Chapter 9 Confederation and Constitution, 1776-1790

Shays's Rebellion (1786)

Armed uprising of western Massachusetts debtors seeking lower taxes and an end to property foreclosures. Though quickly put down, the insurrection inspired fears of "mob rule" among leading Revolutionaries. (184)

Land Ordinance of 1785

A law that divided much of the United States into a system of townships to facilitate the sale of land to settlers.

"Great Compromise"

At the Constitutional Convention, larger states wanted to follow the Virginia Plan, which based each state's representation in Congress on state population. Smaller states wanted to follow the New Jersey Plan, which gave every state the same number of representatives. The convention compromised by creating the House and the Senate, and using both of the two separate plans as the method for electing members of each.

Western land claims

By the 1780s, seven of the 13 original states had enunciated claims to areas in the West. These so-called "landed" states had a great potential advantage over the six "landless" states. It was assumed that the future sale of western lands would enrich the landed states and possibly allow them to operate without any form of taxation. The landless states feared that they would lose residents and dwindle into insignificance

"Three-fifths Compromise"

Compromise between northern and southern states at the Constitutional Convention that three-fifths of the slave population would be counted for determining direct taxation and representation in the House of Representatives.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Created the Northwest Territory (area north of the Ohio River and west of Pennsylvania), established conditions for self-government and statehood, included a Bill of Rights, and permanently prohibited slavery

Abigail Adams

Wife of John Adams. During the Revolutionary War, she wrote letters to her husband describing life on the homefront. She urged her husband to remember America's women in the new government he was helping to create.

The Federalist (Hamilton/Madison/Jay)

supported ratification of the Constitution of 1787 and asserted that a large republic offered the best protection of minority rights

Alexander Hamilton

1789-1795; First Secretary of the Treasury. He advocated creation of a national bank, assumption of state debts by the federal government, and a tariff system to pay off the national debt.

New Jersey (small-state) Plan

A constitutional proposal for a strengthened Congress but one in which each state would have a single vote, thus granting a small state the same legislative power as a larger state.

Virginia (large-state) Plan

A constitutional proposal for a strong Congress with two chambers, both of which would be based on numerical representation, thus granting more power to the larger states.

Society of the Cincinnati

A society established by former officers of the Revolutionary war as a sort of aristocracy in which traditionalism and social status was important. Thomas Jefferson and other civilians thought that this movement threatened the newly formed republic and feared it could turn into an aristocracy so they worked to disband it. This was showed that nothing would stand in the way of a democratic government. This was crucial as this is the point when most revolutions fail, but the determination from Jefferson ceased this early threat.

Philadelphia Convention (May-July 1787)

Also known as the Constitutional Convention or Federal Convention, representatives from each state but Rhode Island met at this convention, which was called to deal with commerce and bolster the entire Articles of Confederation. The members present were young, experienced nationalists, more interested in strengthening the young Republic than in further stirring the roiling cauldron of popular democracy. They desired a firm, dignified, and respected government. They believed in republicanism but sought to protect the American experiment from its weaknesses abroad and excesses at home. Above all, they sought to curb the unrestrained democracy rampant in the various states. Some plans that were proposed at the convention were the large-state plan and the small-state plan. They finally settled on the "Great Compromise" which allowed the House of Representatives to be represented based on population, and each state had equality in the Senate. A new Constitution provided a strong, independent executive in the presidency, along with the allowing of the president to be indirectly elected by the Electoral College, the federal judges appointed for life, and the lordly senators were to be chosen indirectly by state legislatures. Only in the House of Representatives did qualified citizens get to directly choose their officials.

Bill of Rights

Although the Anti-Federalists failed to block the ratification of the Constitution, they did ensure that the Bill of Rights would be created to protect individuals from government interference and possible tyranny. The Bill of Rights, drafted by a group led by James Madison, consisted of the first ten amendments to the Constitution, which guaranteed the civil rights of American citizens.

John Jay

American delegate who signed Treaty of Paris; New York lawyer and diplomat who negotiated with Britain and Spain on behalf of the Confederation; he later became the first chief justice of the Supreme Court and negotiated the Jay Treaty

Benjamin Franklin

American public official, writer, scientist, and printer. After the success of his Poor Richard's Almanac (1732-1757), he entered politics and played a major part in the American Revolution. Franklin negotiated French support for the colonists, signed the Treaty of Paris (1783), and helped draft the Constitution (1787-1789). His numerous scientific and practical innovations include the lightning rod, bifocal spectacles, and a stove.

Federalists

Supporters of the Constitution that were led by Alexander Hamilton and John Adams. They firmly believed the national government should be strong. They didn't want the Bill of Rights because they felt citizens' rights were already well protected by the Constitution.

Checks and balances

System embodied in the Constitution through which the power of each branch of government is limited by the other; the President's authority to veto legislation and Congress's power to override that veto are examples.

James Madison

The fourth President of the United States (1809-1817). A member of the Continental Congress (1780-1783) and the Constitutional Convention (1787), he strongly supported ratification of the Constitution and was a contributor to The Federalist Papers (1787-1788), which argued the effectiveness of the proposed constitution. His presidency was marked by the War of 1812.

Fundamental Law

The state constitutions the American states drafted, as written documents, were meant to represent a fundamental law superior to the whim of ordinary legislation.

Articles of Confederation (1778-1781)

These articles provided for a loose confederation or "firm league of friendship" so that the thirteen states were linked together for joint action in dealing with common problems, such as foreign affairs. A clumsy Congress was to be the chief agency of government. There were many problems with the articles-- there was no executive branch and the vital judicial arm was left almost exclusively to the states. The articles also gave Congress no power to tax, often leaving the government with a shortage of funds. These articles were a step toward the present Constitution. They were also used to convince the French and other potential allies that America had a genuine government in the making and could function independently.

Antifederalists

They opposed the ratification of the Constitution because it gave more power to the federal government and less to the states, and because it did not ensure individual rights. Many wanted to keep the Articles of Confederation. The Antifederalists were instrumental in obtaining passage of the Bill of Rights as a prerequisite to ratification of the Constitution in several states. After the ratification of the Constitution, the Antifederalists regrouped as the Democratic-Republican (or simply Republican) party.

Massachusetts State Constitution

When it was adopted in 1780, the Massachusetts constitution could be changed only if another specially called constitutional campaign was called and then submitted the final draft to the people for ratification. This procedure was later imitated in the ratification of the federal Constitution.

Electoral College

a group selected by the states to elect the president and the vice-president, in which each state's number of electors is equal to the number of its senators and representatives in Congress

Requisition System

a method of inventory distribution in which item are requested (requisitioned) by user department personnel and removed from central storage location for transport to the user department