WEEK 5: The American RevolutionKey Terms: - Pennsylvania Constitution- Articles of Confederation- Shay’s Rebellion- Gradual Abolition- Republican Motherhood-I. Fighting the War- Of 350,000 eligible men, more than 200,000 saw action- 1/3 were strongly in favor of independence- 1/3 were independents - 1/3 were indifferent - African Americans fought for both sides - -By end of the war, 20% of American forces- w -Only in North- Southern states didn’t allow- -Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation (1775): offered freedom to anyone who took up arms for the British - Particularly brutal fighting in the South (gorilla warfare) - Britain had numbers, money and training, support of wealthy colonists and native American tribes - Native Americans saw British as the only things standing against Americans taking more landAmericans had no central gov., poor training, didn’t travel far from homes- British has 11 M vs. 2.5 M- Colonists lacked a strong central government or a well-trained militia- Fighting particularly harsh in the South II. War and Hardship- British naval blockade and occupation of major cities meant no supplies getting in- Prices for good were very high- Government requisitioned goods directly from people- Prices for goods were extremely high- Continental Congress had no authority to tax- paid for war by issuing paper money (inflation!!!!!) - War brought changes in women’s roles- -Women were left to fend for themselves (farm and family affairs)III. Women’s Changing Rolesa. Women realized that they were actually good at fending for themselvesb. Spent the next years fighting for their rightsIV. Victorya. Eventually, Americans won enough victories to convince France to step in on their side b. Combined with home advantage and better military leadership, this alliance paved way to victory in 1783 c. Treaty of Paris (1783) formally recognized American independence and relinquished large tracts of land V. Victory at Saratoga, 1777VI. Forging an American Identity- Once the war ended, American were divided over many issue:- Regional economic and demographic differences- Southern- based around farming- North- based on trade- Middle- - Rivalries over boundary disputes and other issues- However, there were some things holding them together:- Most were of English descent- Most were Protestant- Most were farmers- Strong tradition of print culture, literacy and public debateVII. Forming a New Government- Big Questions:- Would power rest with national government or states?- Who would control these institutions: average people or elites??- Would women have greater rights?- What would the status of slavery be?- How to create a viable, working government without infringing on theliberty of the people?VIII. American Exceptionalism?- Enlightenment theory held that power had to be balanced to protect liberty- In the wake of the Revolution, Americans wondered if they were the exception to this rule- -liberty and power are fundimenally at odds - - the more power a group has the more they threaten the liberty - -wondered if the rule did not apply to them- -Since they are the people, this law did not apply (civic virtue) - Believed they were an especially virtuous, civic-minded, incorruptible people- For these reasons, believed power should not be balanced among one (monarch), few (aristocracy) and many (the people)- all should rest with the many- Most prosperous people in the world, anyone could get land if they wanted it- People were special and knew it… thought they were more virtuous (could function without a monarch) The State Constitutions- In May 1776, Continental Congress called upon states to create new republican institutions- Took idea of popular sovereignty very seriously- Within 6 months, VA, MD, NC, NJ, DE and PA had all ratified new constitutionsPennsylvania Constitution (1776)- Abolished property ownership as requirement for voting or office holding (but had to make enough $ to pay taxes)- Elites did not participate in developing the PA constitution (Pacifists) - Strong Quaker heritage - Unicameral legislature- No governor to exercise veto- Abolished debtors’ prisons- Called for schools with no or low fees- Included Declaration of Rights- Scared elites, who saw it as democracy run amok- PA state constitution did not require property ownership om prder to vote (derived from the labor theory value)- This is radical bc it is not just the elites who are seen as important contributors to politics- starting to move away from interdependency and the moral economy to focus on independence The Articles of Confederation (1781)- Unicameral- Each state had one vote- Important laws required 9/13 states; changes to Articles had to be unanimous- Weak executive with no veto power- Congress could declare war, make treaties, resolve disputes between states, borrow and print $, requisition funds- Congress could not directly tax, maintain an armyAccomplishments under the Articles of Confederation- Won the War- Northwest Ordinance (1787) allowed for incorporation of new territory into the union - NW O banned slavery north of the Ohio River - Resolved boundary disputes between states- Opened foreign trade- Congress resolved some arguments among different statesLimitations with the Articles od ConfederarionA. States tried to tax eachother B. The national currency had very little value because the national government was perpetually brokeC. Foreign affairs: GB did not open the West Indies for slaves (as it said it would), Spain was prosing problems in LouisianaD. Proved that the world was full of monarchies that were leading the republic to failure E. Problems with Britiain, Spain and France seemed to prove that monarchies were predatory F. Factions were foriming over everything- tariffs, price controls, religion ect. i. Factions seen as weakness- perhaps Americans not especially virtuous, after allii. Easier for monarchies to take overiii. Proved that maybe we are not capable of putting aside our self-interests and working for the greater good of allpeopleI. Shays’ Rebellion (1786)A. Inflation meant that paper money was nearly worthlessB. Creditors were insisting that debtors pay in hard currencyC. Particularly bad in Massachusetts where farmers were losing theirland and jails were filling up with debtorsD. Daniel Shays and followers marched on courthouse- wanted to shut it down to prevent arrests and foreclosuresE. Federal government could not interveneF. Significance: elites began to fear too much