Topic 5

The Revolution and American Society

A. Introduction

1. Successful revolutions rarely achieve only their first objective. Successful revolutions usually bring about a number of unexpected changes, and this was true of the American Revolution.

2. A revolution that started to protect American liberties and establish American independence brought a number of changes in American society.

B. The Internal Revolution

1. Creation of the First State Governments

– May 1776 – Congress recommends establishment of new state governments to replace the old colonial governments.

– The most common path to statehood:

• Old colonial legislatures usually wrote the new state constitution

• Legislature declared the constitution to be in effect

– Two followed a different path: Massachusetts and New Hampshire a little different:

• People elected delegates to a constitutional convention

• Convention wrote a constitution

• Constitution then submitted to the people for approval or rejection

• This became the American way or writing and adopting constitutions.

– Four common features:

• State governors – powers sharply limited

• State legislatures – had most of the power

• Property qualifications – had to own property to vote or hold office

• A bill of rights – limited the powers of the state governments, guaranteeing citizens certain basic rights.

2. One of the first things that some did was to separate church and state – Ties between church and state broken in a number of the colonies

– Most had state supported churches

– Congregational Church in N.E. except RI – Ties here not broken during the Revolution. Why not?

• Partly because the Congregational Church strongly supported the American cause; if you attacked it you appeared to be unpatriotic.

• Also because the church was widely supported by the population

• Broken only after the Revolution and was a gradual process. Massachusetts in 1820 was the last!

– South – Anglican Church (Church of England) – Here ties between church and state were broken. Why?

• Reminded the colonists of British rule and to attack it was an act of patriotism

• Was always a minority church which had been established and supported by royal officials. Never had the widespread support the Congregational Church had in New England. So, by 1787 all ties broken.

– Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom -1785

• No person could be forced to attend or support any church.

• No person could be discriminated against because of their religious beliefs.

– Couple of things to remember:

• Served as the model for the 1st amendment

• Jefferson considered this law to be one of his three most important accomplishments, along with being author of the Declaration of Independence and founder of the University of Virginia.

3. Another thing some of the states did: abolish slavery (a northern thing!)

– During and right after the Revolution, most of the northern states abolished slavery, in various ways.

– No southern state abolished but some slave owners voluntarily freed their slaves.

– They were a minority; most did not! Feared both the economic and social consequences. (What’s going to happen to my income and the economy of my state? How are we going to live with free black people?)

– Jefferson – Not sure black people could govern themselves and never freed his slaves.

4. Women – Unfortunately, nothing really! NJ gave women the right to vote but leaders soon changed their mind.

C. The First National Government – The Articles of Confederation

1. June 1776 – Congress creates a committee to write a plan for a national government

2. Plan submitted shortly after independence declared – Articles of Confederation.

3. Plan submitted to the states in November 1777

4. Not finally ratified until March 1781 – western land question

D. Congress and the Articles

1. Representation and voting: could send 2-7 delegates but every state would have one vote on any question.

2. Powers given to Congress under the Articles

– War and peace

– Diplomatic relations

– Issue money

– Establish a postal service

– Regulate Indian affairs

3. Weaknesses in the Articles

– Could not tax – could only request money from the states; 1/6 of money requested

– Could not regulate trade

– Was no system of national courts

– The passage of laws was very difficult – 9 of 13 votes

– Amending the Articles – Really was impossible 9 of 13 votes and then ratification by all the states.

E. Congress and the West – The one area where Congress had success after the Revolution

1. Land Ordinance of 1785 – survey and sale of western lands

– Land surveyed and divided into townships, 6 miles square and 36 sections

– One section for support of public education; 4 for use of national government.

– Other sections to be sold at public auctions: at least $1 acre and at least 640 acres.

2. Land Ordinance of 1787 (Northwest Ordinance)

– Entire area would be known as the Northwest Territory and would be governed by officials appointed by Congress – (Governor, secretary and three judges)

– Whenever any part of the NW Territory reached a population of 60,000 adults, the people could apply for statehood.

– To be divided into not less than 3 nor more than 5 states.

– Slavery was forever prohibited.

– Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin

– Most impressive accomplishment ….

F. Failure in Foreign Relations

1. Not an area where the Continental Congress had any success – Was not able to work out solutions to the serious problems that we had with England and with Spain (to be explained later!).

2. Consequence of these failures

G. The move toward a new government

1. Mt. Vernon Conference – March 1785

2. Annapolis Conference – September 1786: 5/12 - "to render the constitution of the Federal Government adequate to the exigencies of the Union."

3. At first, a yawn but then there was Shays’ Rebellion occurred in Massachusetts, and things started to change!

4. The reaction to Shays’ Rebellion – Created a new feeling of urgency (“We need to do something!”), especially among “law and order” Americans!

5. Congress sort of agreed – February 1787 urged states to send delegates to Philadelphia to amend the Articles.

H. The Philadelphia Convention – May-September 1787

1. Organizing the convention

2. Points of Agreement

– A revision of the Articles would not be enough – We needed a new national government.

– The new government would be respected only if it had the power to tax and the power to regulate trade.

– The new government must be based on a system of checks and balances to prevent any one group or one section from dominating all the rest.

3. And the points of disagreement – Representation in Congress

4. Virginia Plan vs the New Jersey Plan

5. The Great Compromise – adopted in two stages:

– July 12, 1787 – Accepted the committee’s proposal that representation in the lower house would be based on population.

– Population would be determined by counting all the white people and 3/5 of the “other persons.” (i.e., slaves)

– July 16, 1787 - Each state would have equal representation in the upper house of Congress.

6. And also the slave trade:

– Compromise agreed on which said that for next 20 years (1808) Congress could not interfere with the import of “such person