[PRINCETON] Chapter 7: Conflict and American Independence (1754-1800)

Antifederalists

Opponents of ratification of the Constitution and of a strong central government, generally. Appalled by the absence of a bill of rights.

Seven Years' War (1754 - 1763)

-Actually lasted 9 years. Aka French and Indian War. -War between British/Colonists and French/Indians -War was a result of colonial expansion. It was also caused by inter-European struggles. -When English settlers moved into the Ohio Valley, the French tried to stop them by building forts at entry spots. French were trying to protect their fur trade and control of the region. -A colonial army led by George Washington attacked a French outpost and lost. Other skirmishes ensued. -In 1756, England officially declared war on France. -Native Americans allied with French who had better relations with them. -War continued for years until the English finally won. -After the war, England was the undisputed colonial power. -Treaty of Paris of 1763: gave England control of Canada and almost everything east of the Mississippi Valley. French only kept 2 sugar islands.

Jay's Treaty (1794)

-Agreement that provided England would evacuate a series of forts in U.S. territory along the Great Lakes; in return, the United States agreed to pay pre-Revolutionary War debts owed to Britain. The British also partially opened the West Indies to American shipping. -The treaty was barely ratified in the face of strong Republican opposition. Many felt that the treaty made too many concessions to the British, who were not respecting the United States' sovereignty -In 1796, Congress tried to withhold funding to enforce the treaty. -Washington refused to submit all documents peritnent to the treaty citing executive privelege. -This was the lowest point of Washington's administration

Washington Presidency (1789-97)

-Aware that his actions would set precedents, Washington exercised care and restraint: only use a veto for unconstitutional bills, delegated responsibility to experts in cabinet. -Thomas Jefferson: secretary of state -Alexander Hamilton: secretary of treasury -They had many disagreements. Hamilton wanted a bigger government. Jefferson favored a weaker one. -National Bank -Financial Plan to assume states' debts -Compromise of 1790: location of nation's capital -French Revolution -Creation of first parties: Federalists and Democratic-Republicans -Whiskey Rebellion in 1791 -Battle of Fallen Timbers (1794) and subsequent Jay's Treaty -Treaty of San Lorenzo (aka Pinckney's Treaty) (1796) -Famous farewell address

Whiskey Rebellion (1791)

-Began in western Pennsylvania when farmers resisted an excise tax on whiskey. -Protesters used violence and intimidation to prevent federal officials from collecting the tax. -Resistance came to a climax in July 1794, when a U.S. marshal arrived in western Pennsylvania to serve writs to distillers who had not paid the excise. The alarm was raised, and more than 500 armed men attacked the fortified home of tax inspector General John Neville. -Washington responded by sending peace commissioners to western Pennsylvania to negotiate with the rebels, while at the same time calling on governors to send a militia force to enforce the tax. -Washington himself rode at the head of an army to suppress the insurgency, with 13,000 militiamen provided by the governors of Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The rebels all went home before the arrival of the army, and there was no confrontation. -The Whiskey Rebellion demonstrated that the new national government had the will and ability to suppress violent resistance to its laws -James Madison, among others, retreated support of Federalists and sided with Jefferson who opposed Washington's repsonse

Second Continental Congress (1775)

-Convened weeks after the battles of Lexington and Concord. -Established the Continental Army in order to prepare the colonies for war; printed money; created government offices to supervise policy. -choose George Washington to lead the army -Some of the delegates at the meeting wanted to reconcile with Britain, resulting in the creation of the Olive Branch Petition.

First Continental Congress (1774)

-Delegates from every colony except Georgia met to discuss a response to the Intolerable Acts -Came up with a list of laws that the colonists wanted repealed and agreed to impose a boycott on British goods until their grievances were redressed -Formed a Continental Association with committees of observation to enforce the boycott -Established limits on Parliamentary interference and delineated jurisdiction

Battle of Lexington

-English dispatched troops to confiscate weapons in Concord, Massachusetts in April 1775 -Before they got there, they had to pass through Lexington where they confronted a colonial militia of minutemen -One of the minutemen fired a shot, so the British returned fire -Minutemen suffered 18 casualties, with 8 dead. British continued to Concord.

Hamilton's Financial Plan

-His programs included the creation of the National Bank, the establishment of the U.S.'s credit rate, increased tariffs, and an excise tax on whiskey. Also, he insisted that the federal government assume debts incurred by the states during the war. -Called for the federal govt to assume the states' debts and to repay the debts by giving debt holders land in the West. -This plan favored Northern banks who had more debt than Southern states. -Hamilton's plan favored monied industrial elite at the expense of agricultural working class

Response to the Stamp Act

-In Virginia, Patrick Henry drafted the Virginia Stamp Act Resolves -In Boston, mobs burned the customs officers in effigy, tore down a customs house, and nearly destroyed the governor's mansion -Creation of the Sons of Liberty -The Stamp Act was repealed in 1766, and King George III replaced PM Grenville with Lord Rockingham

Battle of Saratoga (1777)

-In upstate New York -turning point in the American Revolution, as it was a decisive victory of American troops, ending British presence in upstate New York and serving as a recruitment tool for Americans -after this victory, French government agreed to a formal alliance with the Continental Congress and began to send advisers, weapons, and money

French Revolution

-Jefferson wanted to support the revolution and its republican ideals. -Hamilton had aristrocratic leanings and disliked the revolutionaries who had overthrown the French aristrocracy. -This conflict escalated when France and England went to war with each other. -Britain was America's primary trading partner. Thus, America took a policy of neutrality in the French-English conflict. -Jefferson resigned in 1793 as secretary of state because he detested Hamilton's influence over Washington when it came to foreign policy

Adams Presidency (1797-1801)

-John Adams, a Federalist, succeeded Washington. -The second-place candidate, Thomas Jefferson, became the vice president. -Animosity between Jefferson and Hamilton grew and turned ugly during Adam's term. Adams delegated work to Hamilton and let him take charge. -Avoided war with France: XYZ Affair -Alien and Sedition Acts (opposed by VP Jefferson)

Massachusetts Circular Letter

-Response of the Massachusetts Assembly to the Townshend Acts. -Written by Samuel Adams in 1768 -Sent to all other assemblies asking that they protest the new measures in unison -The British ordered the assemblies against discussing the Massachusetts letter -Governors dissolved legislatures that discussed the letter. -These actions led to organized boycotts and numerous rallies -For the first time, the "commoner" colonists were united in their opposition tot he British -Women played a key role in sustaining boycotts by providing goods that replaced British imports

James Otis, "The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved"

-Result of widespread protest in the wake of the Stamp Act -Summarized the colonists' argument against taxes -Put forward the argument "No taxation without representation" -Became a best-seller and a rallying cry for the Revolution -Otis did NOT argue for secession. Instead, he demanded greater representation in Parliament OR a greater degree of self-government

Battle of Yorktown (1781)

-Symbolic end to the American Revolution -Major British general, Cornwallis, was surrounded by the French navy on the York River and Washington's troops via land, and surrendered after a lengthy siege -Began negotiations between American colonies and Great Britain which would end the war in October 1783

Hamilton's National Bank

-The establishment of a national bank modeled after the Bank of England; -Bank's purpose was to help regulate and strengthen the economy. -Sparked first debate between strict constructionists and loose constructionists. -Washington considered a veto uncertain about the bank's constitutionality -Hamilton argued that creating a bank was an "implied power" within the Constitution because the government had the power to coin money, borrow money, and collect taxes. -Strict constructionists (Jefferson and Madison) argued that the Constitution allowed ONLY powers specifically granted to it or those "necessary and proper" to execute enumerated powers. -Washington ultimately agreed with Hamilton and signed the bill.

Citizen Genet Affair

-a minister to the United States dispatched by the revolutionary Girondist regime of the new French Republic. -violated an American proclamation of neutrality in the European conflict and greatly embarrassed France's supporters in the United States. -Hired Americans as privateers to prey on British commerce and opened negotiations with several American frontier leaders to attack Spanish FL/LA. -Finally what made him so bad and offensive was when he commissioned several land speculators as officers in the French army.

Constitutional Convention (1787)

-comprised of delegates from all states except Rhode Island -met in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 -55 delegates: all men, white, many were wealthy lawyers or landowners, many owned slaves. -Some delegates believed the Articles needed slight adjustments. Others wanted to start from scratch. -New Jersey Plan called for modifications and for equal representation from each state -Virginia Plan (James Madison) called for an entirely new government based on checks and balances and for the number of representatives to be based on the population of the state -convention lasted 4 months -Great Compromise blended the Virginia Plan and New Jersey plan with a bicameral legislature -Three-Fifths compromise compromised on the slaves -result: Constitution

Federalists (Hamilton) vs Democratic-Republicans (Jefferson and Madison)

1. FEDERALISTS -Leaders: Hamilton, Washington, Adams, Jay, Marshall -Vision: Economy based on commerce -Governmental Power: Strong federal government -Supporters: Wealthy, Northeast -Constitution: Loose constructionism -National Bank: Believed it was "necessary" -Foreign Affairs: More sympathetic toward Great Britain 2. Democratic-Republicans -Leaders: Jefferson, Madison -Vision: Economy based on agriculture -Governmental Power: stronger state governments -Supporters: yeoman farmers, southerners -Constitution: strict constructionism -National Bank: believed it was desireable -Foreign Affairs: sympathetic toward France

Impact of Seven Years' War

1. RELATIONSHIP WITH BRITISH GOVT. William Pitt, the English PM during the war, was supportive of the colonists and encouraged them to join the war effort, promising them pay and autonomy. However, the leadership changed after the war, and that led to resentment by the colonists against British rule. 2. NATIVE AMERICANS English victory also was bad for Native Americans. After the war, the English raised the price of goods sold to the Natives because they had a monopoly now with no French competition. English also stopped paying rent on their western forts. Led to Pontiac's Rebellion. 3. END OF SALUTARY NEGLECT After the war, the new British government began involving itself in the affairs of the colonies. This began with the passage of the Proclamation of 1763 and continued with higher taxes, trade regulations, and more. The British govt. had a huge debt after the war.

Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania (1767 - 1768)

12 letters written in response to the Townshend Acts by John Dickinson (known as the "Penman of the Revolution"), this discourse asserted the idea that "no taxation without representation" was an essential part of English government, and that Parliament had no right to impose duties on British colonies.

Chronology of Events Leading to Revolutionary War

1763: French and Indian War ends, Pontiac's Rebellion, Proclamation of 1763 1764: Sugar Act, Currency Act 1765: Stamp Act, Stamp Act crisis, Sons of Liberty formed 1766: Grenville replaced by Rockingham as prime minister, Stamp Act repealed, Declaratory Act 1767: Townshend Acts 1770: Townshend duties repealed (except tea tax), Boston Massacre 1772: parts of Townshend are implemented, Committees of Correspondence are formed 1773: British give the Dutch East India Tea Company monopoly on tea in colonies, Boston Tea Party 1774: Coercive Acts, Quebec Act, First Continental Congress, Continental Association 1775: Battles of Lexington and Concord, Second Continental Congress 1776: Declaration of Independence

Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise)

1787 *Called for a bicameral legislative system in which the House of Representatives would be based on population and the Senate would have equal representation in Congress *Combined pieces of the New Jersey Plan, the Virginia Plan, and other proposals *Included the Three-Fifths Compromise, which counted slaves as three-fifths of a person for the purposes of apportioning representation and called for direct taxation on the states

XYZ Affair

1798 - A commission had been sent to France in 1797 to discuss the disputes that had arisen out of the U.S.'s refusal to honor the Franco-American Treaty of 1778 and French seizure of American ships. Adams sent delegates to meet with French foreign minister Talleyrand in the hopes of working things out. Talleyrand's three agents told the American delegates that they could meet with Talleyrand only in exchange for a very large bribe. The Americans did not pay the bribe, and in 1798 Adams made the incident public, substituting the letters "X, Y and Z" for the names of the three French agents in his report to Congress.

Federalist Papers

A collection of 85 articles written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison under the name "Publius" to defend the Constitution in detail. Published in a New York newspaper. Critical in garnering support in New York.

Neutrality Proclamation

A formal announcement issued by U.S. President George Washington on April 22, 1793 that declared the nation neutral in the conflict between France and Great Britain. It threatened legal proceedings against any American providing assistance to any country at war. French government representative Citzen Edmond Genet visited America to seek assistance, but the US refused citing neutrality. Jefferson resigned because of disagreements over the Proclamation.

Vice-admirality Courts

A maritime tribunal presided over by a royally appointed judge, with no jury.

Common Sense (1776)

A pamphlet published by English printer Thomas Paine. Advocated colonial independence and argued for the merits of republicanism over monarchy. Sold more than 100,000 copies in 3 months. Written in plainspoken language and very accessible to all.

End of Salutary Neglect: Why? and What?

After the 7 years war, the British govt. had run up a huge debt. King George III and his PM George Grenville felt that the colonists should pay that debt because they were the beneficiaries of the war. 1. Sugar Act 2. Currency Act 3. Stamp Act

Three-Fifths Compromise

Agreement that each slave counted as three-fifths of a person in determining representation in the House for representation and taxation purposes (negated by the 13th amendment)

Alien and Sedition Acts

Allowed the government to forcibly expel foreigners and to jail newspaper editors for "scandalous and malicious writing." The acts were purely political, aimed at destroying new immigrants, especially French ones that supported Democratic-Republicans. Worst, the Act was a clear violation of the First Amendment. Jefferson and Madison drafted the Viriginia and Kentucky Resolutions which argued that the states had the right to judge the constitutionality of federal laws.

Declaratory Act

Asserted the British government's right to tax and legislate in all cases anywhere in the colonies. Linked to the repeal of the Stamp Act.

Battle of Concord (1775)

British troops planned to destroy American ammunition at Concord. Committee of Safety gathered the Minute men and they fought with the British troops at Concord. The minutemen inflicted numerous casualties on the British redcoats and forced them to retreat. The two opponents dug in around Boston, but during the next year only one battle was fought.

Virginia Plan

Called to create a three-tiered federal government with an executive led by the president, a legislative branch with a bicameral Congress, and a judicial branch composed of a Supreme Court. The new legislature would have the power to enforce taxation, regulate interstate and international trade, coin and borrow money, create a postal service, authorize a military draft, and declare war. President indirectly chosen by the Electoral College.

Loyalists

Colonists who supported the British government during the American Revolution. Included government officials, devout Anglicans, merchants dependent on trade with England, and many religious and ethnic minorities who feared religious persecution at the hands of the rebels. Slaves sided with the British because they were offered freedom if they joined the British army.

Compromise of 1790

Compromise between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson with James Madison wherein Hamilton won the decision for the national government to take over and pay the state debts, while Jefferson and Madison obtained the national capital (District of Columbia) for the South.

Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776)

Congress commissioned Thomas Jefferson to write the Declaration as a statement of ideals for independence. Enumerated grievances against the Crown and articulated the principle of individual liberty and the government's responsibility to the people.

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 (freedom of religion, trial by jury, freedom from excessive punishment), and permanently prohibited slavery

Shay's Rebellion (1786 - 1787)

Daniel Shays was a Revolutionary War veteran who was not receiving his pay from the war. As the Massachusetts government was enforcing the ability of banks to repossess farms and foreclose on homes of people who could not pay, Shay was facing foreclosure. So, he devised a plan to take over the courthouses that were making the rulings. He and his men seized weapons from an armory in Springfield and used the weapons to attack courthouses. The national government was powerless to stop this.

Republican Motherhood

Expectation that women would instill Republican values in children and be active in families; helped increase education for women

The Articles of Confederation (1781 - 1789)

First constitution of the United States. Created a national government with limited powers. Problems/Features: -federal government had no power to raise an army -no power of taxation, could only ask states for money -could not enforce state or individual taxation, or a military draft -could not regulate trade among the states or internationally -legislative branch gave each state one vote, regardless of population -in order to pass a law, 9/13 states had to agree -in order to amend the Articles, unanimous approval was needed.

Treaty of Paris 1783

Granted the United States independence and generous territorial rights.

Proclamation of 1763

In response to the Native American attacks, the British govt. issued the Proclamation forbidding settlement west of the rivers in the Appalachians. The Proclamation was ineffectual because it came too later, after settlers had already moved west of the line. It did agitate colonial settlers, however. This act and the year of 1763 marked the end of salutary neglect. On top of that, the Proclamation established a pattern of demarcating "Indian Territory."

Paxton Boys

In response to the Pontiac's Rebellion, a group of Scots-Irish frontiersmen in Pennsylvania murdered several in Susquehanook tribe.

Patriots

Mostly white Protestant property holders and gentry, as well as urban artisans, in New England.

Virtual Representation

Members of Parliament represented all British subjects regardless of who elected them. Even the colonists knew that representation would be so small it wouldn't make a difference, so they didn't push this.

Olive Branch Petition

Not all delegates believed that war was inevitable. Many followed John Dickinson who pushed for reconciliation with Britain using the Olive Branch Petition. The petition was a last-ditch attempt to avoid the armed conflict. King George III was hardly interested in the proposal since he considered the colonists to be in open rebellion.

Nullification

Nullification, in United States constitutional history, is a legal theory that a state has the right to nullify, or invalidate, any federal law which that state has deemed unconstitutional with respect to the United States Constitution (as opposed to the state's own constitution).

Sugar Act (1764)

Part of Prime Minister Grenville's revenue program, the act replaced the Molasses Act of 1733, and actually lowered the tax on sugar and molasses (which the New England colonies imported to make rum as part of the triangular trade) from 6 cents to 3 cents a barrel, but for the first time adopted provisions that would insure that the tax was strictly enforced; created the vice-admiralty courts; and made it illegal for the colonies to buy goods from non-British Caribbean colonies.

Albany Plan of Union (1754)

Plan proposed by Benjamin Franklin that sought to unite the 13 colonies for trade, military, and other purposes; the plan was turned down by the colonies & the Crown. -Intercolonial government and a system of collecting taxes -tax revenue used for defense, also tried to negotiate a treaty with the Iroquois -failed to get approval of even 1 colonial legislature

Virginia and Kentucky Resolution

Political statements drafted in 1798 and 1799, in which the Kentucky and Virginia legislatures took the position that the federal Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional. Established the doctrine of nullification

Pontiac's Rebellion (1763)

Pontiac, Chief of the Ottawas, united a coalition of American Indian tribes to resist British rule in the Great Lakes region and Ohio Valley. He led an uprising at Fort Detroit known as Pontiac's Rebellion in 1763, but the tribes were not able to overcome the fort's strong fortifications in spite of a five-month siege. The rebellion was a response to the colonists expanding into the Ohio River Valley and encroaching on Native's lands.

Coercive (Intolerable) Acts (1774)

Punitive measures after the Boston Tea Party: -closed the Boston Harbor to all but essential trade and declared that it would remain closed until tea was paid for -tightened English control over the Massachusetts government and its courts -a new, stricter Quartering Act put British soldiers in civilian homes

Townshend Acts (1767)

Rockingham was PM for only 2 years. He was replaced by William Pitt, who was sick. So, Charles Townshend, the minister of the exchequer was the dominant figure in colonial affairs. 1. Taxed goods imported directly from Britain. New taxes on imports of paper, paint, lead, glass, and tea. 2. Some of the tax revenue collected was set aside for the payment of tax collectors, meaning that colonial assemblies could no longer use the power of the purse to withhold government officials' wages 3. Created more vice-admiralty courts and several new government offices to enforce the Crown's will 4. Suspended the New York legislature because of its refusal to comply with a law requiring the colonists to supply British troops 5. The acts institute writs of assistance, licenses that gave the British the power to search an place suspected of hiding smuggled goods After boycotts and protests, the Parliament repealed the Townshend duties, but not the other statues or the duty on tea.

Quartering Act (1765)

Stationed large numbers of troops in America and made the colonists responsible for the cost of feeding and housing them.

Federalists

Supporters of the U.S. Constitution at the time the states were contemplating its adoption.

Sons of Liberty

The Sons of Liberty was a secret organization that was created in the Thirteen American Colonies to advance the rights of the European colonists and to fight taxation by the British government. It played a major role in most colonies in battling the Stamp Act in 1765.

Boston Massacre (March 5, 1770)

The Boston Massacre, known to the British as the Incident on King Street, was a confrontation on March 5, 1770 in which British soldiers shot and killed several people while being harassed by a mob in Boston. The event was heavily publicized by leading Patriots such as Paul Revere and Samuel Adams. -a mob pelted soldiers with rock-filled snowballs -the soldiers fired into the crowd, killing 5 -a famous propaganda campaign suggested that the soldiers had shot into a crowd of innocent bystanders

Committees of Correspondence

The Committees of Correspondence rallied colonial opposition against British policy and established a political union among the Thirteen Colonies.

Quasi-War

The Quasi-War (1798-1800) was an undeclared naval war between the United States and France during the Presidency of John Adams. It grew out of the XYZ Affair and ended when French politics changed direction after Napoleon came into power.

Boston Tea Party (December 16, 1773)

The Sons Of Liberty disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians and boarded a ship with tea and destroyed 45 tons of tea, which was called the Boston Tea Party. The British granted the East India Tea Company a monopoly on the tea trade in the colonies as well as a portion of new duties to be collected on tea sales.

Treaty of Paris of 1763

The Treaty of Paris of 1763 ended the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War between Great Britain and France, as well as their respective allies. In the terms of the treaty, France gave up all its territories in mainland North America, effectively ending any foreign military threat to the British colonies there.

Bill of Rights (1791)

The first ten amendments to the Constitution. Many states held out ratification until they were promised the addition of a Bill of Rights. Bill of Rights were added in 1791.

Currency Act (1764)

This act applied to all of the colonies. It banned the production of paper money in the colonies in an effort to combat the inflation caused by Virginia's decision to get itself out of debt by issuing more paper money.

Stamp Act (1765)

This act required colonists to pay for an official stamp, or seal, when they bought paper items. 1. A tax specifically aimed at raising revenue. Parliament took over the tradition of self-taxation. 2. Broad-based tax that applied to ALL legal documents and licenses 3. A tax on goods produced within the colonies.

Constitution (1789)

Three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial with checks and balances. Bicameral legislature: senate (equal representation), house of representatives (based on population) President and Vice-president elected by the Electoral College Went into effect in 1789.

Washington's Farewell Address, 1796

Urged Americans to avoid excessive political party spirit and geographical distinctions. In foreign affairs, warned against long-term alliances with other nations.

Treaty of San Lorenzo (Pinckney's Treaty) (1796)

established intentions of friendship between the United States and Spain. It also defined the border between the United States and Spanish Florida, and guaranteed the United States navigation rights on the Mississippi River. Thomas Pinckney negotiated the treaty for the United States and Don Manuel de Godoy represented Spain. high point of Washington Administration

Mercy Otis Warren

female patriot who wrote poems to convince others to join the patriot cause

Executive Privelege

the President's right to withhold information from or refuse to testify before Congress or the courts.

Battle of Fallen Timbers (1794)

the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between Native American tribes affiliated with the Western Confederacy and a British company, against the United States for control of the Northwest Territory. resulted in British and Indian withdrawal from the southern Great Lakes, western Ohio and northeastern Indiana following the Treaty of Greenville and Jay's Treaty.