The First Continental Congress Extralegal committees of correspondence from every colony except...
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The First Continental Congress Extralegal committees of correspondence from every colony except Georgia sent delegates The bigwigs were there: Samuel and
The First Continental Congress Extralegal committees of
correspondence from every colony except Georgia sent delegates The
bigwigs were there: Samuel and John Adams, John Jay, Patrick Henry,
Richard Henry Lee, George Washington 56 delegates in all They
endorsed a set of statements known as the Suffolk Resolves
Slide 2
Suffolk Resolves Colonies owed no obedience to any of the
Coercive Acts A provisional government should collect all taxes
until the former Massachusetts charter is restored Defensive
measures should be taken in the event of an attack by royal troops
The Cont. Congress also voted to boycott all British goods Cease
exporting all goods to Britain and its West Indian possessions
Slide 3
Bradleys Reluctant Rebellion The middle-colony contingent fears
a head-on confrontation with Britain They support Galloways Grand
Council which proposed an American Legislature that would share the
authority to tax and govern the colonies with Parliament The
Continental Congress finally sent a petition to the King It
reaffirmed Parliaments power to regulate imperial commerce, BUT it
argued that all previous parliamentary efforts to impose taxes,
enforce laws through admiralty courts, suspend assemblies, and
revoke charters was unconstitutional
Slide 4
From Resistance to Rebellion Resistance leaders began acting
out coercing loyalists (Tories) Compelling merchants to burn their
imports and make apologies Browbeat clergymen Pressured Americans
to alter diets Began organizing volunteer military companies and
extralegal legislatures
Slide 5
Colonists were beginning to collect arms April, 1775, Mass.
Gov. Gage was ordered to quell the rude rabble Gage sends 700
British soldiers to seize military supplies at Concord Revere and
Dawes At Lexington about 70 minutemen confront the British 8
minutemen die
Slide 6
By the days end the redcoats suffered 273 casualties compared
to only 92 for the colonists By April 20, 20,000 New Englanders
were besieging the British garrison in Boston
Slide 7
Second Continental Congress meets and agrees to send a loyal
message to King George, The Olive Branch Petition 1. cease fire 2.
repeal the Coercive Acts 3 negotiations to establish guarantees of
American rights However, while doing this the colonies also
established a Continental Army headed by George Washington In June,
the Battle of Breeds and Bunker Hill: British lose 1,154 and the
colonists lose 311 By December, King George and Parliament had
declared the colonies to be in a state of rebellion
Slide 8
Common Sense Many elites like Adams were concerned about the
movement being taken over by the common people What if they are
armed? Any sentimental attachment to the crown ended with Thomas
Paines Common Sense Monarchy is rooted in superstition Conspiracy
against American liberty rooted in the institutions of monarchy and
empire
Slide 9
Paine claimed that America Economically did not need Britain
Should break due to the preceding six months events Had an
awakening nationalism with a sense of religious mission Contained
republican principles and was unburdened by the oppressive beliefs
and corrupt institutions of the European past
Slide 10
Declaring Independence Middle colonies were still concerned
because of Philly and New York Richard Henry Lee proposes
independence By July 2 the resolution is adopted and then signed on
July 4 The Declaration of Independence
Slide 11
Declaration o f Independence Pursuit of Happiness replaces
property Left out blaming George III for the slave trade Followed
the English Bill of Rights Focused on the King, not Parliament
Listed 27 injuries and usurpations, but discussed issues in a
universal dimension Right of revolution Natural entitlement Left
unanswered equality
Slide 12
The struggle for national independence had hastened, and become
intertwined with a quest for equality and personal independence
that, for many Americans, transcended boundaries of class, race, or
gender.
Slide 13
The Revolution gave white northerners and southerners their
first real chance to learn what they had in common Out of this war
comes the Articles of Confederation Despite cooperation, many in
America were divided over basic political questions relating to the
distribution of power
Slide 14
Loyalists and Other British Sympathizers About 20% of all
whites either refused the Confederation or opposed rebellion
However, this did not mean that they did oppose British policies
They just viewed separation as an illegal act certain to ignite a
unnecessary war New York and New Jersey had the highest number
These two colonies furnished of the 21,000 who fought for the
British Many loyalists were recent immigrants, or soldiers that
stayed on in the colonies after the Seven Years War Loyalist
numbers were also high in Georgia and the backcountry of N. and S.
Carolina Canadians supported the crown due to the Quebec Act
Slide 15
Bridgets Independence Many recent settlers in the Ohio Valley
felt an independent America might trample their rights Many slaves
had taken refuge on British ships They considered their own
liberation more important than Americas Native Americans feared
expansion by an new America
Slide 16
The Opposing Sides British Advantages 11 million to 2.5 million
(1/3 of whom were slave or loyalist) Largest navy and one of the
best professional armies Ability to hire 30,000 Hessians 21,000
loyalists
Slide 17
American side Did mobilize 220,000 troops Military
contributions of the French and Spanish British decline in sea
power due to budget cuts Supply line problems for the Brits Tough
maintaining British peoples support through higher taxes Guerrilla
warfare would be tough to secure loans No trained officers or
disciplined soldiers
Slide 18
The Revolution and Social Change Social tensions were magnified
and complicated after the war by two factors Principles of the
Declaration of Independence Dislocations caused by the war itself
What would be the relationship between political elites and the
commoner? How would the young nation deal with slavery? What about
Native Americans?
Slide 19
Egalitarianism Among White Males By the 1760s elites began
looking like commoners for the rebellion effort The Declaration
speaks of equality The War democratizes Americans political
assumptions However, the natural aristocracy rises out of a
reciprocal understanding New emphasis on equality obviously did not
include propertyless males, women, or nonwhites Overall
distribution of wealth in America went unchanged
Slide 20
A Revolution for Black Americans About 20% (500,00,) black
persons in the colonies in 1776 All but 25,000 were slaves Free
blacks, however, were almost always subject to curfews, etc. About
25,000 blacks join the British ranks; 5,000 serve the colonies This
grew out of the armys need, not equal justice
Slide 21
Many states between 1777-84 began phasing out slavery Vermont,
Penn., Mass., RI, Conn. Northern states began repealing or ignoring
curfews and granted blacks equal treatment in court hearings All
states except SC and GA ended slave imports The Revolutionary
generation did take some steps to weaken slavery (state laws
creating gradual emancipation children born of a slave women after
a certain date [July 4]) But there was general fear of Southern
secession or national bankruptcy Slavery was a necessary evil
Slide 22
Native Americans and the Revolution Revolutionary ideology made
no provision for Indian nations The revolutionary spirit actually
sought to expand westward Native Americans were vulnerable
Population east of the Miss. River had been depleted by from
1754-1783 Many sought to incorporate the most useful aspects of
European culture
Slide 23
Forging New Governments Elites welcomed hierarchical rule
Working and the poor welcomed worried that the wealthy would profit
at their expense Rural colonists emphasized decentralized power and
authority
Slide 24
From Colonies to States New state constitutions retained the
precedents of favoring the wealthiest elites 11 of the 13
maintained bicameral legislatures (Georgia and Penn. Unicameral)
Few questioned property requirements for voters or elected
officials (it had to do with the potential for the poor in selling
their votes) Most elected officials were expected to lead the
people, not necessarily carry out popular will They were elected
for personal qualities and fitness for office
Slide 25
Only Pennsylvania ensured that election districts were equal in
population (others had equal representation no matter the size)
State constitutions did require popular ratification and could only
change if voters chose to amend them Revolutionary constitutions
spelled out citizens fundamental rights By 1784 all included
explicit bills of rights
Slide 26
Revolutionary statesmen proclaimed the need to strengthen
legislatures at the expense of governors States scheduled annual
elections Transferred the power of appointment to the legislatures
Denied them the power to veto laws Subjected them to impeachment
Nowhere could the governor appoint the upper house Governors became
figureheads
Slide 27
Revolutionary leaders were republicans, not democrats Democracy
would have concentrated power in the hands of the uneducated
multitude Gradually, the wealthier desired a more centralized
authority The end of state-established churches The end of entails
and primogenitor Entails legal constraints on divided property
Primogenitor transferring of property to the oldest son in the
absence of a will
Slide 28
Formalizing a Confederacy Each state was reserved its
sovereignty, freedom and independence Americans were citizens of
their state first, the nation second The national government had a
single chamber, elected by the state legislature and each state had
one vote Congress could request funds, but states did not have to
provide it Congress could not regulate interstate commerce or
overseas trade No executive or judicial system
Slide 29
Finance, Trade, and the Economy, 1781-1786 The new nation was
on shaking economic ground $160 million price tag for the war The
government had borrowed money and printed Continentals Inflation
hit hard after the war Request of a 5% import due that failed to
pass Newburgh Conspiracy States would not provide funds to the
Government
Slide 30
Decline in trade severely hurt the new nation It hit New
England the most; chronic overpopulation did not help
Slide 31
Confederation and the West, 1785-1787 One of the main
challenges to the new government was postwar settlement and the
administration of western lands Ordinance of 1785 Townships of six
square miles; subdivided into 36 sections of 640 acres each; one a
source of income for schools Ordinance of 1787 Defined the steps
for new states Congress would appoint the governor and judges When
5,000 adult males arrived voters could approve a temporary
constitution When the population reached 60,000 voters could ratify
a state constitution Forbade slavery
Slide 32
Slide 33
Served as a model for further expansion west Was an opportunity
for people to earn land Eased the fear of a mass of poor laborers
and the unpropertied
Slide 34
Shayss Rebellion, 1786-87 "Rebellion against a king may be
pardoned, or lightly punished, but the man who dares to rebel
against the laws of a republic ought to suffer death. Samuel Adams
"A little rebellion now and then is a good thing. It is a medicine
necessary for the sound health of government. God forbid that we
should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion. - TJ
Slide 35
Philadelphia Convention, 1787 55 delegates; most wealthy and in
their thirties; 39 had sat in Congress; 19 slave owners No official
journal kept Secrecy to ensure open debate without fear of
criticism Two basic issues Whether or not to tinker with the
Articles of Confederation or replace it Conflicting interests of
the small and large states
Slide 36
Virginia Plan (James Madison) Strong central government
Congress gets unrestricted rights to tax and legislate, the power
to veto state law and use military force against the estates
Bicameral legislature with fixed representation based on the states
population Voters elect the lower house; lower house chooses the
upper house from nominations submitted by the state
legislatures
Slide 37
New Jersey Plan (William Patterson) Recommended a single
chamber congress with each state having equal vote Congressional
laws the supreme law of the land Courts could force reluctant
states to accept these measures Connecticut Compromise Equal vote
for each state in the upper Proportional voting for the lower
Slide 38
The new document accomplished the following: Reconciled
conflicting interests between the large and small states The Senate
and House Established national authority Lay and collect taxes
Regulate interstate commerce Conduct diplomacy State officials must
swear an oath to uphold the Constitution Use of military force
against any state This is an abandonment of the Articles of
Confederation
Slide 39
Slide 40
But there was restraint (or at least their should be if
Americans understand this document and dont allow any or all
branches to get too powerful) Three distinct branches Checks and
balances Federalism
Slide 41
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U.S. History How many different men have been President of the
United States? Who was the best President? Why? Who was the worst
President? Why?
Legislative: House Requirements for office Apportionment of the
seats http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
srv/special/politics/2010-race- maps/house/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- srv/special/politics/2010-race-
maps/house/ Gerrymandering Term of Office Presiding officer Powers
Impeachment $
Slide 52
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Speaker of the House John Boehner From Ohio Been in Congress
since 1990 Republican
Slide 56
Majority Leader Eric Cantor From Virginia Been in office since
1991 Republican
Slide 57
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi From California Been in office
since 1985 Democratic
Slide 58
Legislative: Senate Requirement for Office Membership Term of
Office Presiding Officer Powers 2/3 consent Jury role Foreign
Affairs Filibuster Cloture (2/3 present)
Slide 59
Slide 60
Vice President (and President of the Senate Joe Biden From
Delaware Been in office since 1972 (Senator for 36 years prior to
VP) Democrat
Slide 61
President Pro-Tempore Daniel Inouye From Hawaii Been in office
since 1962 (but for territorial Hawaii since 1954) Democrat
Slide 62
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell From Kentucky Been in
office since 1984 Republican
Slide 63
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid From Nevada Been in office
since 1986 Democrat
Executive Requirements for office Constitutional vs. societal
Term (22 nd Amendment) Electoral College How is it calculated? What
if no majority? Who has power in this system?
Slide 72
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Executive Powers of the President Commander in Chief Head of
Cabinet Grant pardons Negotiate Treaties Nominate Supreme Court
Justices Fill vacancies during Senate recesses
Slide 78
The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of 15
executive departments State (1789) Treasury Defense Justice
Interior (1849) Agriculture (1862) Commerce (1913) Labor (1913)
Health and Human Service (1953) Housing and Urban Development
(1965) Transportation (1966) Energy (1977) Education (1979)
Veterans Affairs (1988) Homeland Security (2002)
Slide 79
Judicial
Slide 80
Harty Har Har Chief Justice John Roberts (56); 6 years Antonin
Scalia (75); 25 Anthony Kennedy (75); 23 Clarence Thomas (63); 20
Ruth Bader Ginsburg (78); 18 Stephen Breyer (73); 17 Sam Alito
(61); 5 Sonia Sotomayor (57); 2 Elena Kagen (51); 1
Slide 81
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Article IV Relations among the states Article V Amending
process Article VI Supremacy Clause Article VII - Ratification
