Chapter 7 - The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution, 1780-1787

Question 1

What did Jefferson do to create the Jefferson Bible?

Answer 1

Took out all the Old Testament. Took out all the miracle stories. And took out Acts and all the epistles.

Question 2

Who were the deistic and rationalistic Founding Fathers?

Answer 2

Jefferson, Franklin, Ethan Allen, and Paine.

Question 3

Who were the heavily Bible-Humping Founding Fathers?

Answer 3

Patrick Henry, John Witherspoon, Roger Sherman, and John Jay.

Question 4

Where can the majority of the Founding Fathers be placed?

Answer 4

None of these camps. None really left a clean paper trail that allows us to draw accurate conclusions.

Question 5

What was the Founding Fathers attitudes towards Christianity?

Answer 5

They were all Christian oriented and had a Bible-informed mind. They believed that God created the world and God’s laws govern the world and men should follow God’s laws, and men will be judged by God and then live forever in Heaven or Hell. That’s why all the Founding Fathers could work together even though they had somewhat different worldviews. They had enough similarities to work on frameworks of government.

Question 6

What are the six principles of the generic Christian worldview that all the Founding Generation would have accepted?

Answer 6

1) God exists and He created the world.
2) Men will give an account to God after they die and answer to God’s justice.
3) All men are impaired.
4) Absolute moral truths exist and are established by God and can be comprehended by men.
5) Jesus’ words must be heeded and his behavior must be imitated.
6) Religion, praying, following God’s law, and reading the Bible is good.

Question 7

Were State Governments Allowed to Establish A Religion? What States Had Strict Religious Laws?

Answer 7

Yes. The 1st Amendment Only Applied to the Federal Government. South Carolina and Vermont.

Question 8

What were the successes of the AoC government?

Answer 8

1) Oversaw victory against the world’s largest military power.
2) Did not make nay major blunders that would have destroyed the young nation.
3) Authored the Northwest Ordinance.
4) Allayed Fears That a Central Government Results in Tyranny.

Question 9

What was the most important concept expressed in the Northwest Ordinance?

Answer 9

The Ordinance gave full citizenship to all the people who settled in the New Territory. This created a concept of citizenship regardless of locale which was unheard of in the world at that time.

Question 10

What were the three major flaws of the AoC government?

Answer 10

1) Had No Ability Raise Money or Back Its Currency
2) Had No Power to Raise a National Army or Navy
3) State Governments Could Veto Any Law and Practiced Special Interest Politics.

Question 11

How were these three flaws manifested in Shays Rebellion?

Answer 11

1) It couldn’t pay soldiers and the soldiers couldn’t pay off their debt and that caused major problems and resentment. If the government could have just paid its soldiers it would have been no big deal.
2) When the AoC tried to stop Shays Rebellion, its proposal to form a militia was rejected and it had to rely on the MA militia to do that.
3) Special interest politics prevented a state resolution to the problem and fueled the choice of Shays men and men in NH to bear arms to get their way and have their interests effect change to help themselves.

Question 12

What policy changes were implemented in MA as a result of Shays Rebellion?

Answer 12

1) Debt Collection Halted
2) No High Land Taxes
3) Prevent Creditors From Collecting Debt.
4) Printed More Currency To Create Inflation.
5) Halted State Debt Payments to Private Creditors.

Question 13

How did the Founding Fathers view the policy changes in MA after Shays Rebellion?

Answer 13

As an assault on property rights and as the dangers of rule by the unvirtuous mob left to their own devices and control.

Question 14

In what convention was it decided that the United States needed a new government different from the AoC?

Answer 14

The Annapolis Convention.

Question 15

What was the real task of the politician in 1700?

Answer 15

To pursue the common good. Even if it means stepping outside of their own mandate.

Question 16

What were the 11 salient features of the New Constitution?

Answer 16

1) Created a Federal System of Government. (Both States and Federal Government had Authority. Two Sovereigns)
2) An elaborate system of checks and balances to prevent the government of devolving into tyranny. (Usually caused gridlock but the prevented hasty action based on the vagaries of public opinion.)
3) The Connecticut Compromise Between Big States and Small States.
4) Gave The Federal Government Strong Taxing Powers in Article I Section 8
5) The Founding Fathers Created a Republic and Not a Democracy Because They Were Less Trusting of A virtuous citizenry.
6) The Blank Check When It Came To The Judiciary and Judicial Review.
7) The Changes Made Were Extreme Enough to Invoke a National Debate.
8) “We The People” Rejected the Proto-States Rights Argument made by the AoC. The States were not the ultimate source of authority but rather the people.
9) The Anti-Federalists Demonstrated Accurate Concerns About the Constitutional Government (Would Usurp State Power)
10) The Constitution Was Ratified But Not By a Landslide Vote. The Bill of Rights had to be added to ensure its ratification.
11. Provided a Mixture of Structure and Flexibility That The Founders weren’t sure would work out at first. It could absorb shock and it took over 70 years before a crisis would cause a breakdown.

Question 17

In order to maintain a republic, the people had to be __________ ?

Answer 17

Virtuous.

Question 18

What did virtuous people ultimately pursue?

Answer 18

The Common Good.

Question 19

A Republican Form of government emphasized anti-elitism and stipulated, therefore that

Answer 19

Anyone could enquire after and find truth. The common man is a qualified as the professional.

Question 20

How did the Founding Fathers view slavery?

Answer 20

Mixed. They did more to attack slavery than any other government before them but the three-fifths compromise showed they certainly were not abolitionists. They were compromisers.

Question 21

True or False: Northern States Started Abolishing Slavery Shortly After the Declaration of Independence.

Answer 21

True

Question 22

Draw the Tree the Founding Fathers had for virtue.

Answer 22

Common Good
            I
       Virtue
            ^
Morality Liberty
       I
Religion

Question 23

What are the five reasons the U.S. is still so religiously friendly?

Answer 23

1. The U.S. insulated the church from the compromises necessary in the political environment and therefore did not tarnish its reputation.
2. Churches Had To Survive On Their Own Without State Support.
3. The U.S. is a nation of immigrants. Religion was seen as a way to preserve that ethnic heritage.
4. The highly mobile American person used religion to create community.
5. American was seen as a Chosen nation singled out by God for his blessing. This sense was strongest between 1815 and 1900.