The Makings of a Constitution Outline

IN 1781:

• Congress Only, no President & no Federal Judges
• Washington surrenders his "sword" to congress
• Usually victorious generals seek power
• Washington renounces power
• Napoleon said (as he was dying) "they wanted me to be Washington"

13 LITTLE REPUBLICS

• 13 little countries or One consolidated Nation
• it was like today’s European countries (before the European Union)
• Fighting together helps break some of the prejudice

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO END A MONARCHY

• Is everyone equal??? (no nobility)
• White servitude ends rather quickly
• For EXAMPLE, half the population (White Servitude) in Philadelphia in 1750, gone by 1800
• From inherited power to???
• Are Nobility equal to Common Citizens???

ALEXANDER HAMILTON

• Born illegitimately in the Bahamas
• Comes to NY to be educated
• Arrogant – climbing to be elite
• Sees greatness in America’s possibility & its possible power (world power)

ARTISTS & WRITERS SEE & PROMOTE NATIONALISM

• Help establish the myth (painters grand representation of Washington & Franklin)
• Webster creates speller for AMERICAN ENGLISH

NATIONALISM

• Still a vision of the few

• States/regions try to establish their way of life over other ways of life
• New Englanders see Southerners as a people of leisure; dueling, drinking, racing horses, the death of civilization
• Southerners are suspicious of New Englanders, not open, crabby
• States make their own government/currency (pounds & dollars)

THE PROBLEM OF A CONFEDERATION

• No Army or Navy
• How do we defend ourselves – Spain blocks imports & British still have troops in America
• Will states begin to squabble?
• Taxing each other
• Border disputes = Penn. & Conn. Over western borders
• England secretly laughs, assuming it will fail, too liberal & free
• US in Bankruptcy – no tax, ask states for money, debts to pay
• Creditors & debtors – splitting people into two camps

1786 & SHAY’S REBELLION

• Mass. Farmers arm themselves (in debt), Militia joins them instead of defending the government
• Causing some (in power) to want order over mob, order over freedoms
• Taints belief in a popular government
• President of Congress asks Prussian Prince to be King of America, he declines
• Rebellions of poor in debt farmers occur all over the country

1787 DELEGATES GO TO PHILADELPHIA

• Shay’s rebellion focuses concerns

• Washington un-retires to attend

JAMES MADISON

• Shy, intelligent, little (5 foot 1 inch), meek political philosopher
• Argues degrees of power rather than total power
• What replaces Kings?
• Republics Fall, Greece/Rome

Procedings are kept secret

News black-out

Patrick Henry is suspicious (former governor of Virginia)

Large Democracy needs checks & balances

Protects minority from majority

Democracy works only in face to face, so: Extensive Republic

Faction is the savior of democracy

Diversity prevents oppressive majority

Liberties can be lost by a majority using the government to assert their ideas

Emerge after a few months with a new structure, not new confederation

Shocking ‘cause it is unexpected

6 years for a senator – difficult to support, elections are annual at that time

seems to disregard the rights fought for in war, now replaced by strong Federal government

FOR THE CONSTITUTION

Money interests, businesses

G. Washington is popular & he is for it

AGAINST THE CONSTITUTION

Local government officials, who can’t seem to rise to power

DEBATE

What system protects liberty?

ANTI’S

• Majority at first
• Fear of centralized power
• Tax, Army, Aristocracy
• Penetrates into depths of ordinary life
• Taxing us to death
• No RELIGIOUS requirements for office
• Use the tax money for themselves
• Too big Too powerful

FEDERALISTS

• Elect leaders, so no one just simply takes office
• Why not elect Fed. Leaders, when one elects state/local officials
• Improve the Confederacy

RATIFACATION

• States call local conventions – need 9 states
• Most states against it
• FOR EXAMPLE, Mass.
• Federalists debate well, point by point
• 6 years = better prepared to handle internation affairs

WHERE ARE THE RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE?

Anti’s = where are the rights of the people, this is the rights of government

Fed’s = Webster, no need to list rights of people, since they elect officials, the system protects

• Ambition will be counteracted in 3 branches

JAMES MADISON proposes Bill of Rights

Both sides win

Our government is to work from the bottom to up, while the style it’s replacing works from the Top down