Critical Period 1780s Only one piece of working legislation during that decade o Northwest Ordinance Many people thought the US wouldn t last for more than 2 years o Big power would take over o Possibly break up unto smaller countries o Democracy would never work on such a large scale Not everyone could vote Needed more women s rights American considered revolutionary in their time o Had to create national government Articles of Confederation was weak States had the most power o Power than spread out more to local governments Every state is sovereign o One vote each in congress 2 3 of states had to agree on policies before they became effective o Weak central government No executive branch to execute laws No judicial branch No federal courts State courts could interpret laws o Left for multiple interpretation of laws No power to tax States were asked to pay their fair share of money to the central government depending on population Couldn t regulate trade between the states Headed by Thomas Jefferson Importance Northwest Ordinance o New states have the same rights as the original 13 No empire would ever be created All citizens have same rights o Define how to create new states 50 000 voters Well defined boundaries Had to submit a constitution to get approved by congress o Slavery won t exist in Ohio River area Conferences of the 1780s Mt Vernon o 1785 o Only a few states showed up o Suggested a change in the Articles Too many trade laws Annapolis o 1786 o Only 9 states but it was called off Philadelphia Constitutional Convention o 17817 o Originally met to change articles but threw them away o Met in secret o 55 men from every state except Rhode Island o Washington was there o Adams wasn t there because he was in Britain o Jefferson not there because he was in France o George Mason was the author of the Bill of Rights o Roger Sherman of Connecticut brought about a compromise that saved the convention between the Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan Virginia Plan 3 branches of government o Judicial with courts o Executive to enforce the law o Bicameral legislature to make the laws People elect the House o Had power to tax and regulate trade Members of house elect the Senate Single person leading the executive branch selected by Congress Put all the power in the hands of the large states Fixed everything wrong with the Articles except that the large states would control the entire government Government is made up of unicameral congress with one vote for state Came close to breaking up conference New Jersey Plan Compromise Separation of power 3 5 compromise Slave trade o 3 5 of all slaves counted for representation purposes o National government now takes over trade o Jan 1 1808 banned slave trade o September 1787 finished and signed the constitution Need states to approve to ratify Federalists really wanted ratification No bill of rights Checks and balances between the branches 7 states approved it by 1788 but they really wanted VA and NY Essays were written to persuade the public such as The Federalist o Written by Alexander Hamilton John Jay and James Madison Ratified in 1790s Washington was chosen as the 1st president Hamilton s Fiscal Plan and his National Bank Hamilton s Fiscal Plan o Early 1790s proposed by Hamilton who was the secretary of the treasury o 3 main parts Pay off entire debt federal and state Create a national bank National government would assume and pay off the debts of the states Par amount written on the bond sold during the revolutionary war plus interest Private owned banks that had branches all over the country o Handle government money When government needed to borrow money it did from the Bank of the United States Power was given because of loose construction o Some people believed only in strict construction since it wasn t clearly stated in the constitution Raise revenue with high tariffs and new taxes New tax on distilled liquor o Caused the Whiskey Rebellion 1794 Western PA Resentment built towards Hamilton States sent troops under the control of President Washington to enforce the law and distinguish the rebellion Showed government they had the power to deal with affairs and that the new constitution worked o Controversial Split the country into two groups Along with the Jay Treaty o 1794 o John Jay from NY traveled to British and gave concession for trade The Nation s First Two Party Political System Two party system included the Federalists and the Democrat Republicans Each party was distinct and had very different beliefs Federalists o Leaders were Alexander Hamilton and John Jay o Ruled by the elite o Government should encourage commerce and industry o Strong central government Centralized power o Balanced economy o More likely to side with the British o Federal aid to industry and commerce o Sympathizes with creditors o Distrusted the average person s ability to govern themselves Average person was uneducated Democrat Republicans o Leaders were Thomas Jefferson and James Madison o Ruled by the average person o Government should encourage agriculture Agrarian economy o State power Feared centralized power o Broad diffusion of wealth o More likely to side with the French o Individuals rights Closer to God o No big cities o Powerful people can create chaos when they make mistakes o Trusted the people s ability to govern themselves Judiciary Act of 1791 o Gave power to the Supreme Court to demand evidence be brought forward in a case o Supreme court had the power to order an officer to do something that was looked at as unconstitutional o One branch of government could make an act of another null and void o Supreme court final interpreter of the constitution o Judicial branch is equal to the other two John Adam s Presidency 1796 to 1800 John Adams was a Federalist 1798 o Congress was controlled by the Federalists o Alien and Sedition Alien Acts Made it more difficult for foreigners to become citizens o Raising the number of years to become a citizen Easier to deport troubled foreigners Once deported couldn t return Sedition Acts Aimed to reduce criticism of the federal government o Makes criticism of president or congress illegal Dozens were arrested and put on trial because of slander in reports and newspapers Scared the Democrat Republicans No law ever had been deemed unconstitutional before this one Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions in response to these acts Headed by Jefferson and Madison US nation was created by the states as well as the
View Full Document
Unlocking...