks

• 1785: 

• Land Ordinance of 1785

• Treaty of Hopewell

• Ohio Tribes

• 1786: War with the Creeks

• 1787: 

• Northwest Ordinance

• Trade flourishes

• The Federalist Papers

• 1790: 

• Dollar value

• Trade flourishes

Chapter 7