HIST 1311 1st Edition A B Lecture 8 The Intolerable Acts 1 Because of the Boston Tea Party the British government enacted four pieces of legislation to punish Boston 2 Colonists everywhere responded with anger toward Britain and with sympathy and aid for Boston Creating a National Forum The First Continental Congress 1 Delegates from all colonies except Georgia met in Philadelphia in September 1774 to determine what to do about the Intolerable Acts 1 The delegates included some of the country s most important future leaders 2 The Continental Congress considered several plans of action 1 It approved the Continental Association another boycott of British goods 2 It defeated Joseph Galloway s Plan of Union but approved John Adams s Declaration of Rights and Grievances which set forth the colonial position on customs duties and taxation 3 Gorge Washington facts From Rich Vermont Father dies and is raised up by his mother who he is not very close with and did not get along with her either Had a step brother Laurence who he was very close with and he suffered from tuberculosis George and Martha his wife don t have kids But Martha had kids from her previous marriage Martha is the richest women in Virginia II The Decision for Independence A Taking Charge and Enforcing Policies 1 Throughout the colonies those in opposition to the British government began to seize control B The Shot Heard Round the World The War begins 1 In April 1775 General Gage moved to seize colonial weapons in Lexington and Concord 1 Armed conflict broke out between patriot forces and the British army columns C The Second Continental Congress 1 D E F The Continental Congress reconvened in May 1775 and took steps to prepare for war 1 It approved the creation of an army with George Washington as commander in chief The Impact of Common Sense 1 Tom Paine s pamphlet convinced many that the time had come for America to become independent Declaring Independence 1 In June 1776 the Continental Congress considered a resolution declaring independence 1 It did not approve it until July following completion of a declaration of independence written by Thomas Jefferson Committee John Adams and Ben Franklin Declaring Loyalties 1 Many colonists chose to remain loyal to Britain 1 They came from all ranks and classes of white colonial society 2 African Americans pointed out the inconsistencies of the radical position even before the Declaration of Independence 1 Some white Americans agreed that slavery was inconsistent with liberty 2 Others worried that slaves would seek their freedom by supporting the British Many slaves favored the British more 3 Native American response to the news of the war was far from uniform 1 Alignments were often determined by intertribal rivalries and Native American concerns about the safety of their own villages 4 Fewer than 50 percent of the colonists supported the American side 1 The War ends in 1782 The Treaty of Paris 1783 formally ended the war a The Americans insisted on and won recognition of independence as the precondition for any negotiations b The treaty gave the United States a great deal of territory but Britain retained Canada c America also won access to the Newfoundland fisheries d Vague terms in the treaty set the stage for future problems between the two nations Competing Visions of a Virtuous Republic 1776 1800 I What Kind of Republic A Competing Notions of Republicanism 2 1 B C Some like Thomas Paine declared that republicanism was a moral code of behavior as well as a system of government a When citizens became selfish or corrupt republicans succumbed to tyranny b The history of the Roman Republic and of England reinforced this view 2 Others emphasized the importance of individual self interest as the basis of a republic s strength a Economist Adam Smith s emphasis on self interest was cited Creating Republican Governments The State Constitutions 1 There was also disagreement on who the people were a Pennsylvania eliminated property requirements and gave the vote to all white males b Maryland kept property qualifications for voting and even higher property requirements to serve in office c 18th century is about Political Freedom 2 Disagreement also existed on how much power elected officials should have a Pennsylvania gave ALL power to them by having a unicameral legislature and no governor b Maryland kept a governor and a two house legislature one higher than the other 3 The other states fell between these two extremes of democracy Pennsylvania and the more conservative Maryland a New Jersey gave the vote between 1776 and 1807 to women with property 4 A new set of constitutions beginning in the 1780s expanded the powers of state governments and restricted voting and officeholding to property holders a On the other hand checks and balances and bills of rights restricted the powers of state governments The Articles of Confederation initial articles 1 Establishing a national government took six years a John Dickinson drafted a proposed constitution in 1775 b Congress revised his draft in 1775 1776 by reducing the powers of the national government c The states took up the proposal in 1777 but could not come to agreement until 1781 2 Features of the Confederation government a It consisted of only a unicameral legislature one house in which each state had one vote b It could not tax or regulate trade c Slaves were to be counted in full for tax purposes i e as people rather than as property 3 3 II Quarrels over control of the Northwest Territory delayed ratification of the new government until 1781 a Maryland refused to ratify by arguing that the lands there should belong to the government b Virginia and the other states holding land claims finally renounced them in order to achieve ratification Challenges to the Confederation A Depression and Financial Crisis 1 A postwar depression affected the entire country a The economic downturn affected all classes b England barred American products and limited American ships in its Caribbean colonies c The value of paper money plunged 2 Robert Morris proposed a tariff on imported goods to pay off foreign loans taken by the government a The states particularly Rhode Island refused B The Northwest Ordinances 1 To raise money the government decided to sell land in the Northwest Territory a The Ordinance of 1784 mandated creation of five new states in the region b The Ordinance of 1785 set up the system for selling the land to private individuals c The