HIST 105 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Republican Society, Heredity
23 Feb 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Some americans worried that the scramble for material wealth would undermine republican values in the new nation. Disparities in wealth made some worry that a heredity aristocracy might grow up to dominate government. Elites worried that democratic excesses would lead to men without property, and the personal independence and stability that came with it, rising to power. Enslaved african americans and most women were denied the rights to property and the independence required to become full citizens of a republican society. They believed that a revolution waged against monarchy should not produce a new aristocracy that was legally or even visibly distinguished from its fellow citizens. Americans believed that britain"s unwritten constitution had not protected the colonies against oppression. After independence, therefore, they demanded that their state constitutions explicitly define the rights of the people and the power of their rulers. During the revolution, americans showed little interest in establishing a strong national government.
