01:512:104 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Abigail Adams, Republican Motherhood, Northwest Ordinance
16 May 2018
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Chapter 09 - The Confederation and the Constitution
I. The Pursuit of Equality
1. Declaration of Independence - "All men are created equal"
2. Fight for separation of church and State
• Congressional Church established in
New England States
• Strongest in Virginia
• 1786 Thomas Jefferson won passage of Virginia Statue
for Religious Freedom
3. 1775 - Philadelphia Quakers Founded 1st antislavery society (in
the world)
4. 1774 - Continental Congress tried to abolish slave trade (Some
northern states did)
• Laws still discriminated against slaves
• No state south of Pennsylvania abolish slavery
• Afraid slavery might break union
5. 1776 - Abigail Adams advocated for women’s rights
Women keeps of the nations conscience ( republican
motherhood)
II. Constitution Making in the States
1. 1776 - Continental Congress called to draft new constitutions
2. Massachusetts created a special convention to creates its
constitution
• Direct ratification by the people
• 1780 - Mass. adopted Constitution that could only be
changed by constitutional convention (later limited to
federal Constitution)
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3. British - Constitution is a cummulation of laws
4. Most documents had a Bill of Rights
5. All states made executive and judicial branches (weak in
comparison to today)
III. Economic Crosscurrents
1. Loyalists large land holdings were taken and divided into small
farms
2. America mostly made of farming
3. Britain cut off good imports
4. Americans could trade freely with foreign nations
5. 1784 - Express of China carried ginseng to China
6. Wide divide in rich and poor class
IV. A Shaky Start Toward Union
1. 1786 - Hard times hit bottom
2. 13 states had similar gov't
3. Political leaders of time:
• George Washington
• James Madison
• John Adams
• Thomas Jefferson
• Alexander Hamilton
V. Creating a Confederation
1. States:
Coined money
raised armies and navies
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had tariff barriers
2. 1778 - Virginia ratified treaty of alliance with France (alone
without others states being involved)
3. 1776 - Articles of Confederation
not ratified by all 13 states until 1781 (last Maryland)
4. 1787 - Northwest Ordinance
5. Public land handed to Federal gov't (bond of Union)
VI. The Articles of Confederation Americas First Constitution
1. Joint action was to be taken by states
2. No executive branch
3. Each state had one vote in congress
4. 9 States needed for bills to pass
5. 2 Weaknesses of Congress:
1) Congress was weak - no power to regulate commerce
2) Congress could not enforce tax-collection programs.
6. 1783 – Penn soldiers marched to Philadelphia and made
threatening demonstrations on Independence Hall
7. Articles of Confederation acted as a model
• Thomas Jefferson claimed it to be the best one exsisting
• Weak
• Stepping Stone for current constitution (today)
VII. Landmarks in Land Laws
1. 1785 – Land Oridinence – acrage of the old Northwest should be
used to pay off national debt.
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