POLS 9 5 14 Chapter 2 Road to revolution o Life was good in the colonies Unless you weren t a white male o Irritants arose New taxes to finance the French and Indian War Enforcement of trade regulations that benefitted Britain No representation in Parliament o Displeasure spills over No path for legistative change in parliament Protests and Boycotts followed Tea Party British responded with force First continental congress sept 1774 Declaring Independence o Reconciliation or revolution Anger and frustration o The booklet Common Sense caused revolutionary sentiments to ignite o Declaration of Independence 2nd continental congress and Thomas Jefferson list of abuses that justified revolution three audiences fellow colonists British govt Foreign governments who would align with American Revolutionaries against British Delegates and Treason in Philadelphia Delegates English Heritage Power of Ideas o John Locke British Publisher 1632 1704 Natural rights Life liberty and the pursuit of happiness Purpose of government is to protect Consent of the governed Limited government American Creed Winning Independence and the revolution o Locke s ideas formed the kernel for the American Creed BUT had never been put into practice before o A conservative revolution Fought for independence from oppression Fought to return to life much as it had been Articles of Confederation o National government was state dominated League of friendship amongst states Unicameral legislature No Judiciary No executive No Power to tax No power to regulate commerce o States feared a strong central government Changes in the States o Increases in liberty democracy If you were a white male o New Middle Class Artisans Farmers Elite power threatened in some states by new class o Legislatures held most governmental power Closer to voters so less likely to become autocratic Controlled governors by limiting tenures vetoes appointments Economic Turmoil o Postwar economic depression Small farmers unabale to pay mortgages Foreclosures result o Power in legislatures shifting from creditors elite to mortgages middle class Middle class used this power to pass laws that favored debtors over creditors Shays Rebellion o Shays Rebellion 1786 MA legislature offered no debt relief Farmers attacked courthouses to prevent foreclosures Neither national nor state govt could respond Elites privately put down the rebellion Fear quickly spread From Annapolis to Philadelphia o Annapolis meeting arranged to address commercial conflicts between states Poorly attended Yet shadow of shays rebellion was dark and long o Continental congress approves call for all states meeting in Philadelphia Stated purpose was to revise the AOC Would become known as the constitutional convention Defining Elite o Who are they More educated and wealthy than most No public education Books were an affordable extravagance for the elite alone More urbanized did not labor Members of privileged gender race In 1787 wealthy planters lawyers wealthy merchants Gentlemen in Philadelphia and Philosphy in Action o Who attended the constitutional convention 55 delegates from 12 states all were elites o High principles versus self interest Human nature to be self interested Political conflict resulted from factions and distribution of wealth Critical Issues at the convention o Equality Issues o Economic Issues o Individual Rights Issues Equality Issues o Equality and representation of the states New Jersey Plan small state Every state represented equally Virginia Plan big State Every Citizen represented equally Connecticut Compromise bicameral legislature o Slavery Outlawing human trafficking would mean loss of Southern States Deferred to next generation No solution Split the difference 3 5 compromise o Equality in voting Elites remembered Shays Rebellion wanted to make property ownership a pre Req Delegated let the states decide