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 Independenceo 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 revolutiono 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 Confederationo 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 Eliteo 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 legislatureo Slavery Outlawing human trafficking would mean loss of Southern States  Deferred to next generation. No solution. Split the difference. 3/5 compromiseo Equality in voting  Elites remembered Shays Rebellion; wanted to make property ownership a pre. Req.  Delegated- let the states