Chapter 3: The Early Republic – Flashcards
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state constitutions
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- first efforts of establishing a government of an by the people - retained basic form of old colonial governments âž” governor and bicameral legislature - dramatically changed balance of power among branches - curbed executive powerâž” abuse of authority was what drove colonists to rebel - gave governors little power or obliterated position - deprived executor of any patronage or influence over legislature - strengthened legislative power - annula election - no state granted manhood suffrage, but reduced amount of property to qualify as a voterâž” everyone has a voice - state supreme courts were either elected by legislature or appointed by governors - abandoned british system of mixed government by investing all power in popular assemblies - insisted on written state constitutions - believed constitution was a written code that stood apart from and above government
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Articles of Confederation
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- provided for a government by a national legislature - central government âž” power to declare war, conduct diplomacy, coin money and issue paper currency - congress could not levy taxes or regulate tradeâž” job of states - states also made laws - national government had no distinct executive branchâž” governments influence was limited - strong national government would have antagonized americans - created a loose confederation of 13 states republics under a nearly powerless central gov. -
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British and Spanish challenges in the west
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- after the revolution sense of unity among the states was obliterated - spanish in florida and british in canada hoped to encroach on states now that the continental army was disbanded - British tried to woo Vermont into empire as it petitioned for statehood - spanish made common cause with Indians
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Landed States vs. Landless States
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- states argued among themselves over western land claims - landed states like virginia wanted to secure control over the large territory granted in their charters - landless states (Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and New Jersey) called on congress to restrict boundaries of landed states and convert western lands into a domain administered by confederation - landless states argued that landed states enjoyed an unfair advantage from money they could raise selling western claims - revenue would allow landed states to reduce taxes and attract people away from landless states, and forcing landless states to raise taxes to compensate
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The Northwest Territory
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- present day states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin - Thomas Jeffersons drafted a way to incorporate territory in 1784 by dividing the northwest territory into 10 states as soon as population equaled that of existing states - Jefferson provided for democratic self-government of territory by all free male adults - second ordinance of 1785 set up system for dividing and selling public land - surveyed into township of six miles square then divided into areas of 640 acres
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Northwest Ordinance 1787
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- provided for a period in which Congress held sway in territory through its appointeesâž” a governor, secretary and 3 judges - when population reached 5,000 free adult males a legislature would be established although required governors approval - representative could sit in on Congress but had no vote - when population reached 60,000 inhabitants could apply for statehood - whole northwestern territory was not to be divided into less than 3 or more than 5 states - ordinance guaranteed basic rightsâž” freedom of religion, trial by jury - outlawed slavery in territoryâž” deepens economic difference b/w north and south - congress' success of extending republican government to west
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Slavery and Sectionalism
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- souther republicans were ardentâž” slavery served as basis for their economy - planters in upper south switched from tobacco to wheat and freed many slaves - republicans regarded property as crucialâž” provided a man with family and security status and wealth and provided measure of independence - people without property were dangerous âž” poor could never be politically independent - southerners argued that free, propertyless blacks were threat t freedom of others - black emancipation did not counter northern economy -
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public and private debt
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- americans indulged in post-war spending spree - congress and states printed paper moneyâž” $400 million - paper currency was backed by governments promise to redeem bills with money from future taxes - by 1781 it was virtually without value - printing of paper money and wartime shortage of goods triggered inflation - goods become more scarce and thus more expensive - congress did not have power to regulate trade and could not stop states from printing paper money and depreciating -congress did not have power to tax so it could not reduce the national debt
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Mary Wollstonecraft's "Vindication"
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- classic text of modern feminism "A Vindication of the Rights of Women" 1792 - called for laws to guarantee women civil and political equality as well as education reforms to ensure their social and economic equality -Wollstonecraft started out as a headmistress at a school - writing was her livelihood - charged that men deliberately conspired to keep women in "a state of perpetual childhood" by giving them inferior educations - no women should have to pin hopes for financial security on having a good marriage
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Republican Motherhood
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- revolution promoted some states to reform marriage laws making divorce easier - women remained confined to the domestic sphere of the home and deprived most basic legal and political rights
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disestablishment
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- most significant reform of republican campaign against artificial privilege was dismantling of state supported churches - states used to regulate worship through taxationâž” practice now abolished
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society of Cincinnati
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- social club of veterans - forced to disband for its policy of passing on membership rights to oldest sonsâž” society was creating hereditary warrior nobility
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Jay-Gardoqui Treaty
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- treaty with spain in 1785 - southerners were not allowed to navigate mississippi and threatened to secede union and annex territory to Spain's empire - John Jay negotiated agreement with spain so Americans could navigate river - spanish emissary DOn Diego de Gardoqui convinced Jay into accepting treaty where US gave up all rights to river for 25 years in return spain granted trading privileges to US merchants - treaty was never ratified but revealed sectional hostility since Jay was a new yorker and the treaty benefited northerners
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Shay's Rebellion
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- farm wages and prices had fallen sharply - farmers had to pay mortgages - lower house of Mass offered farmers relief measuresâž” thwarted by wealthy - 2,000 farmers protested that relief measures be put in place and created army led by Shays, a veteran - closed county courts to halt creditors from foreclosing and marched to federal arsenal at Springfield
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Virginia Plan
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- proposed by James Madison - proposed central government with 3 branches âž” legislative, executive and judicial - legislative branch (congress) had power to veto all state legislation - bicameral legislatureâž” lower house elected directly by people and upper house chosen by lower from nominations made by state legislatures] - representatives to both houses would be apportioned according to population - added an executive elected by congress - added independent federal judiciary - larger states supported Madison's provision for basing representation on population - southern states were larger and equal votes would put them at a disadvantage
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New Jersey Plan
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- less radical plan proposed by William Patterson - benefitted smaller states - increased congresses power to tax and regulate trade - kept national government as unicameral assembly with each state receiving one vote in congress under policy of equal representation - Madisons proposal for stronger central government gained more support - smaller states pressed for each state to have equal vote in congress
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The Great Compromise
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- states would be equally represented n upper house of congress, each state legislature appointing two senators to six year termsâž” pleased smaller states - lower house of congress representation was apportioned by populationâž” every 30,000 inhabitants could elect one rep for a two year term - slave would count as 3/5 of a free person in calculation of populationâž” satisfied south where population was vastly slaves - president would be chosen ever 4 years - electoral college determined president - president had command over armed forces, authority to conduct diplomatic relations, responsibility to nominate judges and executive officials - power to veto congressional legislation - separation of powers was essential to balanced republican government - constitution limited powers of states legislatures - amendments to constitution could be proposed only by a two thirds majority of state legislatures -ratifications of amendments required approval by three quarters of states
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Indian Economies
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- based primarily on subsistence - women raised crops, men hunted - moved villages to where the game was - no one in back country opperatd on purely self-sufficient economy
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commercial economy
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- beyond back country - merchants, artisans, and farmers did not subsist on what they produced - sold goods or services in a wider market or lived on earnings - for commerce to flourish goods had to move from producers to market cheaply enough to reap profit
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barter economy
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- fight over constitution represented struggle between commercial and subsistence-oriented elements of american society - americans part of semi-subsistence barter economy opposed constitution -provincial outlook - feared concentrated power
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George Washington
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-unanimously elected president - John Adams became vice president - constitution did not dictate positions of cabinet membersâž” assumed - congress authorized positions of 4 departmentsâž” war, treasury, state and attorney general âž” heads appointed with senates consent - Alexander Hamiltonâž” secretary of treasury - Thomas Jefferson âž” Head of State department`
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Judiciary Act of 1789
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- constitution was vague about court system - set size of supreme court to 6 members - established 13 federal district courts and 3 circuit courts of appeal - made it clear that federal courts had right to review decisions of state courts and specified cases where supreme court would have original jurisdiction - John Jay a staunch federalist was first chief justice
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Alexander Hamilton
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- first secretary of treasury - convinced that human nature was inherently selfish he was determined to link interests of the wealthy with those of new government - intended to use federal power to encourage manufacturing and commerce in order to make US economically strong and independent of Europe -could not be achieved until government solved issue of revenue and credit -proposed all revolutionary debt be paid back in full - recommended federal gov assume responsibility for remaining 25 mil of state debtsâž” assumption - wants to make it a wealthy nation as a whole not the states - proposed 25% tax levy on whisky to help meet government expenses - program promoted commercial sector at expense of subsistence farmers - rekindled fears of constitution that groups were trying to destroy popular liberties and overthrow government - restored govs credit and national bank ended inflation of previous decades and created sound currency
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Bank of the United States
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- Thomas Jefferson and James Madison agreed to Hamilton's proposal if after 10 years capital would be moved farther south from on Potomac river - 1791 approved 20 year charter for Bank of US - bank would hold gov deposits and issue banknotes that would be received in payment of all debts - issue of assumption divided government into republicans (jefferson and Madison), Federalists (Hamilton and Adams
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Emergence of Political PArties
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- property ownership was widespread so nation had broad suffrage - during revolution legislatures lowered property requirements in many states to increase number of voters
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Americans in French Revolution
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- crisis in europe that pushed for political parties - 1789 collapse of government finances sparked challenge to royal authority that became a mass revolution - first enthusiastic to hear that their movement encouraged one in france - after reign of terror they became less supportive of revolution - france went to war with britain âž” who should US support? - Hamilton and allies saw revolution as anarchyâž” wanted to side with Britain -Jefferson supported revolution and saw france as a sister republicâž” spreading doctrine of liberty
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Neutral Rights
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- Washington thought that in order to prosper US must stay out of european affairs - under international law neutrals could trade with belligerents as long as trade had existed before outbreak of hostilities and did not involve war supplies - france and great britain refused to respect rights of neutrals
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Election of 1796
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- marked by parties - vice president would be one with second most electoral votes - Adams won 71 electoral votes and rival Jefferson gained vice presidency with 68 votes
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Federalists
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- strongest in New England - commercial ties to Great Britain and powerful tradition of hierarchy and order - viewed themselves as kind of natural aristocracy making a less desperate stand against excess of democracy - clung to notion that upper class should rule over its social and economic inferiors - opposed unbridled individualism - government should regulate individual behavior for good of society and protect property
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republicans
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- support in semi-subsistence west where farmers were weakly involved in commerce - feared government threatened liberty - treasury was corrupting congress - interpreting constitution broadly would make congress all powerful - saw agriculture as foundation of american liberty and virtueâž” not forward thinking - failed to appreciate role of financial institutions in promoting economic growth, condemning speculators, bank directors and holders of public debt - faith in people - embraced virtues of individualism
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Presidency of John Adams
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- head of federalists - felt no pressing need to aid wealthy, unlike Hamilton - not committed to Hamilton's commercial industrial vision - opposed alliance to Britain
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XYZ Affair
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- adams tried to balance relations with great britain and france - terms of Jay's Treaty were favorable to British so french started raiding american ships - Adams dispatched envoys to france but french foreign minister demanded a bribe before negotiations would begin - american representatives refused - negotiations became referred to as XYZ affair - federalist leaders wanted to go to war in response to french bribery - republicans saw real reason for army was not to fight french but crush opposition party
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Quasi War
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- unofficial naval war with France - British tried to impress american sailors and seize ships suspected of trading with France
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Alien and Sedition Acts
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- federalist leaders attempted to suppress disloyalty at home - authorized president to arrest and deport aliens suspect of "treasonable" leanings - congress increased time period to become a naturalized citizen - sedition act âž” heavy fines and imprisonment for writing, speaking or publishing anything of "a false, malicious and scandalous" nature against the government or any officer - sedition act became symbol of tyranny - republicans were forced to establish broader view of freedom of press
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Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
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-republican controlled legislatures of these states responded to the crisis - madison wrote for virginia, jefferson for kentucky - resolutions proclaimed that constitution was a compact among sovereign states that delegated strictly limited powers to the federal government - when gov exceeded those limits and threatened liberty of citizens the states had the right to interpose their authority - resolutions were intended to rally public opinion to republican cause - opposed any effort to resist federal authority by force
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Election of 1800
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- adams negotiated peace treaty with france - by doing so adams divided his own party and ruined any chance of reelection - republican ticket Jefferson and Aaron Burr won in sweeping victory as well as control of congress - jefferson and burr received equal number of votes - decision lay in house where each state had one vote - burr refused to step aside for jefferson until federalists picked jefferson -1804 twelfth amendment said that president and vice would be determined separately
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Marbury vs. Madison
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- federalists lost both presidency and congress - expanded power by expanding size ofe federal court system - Judicial Act of 1801 created 6 circuit courts and 16 new judgeships - Adams appointed William Marbury as Justice of Peace for the district of Columbia as a last minute decision - when James MAdison assumed office as secretary of state under new administration he found a batch of undelivered commissions, including Marbury wishing to appoint royal republicans to these posts - jefferson instructed madison not to hand over commissions and marbury sued - Chief Justice Marshall, a federalist, ruled in favor of Madison but in a way that strengthened power of federal courts -affirmed right of supreme court to review statutes and interpret the meaning of the constitution - judicial reviewâž” court determines what is constitutional - marshall extended power to also review state laws
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Washington D.C
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- inaugurated by Thomas Jefferson -designed by Pierre Charles L'Enfant - roman inspiration - located in swampy river bottom near head of Potomac
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Jefferson Agrarian Values
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- distrustful of central governmentâž” remake a national government into one of limited scope - product of enlightenmentâž” faith in human reason - considered "will of majority" to be "only sure guardian of the rights of man" âž” life, liberty and pursuit of happiness -agriculture was a morally superior way of life - although Jefferson wanted to extend suffrage he clung to traditional republican ideas that voters should own property to become politically independent
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Jefferson's Economic Policies
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- cut spending and reduce size of gov - abolished internal taxes enacted by federalists➔excise on whiskey - land slaes and tariff duties would supply funds needed to run down-scaled gov - slashed army budget in half and decreased army to 3000 men - made significant progress toward paying off Hamilton's debt - could not reverse Federalist funding and assumption➔ nations honor - Jefferson let national bank run its course until 1811 when charter would expire
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The Louisiana Purchase
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- spains colonial empire was weakening - spain retracted right for Americans to navigate lower Mississippi river - rumor was that France was going to take control of Louisiana in a treaty with spain - Jefferson dispatched James Monroe to Paris to join Robert Livingston to discuss purchase of New Orleans and West Florida, which would secure control of Mississippi - war was looming within Europe and Napoleon lost interest in Louisiana - offered to sell of Louisiana to US because he needed money - agreed to buy Louisiana for 15 million without explicit consent of the US - doubled countries size - Jefferson was worried about legality because constitution did not mention acquisition of land by treaty - treaty ratified it âž” pragmatism trumps theory
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Lewis and Clark
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- congress secretly funded expedition up the Missouri River to the Pacific - lead by Merriwether Lewis and William Clark - Jefferson instructed them to take detailed note of climate, life etc.
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Barbary States and Barbary Pirates
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- war broke out between France and Great Britain 10 days after Louisiana Purchase - Jefferson wanted to remain neutralâž” caused division within America - Barbary States of North Africaâž” Algiers, Morocco, Tripoli and Tunis - europeans paid tribute to barbary states who plundered ships and enslaved crew, thus saving their own ships - Jefferson did not like the idea of tribute - Americans sent a blockade and force Tripoli to renounce its tribute - continued to pay other states until 1803
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The Embargo
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- Jefferson was willing to fight Barbary states but not Britain or France - Britain seized more than 500 american ships, France 300 between 1803 and 1807 - Jefferson proposed an embargo to preserve neutral rights - prohibited american ships from trading with foreign ports and stopped export of american foreign goods - Embargo Act passed in 1807 - under embargo american imports and exports plummeted as they were not as vital to foreign trade as Jefferson calculated -
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James Madison
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- republican who replaced Jefferson - despite intellectual brilliance he lacked the force of leadership to impose his will on less capable men
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War Hawks
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- leadership passed to congress - new generation of republicans led by henry clay of kentucky - become speaker in his first term - younger republicans were more nationalistic than generations led by Jefferson and Madison - sought ambitious program of economic development - aggressive expansionalists - willingness to go to war earned them name of War Hawks - driving force of republican party
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repeal of Embargo
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- congress repealed embargo during Jeffersons final week in 1809 - congress authorized trade with france and england but if one of two belligerent agreed to stop interfering with american ships trade with the other would be prohibited
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War of 1812
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- Madison declared war against Britain - navy was not ready due to Jefferson's cut backs - General Andrew Jackson d
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British Invasion
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Hartford Convetion
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- December 1814 Jackson was organizing defense of New Orleans - New England Federalists met in Hartford to map strategy for war -
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market economy
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- national system of markets developed following war of 1812 - as it grew the economy became varied enough to sustain and accelerate growth - embargo and war itself stimulated the growth of manufacturing - war bottled up capital in europe - war led federal government to adopt policies that would spur on economic expansion
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"new nationalism"
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- after war with Britain leadership passed to new generation âž” Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, and jOhn Quincey Adams - ardent nationalists eager to use federal power to promote rapid development of nation - advocated new nationalism âž” set of economic policies designed to foster prosperity of all regions and bind nation together
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2nd Bank of US
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- country fell into financial chaos after charter of Bank of US expired in 1811 - Madison originally opposed Hamilton's bank but in 1816 charted Second Bank of US with Congresses approval for 20 years
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Tariff of 1816
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- Madison agreed to a protective tariff to aid budding american industries by raising price of competing foreign goods - set average duty on 20% of imported woolen and cotton cloth and sugarâž” more beneficial to north - madison recommended government promote internal improvements such as a roads
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Eli Whitney and The Cotton Gin
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- cotton was key to american economic devlopment after 1815 - cotton gin was invented in 1793 which would remove sticky green seeds from the lint - gin allowed laborer to clean 50 pounds of cotton a day vs. 1 lb by hand - south produced more than 60% of world supply and counted for 2/3 of american export
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internal improvements
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- state laws fostered economic development by encouraging banks, insurance companies, railroads and manufacturing firms to form as corporations
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Marshall Court
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- under Chief justice MArshall the supreme court became the branch of federal government most aggressive in protecting the new forms of business central to growing market economy - convinced colleagues to uphold sanctity of private property and power of federal government to promote economic growth
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McCulloch vs. Maryland (1819)
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- court upheld constitutionality of National Bank - Marshall emphasized that the constitution gave congress power to make all "necessary and proper" laws to carry out delegated powers - bank had to only be useful not essential - by upholding Hamilton's doctrine of implied powers, Marshall enlarged federal power
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Gibbons vs. Ogden (1824)
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-Marshall encouraged freewheeling commerce - gave Marshall a chance to define the greatest power of federal government during peace timeâž” right to regulate interstate commerce - struck down a steamboat monopoly granted by state of New York - chief justice gave term commerce broadest possible definition âž” covered all commercial dealings and that Congresses' power over interstate commerce could be exercised to utmost extent -result was increased business business competition throughout society
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Dartmouth College vs. Woodward (1819)
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- New Hampshire attempted to allow college's charter granted by King George III - court overturned state law on grounds that state charters were also contracts and could not be altered by legislatures - Marshall intended to protect corporations which conducted business under charters granted by individual states - encouraged economic risk taking - decisions protected property and contracts, limited state interference in business affairs and created a climate of confidence
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Boom-Bust Cycles
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- country remained prosperous from 1815-1819 - depression from 1819-1823 - during next cycle in 1820's gave way to speculation and investment in 1830's - expansion followed by depression
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Panic of 1819
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- initial shock of boom-and-bust psychology -price of cotton collapsed along with rest of economy - land values plummeted 50 to 75 percent after being driven to new heights by speculative fever
