Lecture 6 Competing Visions of a Virtuous Republic 1776 1800 I What Kind of Republic A Competing Notions of Republicanism 1 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 B 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 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 C The Articles of Confederation 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 in which each state had one vote b It could not tax or regulate trade 1 c 3 II Slaves were to be counted in full for tax purposes i e as people rather than as property 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 Ordinance of 1787 prescribed the number of people required for statehood and banned slavery in the region C Diplomatic Problems 1 Trouble flared with the British a In the Northwest Territory they refused to vacate their forts and they armed the region s Native Americans b Ambassador John Adams could not win trade concessions from them 2 Spain barred Americans from the Mississippi River a Negotiator John Jay was unable to win access 3 Barbary pirates seized American ships and crews D A Farmers Revolt 1 The farmers of western Massachusetts were deeply affected by the postwar economic depression a Farmers protested rents land prices heavy taxes debts high judicial fees and the failure of central governments to provide protection from Indian attacks or frontier bandits 2 b E III The state legislature refused to pass stay laws to give them temporary relief c to print more paper money d The legislature also raised taxes 2 Western farmers closed local debtors courts and freed imprisoned debtors a The state government broke their movement Shays Rebellion by using military force The Revolt of the Better Sort 1 Critics of the Articles of Confederation government believed that the United States faced a grave crisis a They cited the weak government the quality of Congress s members diplomatic problems and Shays Rebellion b The critics were often members of the elite 2 Leading Virginians convened a meeting at Annapolis to discuss trade problems and other conflicts among the states a Their real purpose to lay the groundwork for creation of a stronger national government b The delegates convinced Congress to call a convention in Philadelphia in 1787 to discuss trade between the states and governmental reform Creating a New Government A Revise or Replace 1 The delegates at Philadelphia first had to choose between revision and rejection of the Articles of Confederation 2 The Virginia Plan called for rejecting the Articles and for creating a stronger government a It provided for three branches of government each checking and balancing the other 3 The delegates differed over representation in Congress a Large states favored the Virginia Plan 1 two houses 2 the number of members based on a state s population b Small states favored the New Jersey Plan 1 unicameral 2 each state has the same number of members c The Great Compromise provided for 1 a two house legislature 2 membership in the lower based on a state s population 3 membership in the upper equal for each state d How to elect members of Congress was also settled by compromise 1 upper house to be elected by state legislatures 2 the lower by each state s eligible voters 3 e B IV V The Three Fifths Compromise settled the conflict over how to count slaves and allowed the slave trade to last twenty more years Drafting an Acceptable Document 1 The concept of checks and balances guided the assignment of powers to the president and Congress 2 The Electoral College compromise solved the controversy over participation by ordinary voters in electing the president Resolving the Conflict of Vision A The Ratification Controversy 1 To win ratification supporters tactics included a Calling themselves Federalists b Ratifying conventions in each state c Approval by only nine states necessary for adoption 2 Local conditions often dictated positions for and against the Constitution a Voters in