Chp. 6: The Republican Experiment

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Articles of Confederation

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The original plan for government that was approved by Congress in November 1777. The articles placed a lot of restraints on federal government, not allowing Congress to tax. It also only gave each state one vote in Congress. Overall, the Articles were a failure and created a weak national government.

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Land Ordinance of 1785

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established an organized way to lay out new townships and marketpublic lands in the Western territory. Divided a 6 square mile area of land into 36 sections of 640 acres and sold land for a dollar an acre. Public response was not as good as Congress hoped it would be and most of the land was bought by Manasseh Cutler and the Ohio Company.

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Northewest Ordinance

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provided a new structure for governing the Western territory. Created 3-5 terrritories ruled by a governor, secretary, and three judges. When population reached 5000, an elected assembly was formed and when population reached 60000, the territory could become a state.

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Constitutional Covnention

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Occured in spring of 1787. 55 men from 12 states (Rhode Island didn't participate) gathered in Philedelphia and the Constitution was written during this time. The purpose of the meeting was to develop a stronger national government after Shay's Rebellion occured.

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Theory of State Soverignty

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The idea that each state could have it's own independent government and wouldn't have to answer to a higher national government. Anti-Federalists supported this theory.

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The History of State Constitutions* (don't need)

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State Constitiutions generally focused on natural rights of right of conscience, security of persons and property, and the freedoms of religion, speech, and press. Most state consitutions gave the governor very little power since people had been oppressed by royal governors before the Revolution. This made the legislature very powerful. Overall, the state constitutions gave people ideas of what did and didn't work in government when they were writing the Constitution.

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The Society of the Cincinnati

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a hereditary organization in which membership passed from from the father to the eldest son. Republicans didn't like this because they thought that power in politics would be based on relatives.

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Primogeniture

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when the oldest child inherited all of the state and the younger children were excluded entirely

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San Souci Club

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a society similar to the Society of the Cincinnati, where membership was based on hereditary lineage.

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Federalist #84

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Hamilton reminds American people that “the constitution is itself... a bill of rights.” It was a proposal for the constitution

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Montesquieu The Spirit of Laws

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It was a book written by Baron de Montesquieu who was a French political philosopher of immense international reputation. He declared a republican government couldn't flourish in a large territory. Many people treated his theories as truths. His writings demonstrated the importance of preserving the sovereignty of the states.

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3/5 Compromise

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Stated that for the purpose of determining representation in the lower house, slaves would be counted, but not as much as free persons. For every 5 slaves, a congressional district received credit for three free voters, which gave the South much greater power.

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William Paterson

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He was a New Jersey lawyer who spoke against the Virginia Plan and advanced the New Jersey Plan, which was a scheme. He argued the revisions were more modest and would have greater appeal to the American people. The plan was rejected.

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Republican-

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People who insisted they were anyone's equal in the burgeoning society.

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Benjamin Banneker

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He was Maryland's African American astronomer and mathematician, who made it increasingly difficult for white Americans to maintain credibly that African Americans could not hold their own in a free society. He published an almanac in Philadelphia

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Phillis Wheatley

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He had international fame and was Boston's celebrated African muse who made it increasingly difficult for white Americans to maintain credibly that African Americans could not hold their own in a free society. He wrote poems and he was claimed to be very good.

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Society for the Relief of Free Negroes

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It was a group organized by Franklin. It was an anti-slavery organization to promote an anti-slavery society.

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Henry Knox

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He was a general who was about to return home from the army, when his wife Lucy Knox told him that he better not consider himself a commander in his own house, but equal command. If he accepted Lucy's argument, he did so because she was a good republican wife and mother.

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John Woolman

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A Quaker preacher. He was against slavery. He thought everyone should be equal after traveling to the southern colonies. He disliked slavery.

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Federalists Number 10

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Was an essay written by James Madison. He supported the ratification of the Constitution. It addressed the problem of having group of citizens go against the community.

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Shays Rebellion

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This Rebellion started in August of 1786 and by January of 1787 over one thousand people had been arrested. A militia had was started that defeated the federal Springfield Armory. Four rebels were killed. There was a lack of institutional uprising which helped reevaluate the Articles of Confederation and helped the Philadelphia Convention

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Virginia Plan

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This was the large state idea. This was proposed by Virginia delegates. Was drafted by James Madison while he waited for the Constitutional convention. Know for setting a role in the overall debate at the convention and for setting the population weighted representation. Had two houses and houses with a larger population would have more say then the smaller states. Small states feared they wouldn't have a say because of their smaller populations.

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Committee of Detail

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A committee established by the Philadelphia convention. Was set up to make a draft of all of the agreements that the convention had done including the Virginia plan. Constituted the first draft of the Constitution.

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Nationalists v.s. Localists

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Loyalists were seen as the people who like Britain and still supported them. Nationalists were Americans supporting Americans.

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Federalists v.s. Anti-federalists

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Federalists thought that the desperation of power into three branches protected the rights of the people. And the three branches were all equal so that no one branch could consume to much power. Thought they shouldn't list the right so that government couldn't violate them. The anti-federalists thought that this gave to much power to the national government in expense of the state government. There was no bill off rights and they could maintain an army even in peacetime. And Congress and the executive branch had to much power.

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Jay- Gardoqi Treaty

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Also known as Liberty Treaty with Spain. With Spain and the United States, which allowed Spain to go navigate the land by the Mississippi. Also opened Spain's European and west indies trade ports to the Americas. Not ratified under the Articles of confederation.

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Letters From a Farmer in Pennsylvania

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Written by John Dickinson. Envisioned the creation of a strong central government. It also called for equal state representation in Congress and the western territories to be taken under congressional control.

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New Jersey Plan

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Proposed by William Patterson and created a unicameral legistlature where states were given one vote. Congress was also granted the power to tax and regulate trade.

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Anti-Federalists

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Critics of the constitution, often seen as less educated farmers and tradesmen. Demanded direct contact with representatives and believed a single national government could not effectively govern a nation of this size while protecting their rights.

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Bill of Rights

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Ten amendments ratified and added to the Constitution. Protected the basic freedoms of the people such as press, speech, religion, trial by jury and no unlawful searches.

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Robert Morris

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An influencial figure in the Confederation. A freewheeling Philadelphia merchant who was appointed the first superintendent of finance.

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John Jay

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A New Yorker appointed by Congress to obtain rights to navigation of the Mississippi.

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James Madison

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A nationalist who wrote the Federalist. Encouraged competing factions within the nation in order to provoke virtue and benefit the common good.

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Governor Morris

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A Pennsylvania representative who spoke harshly against southern slavery, but was ultimately over ruled by the other delegates and no law prohibiting slavery was passed.

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Status of Slavery

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Largely debated between northern and southerners. At the Constitutional Convention no mutual agreement was reached and it would be later addressed in 1808. The north and south would continue with the ways they had previously.